Web API Preview 5 Is Now Available

Here I am explaining the new features of the Web API Preview 5 which is now available.

New Features/Enhancements

• OData Formatter
• Dependency refactoring from host common code
• Support for Batch with mime/mixed content where every part has a full HTTP request
• Web API code-based configuration (simplifications)
• Web-based test client for WCF Web API
• HTTP File upload
• Refactored formatters
• Better IoC support
• Additional samples for specific features such as file upload
• Content negotiation now supports qualifiers
• ActionOfStreamContent - Enables accessing the raw content stream
• New HttpMemoryBinding to enable in-memory hosting and invoking of Web APIs

New Prototype Features (on WebAPI-Prototype branch)

• WebApiConfiguration includes conventions for WebGet/WebInvoke
• WebApiRoute provides better side by side integration with MVC routes
• MapServiceRoute extension method simplified registration and usage of WebApiConfiguration
• SetDefaultHttpConfiguration / GetDefaultHttpConfiguration extension methods enable the getting and setting of a global configuration object that will be used by default by
• MapServiceRoute unless a specific one is provided
• MediaTypeFormatterCollectionExtensions.AddRange enables a more compact way to add formatters
• FormUrlEncodingMediaTypeFormatter
• Task<T> for Web API operations and sample

Breaking Changes

• DelegatingChannel renamed to DelegatingHandler
• HttpChannel renamed to HttpMessageHandler
• FormUrlEncodingMediaTypeFormatter and JsonValueMediaTypeFormatter were moved from the default branch to the WebAPI-Prototype branch as they are not currently part of the core product source
• DelegatingHandler no longer require passing in a channel in the constructor making it more friendly to inversion of control (IoC) containers
• New constructor overload on HttpMessageHandlerFactory overload which accepts a Func<IEnumerable<DelegatingHandler>> to allow user code or IoC containers to construct handlers.
• IQueryable previously supported case-insensitive matches on operators. In the current drop we only will match on lowercase operators i.e. "$top" but not "$Top". According to the spec this is correct behavior however we could relax it in the future.

Nuget

Like I mentioned above, preview 5 is also being released on Nuget today. Here's the breakdown of the Nuget packages that will be available:

• HttpClient : like it sounds, this gives you the HttpClient object model, which can be used by both the server and the client for a symmetric HTTP programming experience.
• JsonValue : Contains JsonValue API for typeless / dynamic access to Json.
• WebApi : The server-side object model for Web API
• WebApi.All : Preserved for backwards compatibility; basically just pulls in everything.
• WebApi.Core : Preserved for backwards compatibility; pulls in WebApi.0.5.0
• WebApi.Enhancements : Gives you the Web API core product code plus the enhancements library (from the prototype branch)
• WebApi.OData : Enables returning OData from a Web API.

In addition to the core Nuget packages, we're also pushing up a set of symbol packages so that you can more easily debug through Web API source code.

• HttpClient.0.5.0.symbols.nupkg
• JsonValue.0.5.0.symbols.nupkg
• WebApi.0.5.0.symbols.nupkg
• WebApi.Enhancements.0.5.0.symbols.nupkg
• WebApi.OData.0.5.0.symbols.nupkg

Reference:

http://codebetter.com/howarddierking/2011/09/15/web-api-preview-5-is-now-available/
http://nuget.org/packages?q=webapi
http://wcf.codeplex.com/releases/view/73423