How to return JSON Array in ASP.NET Web API C#

Question

I want to return (display in the web browser) json array in below format.

{
 "RainfallAreaAVG": [
 {
 "AreaBbsID": "18",
 "DistCount": "1",
 "SubDistCount": "2",
 "Amount": "14",
 "Hail": "14",
 "ArealDetails": [
 {
 "DistBbsID": "101",
 "SubDistCount": "2",
 "Amount": "14",
 "Hail": "14",
 "SubDistCount": "2",
 "DistDetails": [
 {
 "SubDistBbsID": "101",
 "Amount": "14",
 "Hail": "2",
 "Date": "2011-06-13"
 },
 {
 "SubDistBbsID": "102",
 "Amount": "10",
 "Hail": "0",
 "Date": "2011-06-13"
 }
 ]
 }
 ]
 }
 ]
}

I am using asp.net web API (MVC) in c# and Entity Framework 5.0, ADO.Net Entity Data Model as my model.

I'm using stored procedure to get data from sql server DB:

enter image description here

At present I'm using code below in my controller

namespace RainfallService.Controllers
{
 public class DistAVGController : ApiController
 {
 [HttpGet]
 public List<SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVG_Result> GetRainfall(string distBbsID, string entryDate)
 {
 using (var db = new Farmer_WebEntities())
 {
 var rainfalls = db.SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVG(distBbsID, entryDate).ToList();
 return rainfalls;
 }
 }
 [HttpGet]
 public List<SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVGDetails_Result> GetRainfall(string distBbsID, string entryDate,string type)
 {
 using (var db = new Farmer_WebEntities())
 {
 var rainfalls = db.SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVGDetails(distBbsID, entryDate).ToList();
 return rainfalls;
 }
 }
 }
}

And my output is like below which I don't want.

For Average For Details

ADO.Net Entity Data Model using like below enter image description here

Model Classes I'm using

namespace RainfallService
{
 using System;
 public partial class SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVG_Result
 {
 public string AreaBbsId { get; set; }
 public string DistBbsID { get; set; }
 public Nullable<int> SubDistCount { get; set; }
 public Nullable<decimal> Amount { get; set; }
 public Nullable<int> Hail { get; set; }
 }
}

And

namespace RainfallService
{
 using System;
 public partial class SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVGDetails_Result
 {
 public string AreaBbsId { get; set; }
 public string DistBbsID { get; set; }
 public string SubDistBbsId { get; set; }
 public Nullable<decimal> Amount { get; set; }
 public Nullable<int> Hail { get; set; }
 }
}

My WebApiConfig.cs as below

namespace RainfallService
{
 public class WebApiConfig
 { 
 public static void Register(HttpConfiguration config)
 {
 // Web API configuration and services
 EnableCorsAttribute cors = new EnableCorsAttribute("*", "*", "*");
 config.EnableCors(cors);
 // Web API routes
 config.MapHttpAttributeRoutes();
 config.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
 name: "DefaultApi",
 routeTemplate: "api/{controller}/{id}",
 defaults: new { id = RouteParameter.Optional }
 );
 config.Formatters.Remove(config.Formatters.XmlFormatter);
 //config.Formatters.JsonFormatter.SerializerSettings.Formatting = Newtonsoft.Json.Formatting.Indented;
 //var jsonFormatter = config.Formatters.OfType<JsonMediaTypeFormatter>().First();
 //jsonFormatter.SerializerSettings.ContractResolver = new CamelCasePropertyNamesContractResolver();
 }
 }
}

Can anybody help me please???

• Stefan: Hi there; please edit your question and post code, data and errors as text with the appropriate formatting.
• Ryan Wilson: @Stefan It looks to me like he needs a new class which can house the results of his queries, in his DB example it looks like he has 3 procs being executed and returned as a dataset,.
• Stefan: Possible duplicate of pretty print: stackoverflow.com/questions/9847564/…
• Jonathon Chase: So you want it to return your Json prettified? Register your JsonMediaTypeFormatter with the Formatting = Formatting.Indented SerializerSetting in your WebApiConfig.
• Isuru Lakshan: Please refer this link. stackoverflow.com/questions/42566284/…

Answer 1

If you want to return prettified JSON by default, you'll want to configure the media type formatter in your WebApiConfig.

As a quick example, in a WebApiConfig.Register(HttpConfiguration config) method,

config.Formatters.Clear();
config.Formatters.Add(new JsonMediaTypeFormatter() {
 SerializerSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings {
 Formatting = Formatting.Indented
 }
};

This is also where you can set other default options, such as serializing properties to camelCase (CamelCasePropertyNamesContractResolver), or excluding the output of null properties (NullValueHandling.Ignore).

To add your List to a new object that has a single property, RainfallAreaAVG, I would do the following:

• Change the return type on your controller actions to IHttpActionResult

• Return an anonymous object with your new property name's value set to the list you wish to return

Your controller could end up looking like this:

namespace RainfallService.Controllers
{
 public class DistAVGController : ApiController
 {
 [HttpGet]
 public IHttpActionResult GetRainfall(string distBbsID, string entryDate)
 {
 using (var db = new Farmer_WebEntities())
 {
 var rainfalls = db.SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVG(distBbsID, entryDate).ToList();
 return Ok(new {RainfallAreaAVG = rainfalls});
 }
 }
 [HttpGet]
 public IHttpActionResult GetRainfall(string distBbsID, string entryDate,string type)
 {
 using (var db = new Farmer_WebEntities())
 {
 var rainfalls = db.SP_GetRainfallByDistDateAVGDetails(distBbsID, entryDate).ToList();
 return Ok(new {RainfallAreaAVG = rainfalls});
 }
 }
 }
}

• Jonathon Chase: @sydur.rahman21 I've updated this answer with an example implementation of your controller for handling encapsulating your list as the value of a json property.

Answer 2

public class ActualRainfall
{
 public List<Rainfallareaavg> RainfallAreaAVG { get; set; }
}
public class Rainfallareaavg
{
 public string AreaBbsID { get; set; }
 public string DistCount { get; set; }
 public string Amount { get; set; }
 public string Hail { get; set; }
 public List<Arealdetail> ArealDetails { get; set; }
}
public class Arealdetail
{
 public string DistBbsID { get; set; }
 public string SubDistCount { get; set; }
 public string Amount { get; set; }
 public string Hail { get; set; }
 public List<Distdetail> DistDetails { get; set; }
}
public class Distdetail
{
 public string SubDistBbsID { get; set; }
 public string Amount { get; set; }
 public string Hail { get; set; }
 public string Date { get; set; }
}

Make this your model class to set the return type of GetRainFall() to be this model class.

GlobalConfiguration.Configuration.Formatters.Clear();
GlobalConfiguration.Configuration.Formatters.Add(new JsonMediaTypeFormatter());

in WebApiConfig.cs, or While Making the API request pass Application/json in the header.

• sydur.rahman21: How about the controller class?