How to handle flexible query parameters in ASP.NET Web API?

Other Questions API
1

Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out how to deal with optional query parameters in my ASP.NET Web API project. I want to create an endpoint that can handle different combinations of parameters for searching books. Something like this:

/api/books?author=ABC&title=XYZ&isbn=123&category=fiction&year=2022

The tricky part is that users might not always provide all these parameters. They could use any number of them, from zero to all five.

I used to do it like this in an older version:

public class BookSearcher : ApiController
{
    public string FindBooks(string author, string title, string isbn, string category, int? year) 
    {
        // Search logic here
    }
}

But now it’s not working. If I don’t include all the parameters, I get a 404 error saying it can’t find the right action.

Does anyone know how to make this work without having to mess with the URL routing? I’d really appreciate any help or tips!

2

I’ve been using ASP.NET Core for a while now, and I found a neat way to handle flexible query parameters. Instead of individual parameters, you can use the [FromQuery] attribute with a model class. Here’s what I do:

Create a model class like this:

public class BookSearchParams
{
    public string Author { get; set; }
    public string Title { get; set; }
    public string ISBN { get; set; }
    public string Category { get; set; }
    public int? Year { get; set; }
}

Then in your controller:

[HttpGet]
public IActionResult SearchBooks([FromQuery] BookSearchParams searchParams)
{
    // Your search logic here
}

This approach lets you handle any combination of parameters without changing your route. It’s been a game-changer for me in terms of flexibility and code maintenance. Give it a shot!

3

hey there! try using [FromUri] on a param model like BookSearchParams for optional props. then call a method accepting it to handle any query combination without route issues. hope it works!

4

I’ve faced a similar issue before and found a simple solution that improved my API’s flexibility. Rather than handling each parameter separately, creating a dedicated parameter class works much better. For example, you can define a class with properties for author, title, ISBN, category, and year, and then modify your controller action to accept this object decorated with [FromQuery].

This approach keeps your code clean and maintainable and resolves the routing issues when users submit various combinations of query parameters.