Return content with IHttpActionResult for non-OK response

Question

For returning from a Web API 2 controller, I can return content with the response if the response is OK (status 200) like this:

    public IHttpActionResult          


        

Answer 1

You can also do:

return InternalServerError(new Exception("SOME CUSTOM MESSAGE"));

Answer 2

@mayabelle you can create IHttpActionResult concrete and wrapped those code like this:

public class NotFoundPlainTextActionResult : IHttpActionResult
{
    public NotFoundPlainTextActionResult(HttpRequestMessage request, string message)
    {
        Request = request;
        Message = message;
    }

    public string Message { get; private set; }
    public HttpRequestMessage Request { get; private set; }

    public Task<HttpResponseMessage> ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        return Task.FromResult(ExecuteResult());
    }

    public HttpResponseMessage ExecuteResult()
    {
        var response = new HttpResponseMessage();

        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(Message))
            //response.Content = new StringContent(Message);
            response = Request.CreateErrorResponse(HttpStatusCode.NotFound, new Exception(Message));

        response.RequestMessage = Request;
        return response;
    }
}

Answer 3

In ASP.NET Web API 2, you can wrap any ResponseMessage in a ResponseMessageResult:

public IHttpActionResult Get()
{
   HttpResponseMessage responseMessage = ...
   return new ResponseMessageResult(responseMessage);
}

In some cases this may be the simplest way to get the desired result, although generally it might be preferable to use the various results in System.Web.Http.Results.

Answer 4

I had the same problem. I want to create custom result for my api controllers, to call them like return Ok("some text");

Then i did this: 1) Create custom result type with singletone

public sealed class EmptyResult : IHttpActionResult
{
    public Task<HttpResponseMessage> ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        return Task.FromResult(new HttpResponseMessage(System.Net.HttpStatusCode.NoContent) { Content = new StringContent("Empty result") });
    }
}

2) Create custom controller with new method:

public class CustomApiController : ApiController
{
    public IHttpActionResult EmptyResult()
    {
        return new EmptyResult();
    }
}

And then i can call them in my controllers, like this:

public IHttpActionResult SomeMethod()
    {
       return EmptyResult();
    }

Answer 5

this answer is based on Shamil Yakupov answer, with real object instead of string.

using System.Dynamic;

dynamic response = new ExpandoObject();
response.message = "Email address already exist";

return Content<object>(HttpStatusCode.BadRequest, response);

Answer 6

You can use HttpRequestMessagesExtensions.CreateErrorResponse (System.Net.Http namespace), like so:

public IHttpActionResult Get()
{
   return ResponseMessage(Request.CreateErrorResponse(HttpStatusCode.InternalServerError, "Message describing the error here"));
}

It is preferable to create responses based on the request to take advantage of Web API's content negotiation.