Question

I have two methods in my Web API controller as follows:

public samplecontroller: webapicontroller
{

     [HttpPost]    
     public void PostMethod()

     [HttpGet]
     public void GetValues(int a,int b)
}

I have the following in global.asax:

 routes.MapHttpRoute

 ("Default API Route", "api/{controller}/{id1}/{id2}/{id3}/{id4}/{id5}", 

  new { id1 = UrlParameter.Optional, id2 = UrlParameter.Optional, id3 = UrlParameter.Optional, id4 = UrlParameter.Optional, id5 = UrlParameter.Optional });

If I want to call the second method i.e., GetValues(int a,int b), can I write one more HttpRoute in Global.asax as follows?

routes.MapHttpRoute(
     name: "ActionApi",
     routeTemplate: "api/{Sample}/{GetValues}/{a}/{b}",
     defaults: new { a = UrlParameter.Optional, b=UrlParameter.Optional }
);

So can I create more than one maproute in global.asax?

And, to provide the optional parameter, should I give the same as parameters like a and b only?

Answer 1

You can have multiple routes in global.asax; each incoming request will go to the first route that matches. That means that the more specific ones should go first. A URL matches a route if:

1. the controller and action route values are defined.
2. All required route values (both ones in the curly brackets in the route, as well as non-nullable parameters in the Action) are defined.

That said, your proposed route api/{Sample}/{GetValues}/{a}/{b} doesn’t make sense. It creates two new (meaningless) route values Sample and GetValues, and doesn’t provide a definition controller or action. I think what you meant to write is this:

routeTemplate: "api/Sample/GetValues/{a}/{b}",
defaults: new { controller: "Sample", action: "GetValues", a = UrlParameter.Optional ,b=UrlParameter.Optional }

This will match the URI /api/Sample/GetValues/1/2 to your action.

routeTemplate: "api/Sample/GetValues/{a}/{b}",
defaults: new { controller: "Sample", action: "GetValues", a = UrlParameter.Optional ,b=UrlParameter.Optional }