Azure functions & Powershell: get response in plain JSON - json

Question

Trying out some new features in Azure; Azure Functions running Powershell. One thing I'm struggling with for a while: I cannot get the output in plain JSON, instead in seems formatted and includes escape characters and is messed up double quoting.
function.json:
{
"bindings": [
{
"name": "req",
"type": "httpTrigger",
"direction": "in",
"webHookType": "genericJson",
"methods": [
"post",
"head",
"trace"
]
},
{
"name": "res",
"type": "http",
"direction": "out"
}
],
"disabled": false
}
run.ps1:
$ApiURI="http://avwx.rest/api/metar.php?station=ymml&format=JSON"
$Result = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $ApiURI
Out-File -Encoding Ascii -FilePath $res -inputObject $Result
Results in following response:
"\r\n\r\nAltimeter : 1015\r\nCloud-List : {FEW 035}\r\nDewpoint : 11\r\nFlight-Rules : VFR\r\nOther-List : {}\r\nRaw-Report : YMML 210900Z 17010KT 9999 FEW035 19/11 Q1015 NOSIG\r\nRemarks : NOSIG\r\nRemarks-Info : \r\nRunway-Vis-List : {}\r\nStation : YMML\r\nTemperature : 19\r\nTime : 210900Z\r\nUnits : #{Altimeter=hPa; Altitude=ft; Temperature=C; Visibility=m; \r\n Wind-Speed=kt}\r\nVisibility : 9999\r\nWind-Direction : 170\r\nWind-Gust : \r\nWind-Speed : 10\r\nWind-Variable-Dir : {}\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n"
But what I expect is something like:
{
"Altimeter": "1016",
"Cloud-List": [],
"Dewpoint": "12",
"Flight-Rules": "VFR",
"Other-List": [],
"Raw-Report": "YMML 210930Z 17011KT CAVOK 18/12 Q1016 NOSIG",
"Remarks": "NOSIG",
"Remarks-Info": {},
"Runway-Vis-List": [],
"Station": "YMML",
"Temperature": "18",
"Time": "210930Z",
"Units": {
"Altimeter": "hPa",
"Altitude": "ft",
"Temperature": "C",
"Visibility": "m",
"Wind-Speed": "kt"
},
"Visibility": "9999",
"Wind-Direction": "170",
"Wind-Gust": "",
"Wind-Speed": "11",
"Wind-Variable-Dir": []
}
What could be wrong here?

Answer 1

I'm not sure how you got that result, since Invoke-RestMethod store the data in the ResponseData property.
When you use Invoke-RestMethod it will convert the json data to a Powershell Object. In your run.ps1 it looks like you are going to save the PS Object to a file, not the JSON data.
If you are not going to modify the JSON data, it's really no use to convert it to a PSObject. So you could use Invoke-webrequest instead.
But in case you want to modify it.
$uri = "http://avwx.rest/api/metar.php?station=ymml&format=JSON"
$request = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $uri
#Get the result and convert it back to JSON
$Result = $request.responseData | ConvertTo-Json
$Result | Out-File .\data.json -Encoding Ascii

Answer 2

#David - Yes, the following works for me in Azure Functions.
a. run.ps1 file content
$ApiURI="http://avwx.rest/api/metar.php?station=ymml&format=JSON"
$Result = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $ApiURI | ConvertTo-Json
Out-File -Encoding Ascii -FilePath $res -inputObject $Result
b. Request result both in Azure Functions Portal and Postman.
{
"Altimeter": "1016",
"Cloud-List": [
[
"FEW",
"016"
]
],
"Dewpoint": "13",
"Flight-Rules": "VFR",
"Other-List": [],
"Raw-Report": "YMML 212100Z 28005KT 9999 FEW016 15/13 Q1016 NOSIG",
"Remarks": "NOSIG",
"Remarks-Info": {},
"Runway-Vis-List": [],
"Station": "YMML",
"Temperature": "15",
"Time": "212100Z",
"Units": {
"Altimeter": "hPa",
"Altitude": "ft",
"Temperature": "C",
"Visibility": "m",
"Wind-Speed": "kt"
},
"Visibility": "9999",
"Wind-Direction": "280",
"Wind-Gust": "",
"Wind-Speed": "05",
"Wind-Variable-Dir": []
}