Returning JSON with web api controller MVC - json

Question

I am trying to convert a regular old controller I was using to an API controller and am having a little bit of difficulty. What these series of functions do is, in the jQuery, it iterates over a file containing all the usernames of employees and for each username it makes a call to the PopulateEmployee method in my webapi controller which should return JSON and then populate a results div.
When manually navigating to
..domain../staffinformation/populateemployee/employeeusername
I get the error
This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The
document tree is shown below.
<Error>
<Message>
The requested resource does not support http method 'GET'.
</Message>
</Error>
Please note that the div it will be populating is a partial view in an Umbraco CMS page and I don't think that is the problem but if you guys think differently please tell me.
There has to be something I am missing either with webAPI routing or something else.
Thanks for your help.
Here's the codez.
Please notice that this method has the HttpPost tag
public class StaffInformationController : ApiController
{
[System.Web.Http.ActionName("PopulateEmployee")]
[System.Web.Http.HttpPost]
public StaffListing PopulateEmployee(string id)
{
//do error checking on input
StaffListing staffListing = new StaffListing(id);
//populate other fields
return staffListing;
}
}
The routing set up for the api controller
public static class WebApiConfig
{
public static void Register(HttpConfiguration config)
{
config.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
name: "DefaultApi",
routeTemplate: "api/{controller}/{action}/{id}",
defaults: new { id = RouteParameter.Optional }
);
}
}
The jQuery call specifying use of 'POST', please forgive the trickiness of the recursive call in this function.
function getEmployeeObjectByIndex() {
$.ajax({
url: $('#root').val() + '/api/StaffInformation/PopulateEmployee',
type: 'POST',
async: true,
contentType: 'application/json, charset=utf-8',
data: JSON.stringify({ 'username': lines[i] }),
success: function (staffObject) {
if (!(staffObject.Name == undefined)) {
buildHtmlStrings(staffObject);
}
i++;
getEmployeeObjectByIndex(); //recursive call
}
});
}

Answer 1

manually navigating to that address throws the error because, when manually navigating you are doing a GET (and your method only allows POSTs).
You should fire up Fiddler and watch the ajax POST request and response to see how the server is responding / your request is being made

Answer 2

Jquery ------> web api
Web API has one property i.e. CONTENT NEGOTIATION means you send any data and accept any data as you want.
$.ajax({
contentType: 'application/json, charset=utf-8',
// this is sending your data of datatype json to server, here you send any type of data
accept: 'application/json',
//this is receiving/getting data form server to client...
// SO HERE YOU GET JSON DATA AS YOU WANT only mention which data of datatype u want...
//if you sending xml and you want json so only write accept as json it get automatically converted into your required datatype..by MediaTypeFormatter
});