Table of Contents

Custom C# Web API Base Classes

Any WebAPI controller in ASP.net inherits from a base class. This is a typical code you may see as an example:

[AllowAnonymous]
public class BasicController : Custom.Hybrid.Api14 // <-- This is the Base Class
{
  [HttpGet]
  public string Hello()
  {
    return "Hello from the basic controller in /api";
  }
}

In these docs we want to explain what the base class is for, and what you should use.

Why Inherit from a Base Class

A WebAPI controller does a lot of magic in the background so your code can stay small and simple.

In classic ASP.net you would inherit from a class called ApiController (namespace System.Web.Http). In classic Dnn you inherit from a base class DnnApiController (namespace DotNetNuke.Web.Api) which also inherits the ApiController.

Tip

Each additional layer adds functionality which will be available to your code.

For example if you inherit from ApiController you can use objects such as Request and User in your code. If you inherit from DnnApiController your code can also use PortalSettings or ModuleInfo.

You can use any base class available in 2sxc. But by inheriting the latest from Custom.Hybrid.Api14 docs your code will have access to many more objects like these:

  • App
  • Data
  • Content
  • CmsContext

You also get many helper commands like these

Tip

As of 2sxc 14 we always recommend that your APIs inherit from Custom.Hybrid.Api14

Avoid using SxcApiController and Others

In previous versions of 2sxc the recommended base class was ToSic.SexyContent.WebApi.SxcApiController. For compatibility reasons this still works, but we strongly urge you to switch over to the new ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.ApiController as the old base class may become deprecated.

Caution

We strongly recommend that you switch over to the new base class Custom.Hybrid.Api14.
But be aware that some of the APIs have changed a bit, so switching will take a few minutes. You will probably see compile errors which tell you what to fix.

Why Hybrid Base Classes

2sxc v12 was made multi-platform to support both Dnn and Oqtane. By using any Custom.Hybrid.* base classes you can write code which will work on both platforms. Since we belive that moving between platforms will soon be important, it's best to start now.

History

  1. Introduced in 2sxc 06.05
  2. Enhanced with Polymorph Editions in 2sxc 9.35 (allowing subfolder/api)
  3. The ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.ApiController was introduced in 2sxc 10.25

Internal Docs: Api Controller Inheritance

Warning

This is internal documentation for the 2sxc core developers. You don't need this part.

Internal Docs: Dnn API Controller Inheritance

Basis for everything:

  1. System.Web.Http.ApiController
    1. DotNetNuke.Web.Api.DnnApiController

      1. 🥷🏽 ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.WebApi.DnnApiControllerWithFixes<TRealController>
        internal base for everything but without context of module/block
        🔹 changes serialization (remove XML v3+ to default to Newtonsoft)
        🔹 add System.Text.Json in v14.10+ to replace Newtonsoft
        🔹 Adds logging to insights
        🔹 Base class for Real controller concept

        1. 🥷🏽 various internal API Controllers which don't need the context
        2. 🥷🏽 ToSic.Sxc.WebApi.SxcApiControllerBase<TRealController> internal
          🔹 Adds DNN Logging Exceptions
          🔹 Add basic context of Block (Module) information
          1. 🥷🏽 various internal API Controllers which need the context
          2. 🥷🏽 ToSic.Sxc.WebApi.DynamicApiController internal
            non-generic base class for all others
            🔹 Adds empty contstructor to allow simple inheritance 🔹 Provides DynamicCode object and better context (block/module)

Based on that these public base classes were made:

  1. ⭐💀 ToSic.SexyContent.WebApi.SxcApiController public, very old/deprecated
    oldest base class, should not be used any more
    🔹 had some exotic propecties such as List which contained Content/Presentation pairs
  2. ⭐💀 ToSic.Sxc.Dnn.ApiController public, old/deprecated
    was the recommended base class for v10 and v11
  3. 🥷🏽 ToSic.Sxc.WebApi.ApiCoreShim internal
    adds a lot of .net core API commands to the controller
    1. ⭐💀 Custom.Hybrid.Api12 public, old/deprecated
      1. ⭐💀 Custom.Dnn.Api12 public, old/deprecated
    2. Custom.Hybrid.Advanced.Api14<TModel, TServiceKit> internal
      like Api12, but without the Convert object
      1. ⭐🌟 Custom.Hybrid.Api14 public, recommended
      2. ❓ Custom.Hybrid.Api15 WIP
        ⚡ will use System.Text.Json for javascript serialization
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