Скачать или смотреть Configuring Serialization Response in a Minimal C- API

Discover how to configure serialization responses in a minimal C- API effectively. Learn to convert enum values to strings for cleaner API responses.
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Configuring Serialization Response in a Minimal C- API

When developing applications with a minimal C- API, you might encounter situations where the serialization of enum values does not meet your expectations. Specifically, you may want your API to return enum values as strings instead of their underlying integer values. This post addresses the problem of configuring the serialization response correctly and provides a clear solution to achieve this.

The Problem: Enum Serialized as Integers

Consider a scenario where you have the following enum defined in your application:

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When returning a result such as

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the response may look something like this:

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Here, you may notice that instead of the expected string representation of the enum (i.e., "InProcess"), the API response returns its underlying integer value (2). This can lead to confusion and clutter in your API responses.

The Solution: Configuring JsonSerializerOptions

To ensure that enums are serialized as strings, we can make use of JsonSerializerOptions along with the JsonStringEnumConverter. Here’s how to configure this in a minimal C- API.

Step 1: Add the Required NuGet Package

Before we begin, ensure that you have the necessary package installed. You will need to include:

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Step 2: Configure JsonSerializerOptions

In your API setup, you can configure the serialization options in one of your Startup methods or the Program.cs file if you're using the latest .NET version. Here’s a concise example of how to set it up:

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This line ensures that any enum values in your responses will be converted to their string equivalents automatically.

Step 3: Response Modeling

Next, you want to ensure that your response model correctly returns the expected representation. For example, if you have a class called SummarizationResult, it should look like this:

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Example API Response

As a result of this configuration, when you return an instance of SummarizationResult, the response should now resemble:

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Achieving this outcome not only makes your API more readable but also provides clarity for users consuming your API.

Conclusion

Configuring the serialization response in a minimal C- API is a straightforward process that greatly enhances the clarity of your API responses. By setting up JsonSerializerOptions and leveraging the JsonStringEnumConverter, you can ensure that enums are represented as strings rather than integers. This change can ultimately improve the user experience for developers interacting with your API.

Now, you are well-equipped to implement this in your projects! If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out.