Allow string ID with ASP.NET MVC route

Question

I have the 2 following routes setup and they are working fine when a valid request is sent.

config.Routes.MapHttpRoute("DefaultApiWithId", "{controller}/{id}", new { id = RouteParameter.Optional }, new { id = @"\d+" });
config.Routes.MapHttpRoute("DefaultApiWithAction", "{controller}/{action}");

I wanted to test some bad request to make sure the response was correct. I am trying to call the following Action in my controller.

public HttpResponseMessage Get(string id)
{
    //output the id again
}

If i call localhost:80/users/123, i get a response back that is valid and it will output 123. When i try to use an invalid ID, for example, one that contains letters it fails with the following error.

{"Message":"No HTTP resource was found that matches the request URI 'http://localhost:80/users/d1g'.","MessageDetail":"No action was found on the controller 'Users' that matches the name 'd1g'."}

I can see whats going wrong. This request should be matching the first route, but instead its matching the second route. I have 2 methods called Get. One accepts an ID and the other doesn't require an ID. The one that does not require an ID returns a list of all records. I was having a lot of trouble with this and the route above is how i solved the issue.

It should not match first route. That route has a constraint that only allows numbers new { id = @"\d+" } for id parameter. And that is so that it wont clash with the second route mapping — Nkosi
– Nkosi, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 16:50
I think for your first GET, you have specified a mask here: new { id = @"\d+" }, try removing it. But also i think you should have only one method with a simple decision: if ID is passed then return an Object, else return a list. But I'd take another way. — Facundo La Rocca
– Facundo La Rocca, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 16:50
If i remove the constraint i get an error "Multiple actions were found that match the request: \r\nSystem.Net.Http.HttpResponseMessage Get() ". This makes sense as i have 2 get methods. One that takes an id and another that takes none in order to return a list of records — Dan Hastings
– Dan Hastings, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 16:53
@DanHastings, two routes now conflict with each other if you remove the constraint — Nkosi
– Nkosi, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 16:54
@DanHastings - It is unclear what your exact question is. Why would you expect the first route to match, when you specifically constrained it so it won't match when you pass a non-digit? What do you expect as a result when you pass a controller name that doesn't match if not the error message you are getting? — NightOwl888
– NightOwl888, Commented Feb 10, 2017 at 17:20

Nkosi · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-10 17:32:22Z

2

Update the routes by removing constraint, updating route with action to avoid conflict and then switching the order.

config.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
    "DefaultApiWithAction", 
    "{controller}/{action}/{id}"
    new { id = RouteParameter.Optional }
);

config.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
    "DefaultApiWithId", 
    "{controller}/{id}", 
    new { action = "Get", id = RouteParameter.Optional }
);

edited Feb 10, 2017 at 17:32

answered Feb 10, 2017 at 17:00

Nkosi

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2 Comments

Dan Hastings Over a year ago

This resolves the issue, but in turn it creates the same issue i had before. Multiple actions were found that match the request: \r\nSystem.Net.Http.HttpResponseMessage Get() on type. I want one controller to work like this /controller/ = call get(), /controller/id = call get(string id)

Dan Hastings Over a year ago

Bingo, this does the job. Dunno why, but I thought that hardcoding the action to get would cause issues but this seems to have worked perfectly

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