Getting content/message from HttpResponseMessage

Question

I'm trying to get content of HttpResponseMessage. It should be: {"message":"Action '' does not exist!","success":false}, but I don't know, how to get it out of HttpResponseMessage.

HttpClient httpClient = new HttpClient();
HttpResponseMessage response = await httpClient.GetAsync("http://****?action=");
txtBlock.Text = Convert.ToString(response); //wrong!

In this case txtBlock would have value:

StatusCode: 200, ReasonPhrase: 'OK', Version: 1.1, Content: System.Net.Http.StreamContent, Headers:
{
  Vary: Accept-Encoding
  Keep-Alive: timeout=15, max=100
  Connection: Keep-Alive
  Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:46:37 GMT
  Server: Apache/2.2.16
  Server: (Debian)
  X-Powered-By: PHP/5.3.3-7+squeeze14
  Content-Length: 55
  Content-Type: text/html
}

Answer 1

You need to call GetResponse().

Stream receiveStream = response.GetResponseStream ();
StreamReader readStream = new StreamReader (receiveStream, Encoding.UTF8);
txtBlock.Text = readStream.ReadToEnd();

Answer 2

I think the easiest approach is just to change the last line to

txtBlock.Text = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync(); //right!

This way you don't need to introduce any stream readers and you don't need any extension methods.

Answer 3

Try this, you can create an extension method like this:

    public static string ContentToString(this HttpContent httpContent)
    {
        var readAsStringAsync = httpContent.ReadAsStringAsync();
        return readAsStringAsync.Result;
    }

and then, simple call the extension method:

txtBlock.Text = response.Content.ContentToString();

I hope this help you ;-)

Answer 4

If you want to cast it to specific type (e.g. within tests) you can use ReadAsAsync extension method:

object yourTypeInstance = await response.Content.ReadAsAsync(typeof(YourType));

or following for synchronous code:

object yourTypeInstance = response.Content.ReadAsAsync(typeof(YourType)).Result;

Update: there is also generic option of ReadAsAsync<> which returns specific type instance instead of object-declared one:

YourType yourTypeInstance = await response.Content.ReadAsAsync<YourType>();

Answer 5

By the answer of rudivonstaden

txtBlock.Text = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

but if you don't want to make the method async you can use

txtBlock.Text = response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
txtBlock.Text.Wait();

Wait() it's important, becаuse we are doing async operations and we must wait for the task to complete before going ahead.

Answer 6

The quick answer I suggest is:

response.Result.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result

Answer 7

I think the following image helps for those needing to come by T as the return type.

Answer 8

You can use the GetStringAsync method:

var uri = new Uri("http://yoururlhere");
var response = await client.GetStringAsync(uri);