Question

I am using the ASP.NET Web API and controller classes to process JSON data from the client. I have run into a situation to where a single controller needs to have more than one Put method.

Example:

one my client I could have

var box = {size:2,color:'red',height:45,width:12}

Now if I wanted to update the entire box object I can do a

public void Put(Box box)
 {
 }

Ok, I got this much.

But I need to be able to update single values of the box as in:

    public void Put(int id, width value)
    {

    }
    public void Put(int id, height value)
    {

    }
    public void Put(int id, color value)
    {

    }

How would I map the extra Put verbs from with-in my .net c# controller?

---

I am going to add some more code for the bounty I’ve just created. I need someone to show me how to make the code that I’m supplying work. I need to have multiple methods mapping to one httpVERB PUT. Reason being I need to micro update items on the server. Like name, I do not want to send a large object over the wire to update one field, because my program will be connected to mobile devices as well.

—This code does not work and just returns the PutName and never the PutBrand. I’ve switched up the signatures just about any way that you can imagine as well.

    [AcceptVerbs("PUT")]
    [ActionName("PutBrand")]
    public HttpResponseMessage PutBrand(int id, int val)
    {
        return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.Created, "Brand");
    }
    [AcceptVerbs("PUT")]
    [ActionName("PutName")]
    public HttpResponseMessage PutName(IDString idString)
    {
        return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.Created, "Name");
    }
public class IDString
{
    public IDString() { }
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Value { get; set; }
}

—-Client

   $.ajax(
                         {
                             url: "/api/project",
                             type: "PUT",
                             data: JSON.stringify({ id: 45, val:'xxx' }),
                             contentType: "application/json",
                             success: function (result) {

                             }
                         });

—Route config

 public class RouteConfig
    {
        public static void RegisterRoutes(RouteCollection routes)
        {
            routes.IgnoreRoute("{resource}.axd/{*pathInfo}");

            routes.MapHttpRoute(
                name: "DefaultApi",
                routeTemplate: "api/{controller}/{id}",
                defaults: new { id = RouteParameter.Optional }
            );

            routes.MapRoute(
                name: "Default",
                url: "{controller}/{action}/{id}",
                defaults: new { controller = "Home", action = "Index", id = UrlParameter.Optional }
            );
        }
    }

---

Proposed solution

              $.ajax(
                 {
                     url: "/api/project?a=name",
                     type: "PUT",

              $.ajax(
                 {
                     url: "/api/project?a=brand",
                     type: "PUT",

              $.ajax(
                 {
                     url: "/api/project?a=size",
                     type: "PUT",

Of course I would use a variable in the place of the a=myJavaScriptVariable

     public HttpResponseMessage Put(Project project)
        {



  string update = HttpContext.Current.Request.QueryString["a"];
        switch (update)
        {
            case "name":
                break;
            case "brand":
                break;
            case "size":
                break;

            default:
                break;
        }
        return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.Accepted);
    }

Answer 1

The HTTP verb is not the name of the action, it’s an annotation.

This way, your controller shoud look like this:

[VERB]
public ActionResult SomeMeaningfulName(ARGUMENTS)
{
//...
}

Where VERB is either HttpDelete, HttpPost, HttpPut or HttpGet

Hope this helps.

Regards

---

Update: my above answer is true for a ASP.NET MVC app. However, if we’re talking about a WebAPI app, then there is another option to set the verb of an action: WebAPI uses a convention that understands the action name as the verb, as long as its a valid HTTP verb.
The action may even have a meaningful name, but it must begin with the verb.
More info at this post.

Thanks to @Anand for pointing this out (and the effort to make me understand =) ).