ASP.NET MVC - ajax call to server side for pdf files? - ajax

I am trying to make an Ajax call to my app's controller to get some PDF files as follows:
function AjaxCallImages(URL) {
var result = $.ajax({
type: "GET",
url: URL,
success: SuccessFunctionImages,
error: ErrorFunction
});
return result;
}
On the server side of my web app (in the model), I am reading files from a remote server:
public static List<byte[]> GetFiles()
{
List<byte[]> files = new List<byte[]>();
string uri = #"\\REMOTER_SERVER_IP\Users\Public\myfolder";
string[] filesInfo = Directory.GetFiles(uri);
foreach (string fPath in filesInfo)
{
string fileName = MYPATH;
using (var webClient = new WebClientNoKeepAlive())
{
byte[] filedata = webClient.DownloadData(fPath);
files.Add(filedata);
}
}
return files;
}
and the result (List) is sent back to the controller in the ajax call.
What I receive is arrays of strings.
I need to show these pdf files in the browser but I am not sure how could I do this and if using Ajax is a good idea. But since I want to show images without reloading the page, I opted for Ajax. It there a good solution to do so? I would appreciate if someone kindly guide me about that. Thank you

Related

Client-Side error when uploading image on server ASP.NET Core

I am struggling with uploading an image from thew client-side to a folder on the server-side in .Net Core.I used Postman to check if the method on the server-side is working and it does without any problem,but when I try to upload an image from the client-side,I get an error on the server-side of type NullReferenceException:Object reference not set to an instance of an object.This is the Post method on the server-side:
[HttpPost]
public async Task Post(IFormFile file)
{
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_environment.WebRootPath))
{
_environment.WebRootPath = Path.Combine(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(), "wwwroot");
}
var uploads = Path.Combine(_environment.WebRootPath, "uploads");
//var fileName = file.FileName.Split('\\').LastOrDefault().Split('/').LastOrDefault();
if (!Directory.Exists(uploads)) Directory.CreateDirectory(uploads);
if (file.Length > 0)
{
using (var fileStream = new FileStream(Path.Combine(uploads, file.FileName), FileMode.Create))
{
await file.CopyToAsync(fileStream);
}
}
}
Apparently the method is thrown where I check if the length of the file is bigger than 0.On the client-side I get error "500 internal server error" and I tried to check using the debugger where exactly the error is thrown but i can't find anything that could resemble an error of some sort.This is the API method for the client-side:
public async Task UploadPictureAsync(MediaFile image)
{
User user = new User();
string pictureUrl = "http://10.0.2.2:5000/api/UploadPicture";
HttpContent fileStreamContent = new StreamContent(image.GetStream());
// user.Picture=GetImageStreamAsBytes(image.GetStream());
fileStreamContent.Headers.ContentDisposition = new ContentDispositionHeaderValue("form-data") {FileName=Guid.NewGuid() + ".Png",Name="image"};
fileStreamContent.Headers.ContentType = new MediaTypeHeaderValue("application/octet-stream");
HttpClientHandler clientHandler = new HttpClientHandler();
clientHandler.ServerCertificateCustomValidationCallback = (sender, cert, chain, sslPolicyErrors) => { return true; };
using (var client = new HttpClient(clientHandler))
{
using (var formData = new MultipartFormDataContent())
{
formData.Add(fileStreamContent);
var response = await client.PostAsync(pictureUrl, formData);
if(response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
{
var result = response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result;
}
}
}
}
The image is declared in the Model as byte array:
public byte[] Picture { get; set; }
Does someone understand why my POST method has this behavior since the server-side works perfectly but fails when I try to upload an image from the client-side?What I find weird though is that when i read the error and I look at the Content-Type it is "text/plain" instead of "form-data" and I have tried to set it at the MutipartFormDataContent like this:
formData.Headers.ContentType.MediaType = "multipart/form-data";
I also tried to set the MediaTypeHeaderValue on the client like this:
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/octet-stream"));
I still get the wrong content type.
I have also tried a different approach with Stream instead of MediaFile but without any luck as it did not even hit the break point in debugger mode for the response.Any help would be appreciated! :)
I have managed to find the answer finalllyyyyy!!!The problem was on the client-side as I suspected and guess what,it was all about the correct name.It turns out that since on the server side I have IFormFile file I had to change the client side to take the parameter name "file" instead of image as well so that it could work.Thank you #Jason for the suggestions as I didn't understand the error from the first place and did some debugging on the server-side to help me figure it out.

Export To Excel from Asp Net Web API Controller

I am working on New web application which is Using Web API as Business Layer and Knock out Js as client side frame work to binding. I have a requirement like Pass the certain search criteria to Web API Controller and get the Data from DB and Create and Send the Excel/MS-Word file on the fly as a downloadable content.
I am new to both the Web API and Knock out, I am searching on the Net and get partial solution and I am looking here to get more optimal solution for this use case.
Below is my code:
Client:
function GetExcelFile() {
var $downloadForm = $("<form method='POST'>")
.attr("action", baseUrl + "api/FileHandler/GetExcelFileTest")
.attr("target", "_blank")
$("body").append($downloadForm);
$downloadForm.submit();
$downloadForm.remove();
}
On Button Click having this code snippet to create a form on the fly and Get response from Web API.
Web API Code:
[HttpPost]
public HttpResponseMessage GetExcelFileTest()
{
var response = new HttpResponseMessage();
//Create the file in Web App Physical Folder
string fileName = Guid.NewGuid().ToString() + ".xls";
string filePath = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(String.Format("~/FileDownload/{0}", fileName));
StringBuilder fileContent = new StringBuilder();
//Get Data here
DataTable dt = GetData();
if (dt != null)
{
string str = string.Empty;
foreach (DataColumn dtcol in dt.Columns)
{
fileContent.Append(str + dtcol.ColumnName);
str = "\t";
}
fileContent.Append("\n");
foreach (DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
str = "";
for (int j = 0; j < dt.Columns.Count; j++)
{
fileContent.Append(str + Convert.ToString(dr[j]));
str = "\t";
}
fileContent.Append("\n");
}
}
// write the data into Excel file
using (StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(fileName.ToString(), false))
{
sw.Write(fileContent.ToString());
}
IFileProvider FileProvider = new FileProvider();
//Get the File Stream
FileStream fileStream = FileProvider.Open(filePath);
//Set response
response.Content = new StreamContent(fileStream);
response.Content.Headers.ContentDisposition = new ContentDispositionHeaderValue("attachment");
response.Content.Headers.ContentDisposition.FileName = fileName;
response.Content.Headers.ContentType = new MediaTypeHeaderValue("application/ms-excel");
response.Content.Headers.ContentLength = fileStream.Length;
//Delete the file
//if(File.Exists(filePath))
//{
// File.Delete(filePath);
//}
return response;
}
Using this code I am able to download an Excel File. Still I have some more open questions to make this code optimal.
Q1) I need to Pass view model(Search Criteria) to API Controller Using the dynamically create form ? (OR) Any better ways to get Excel file from Web API.
Q2) I am sure it's not a good way to create Excel file in Physical folder and Get FileStream and send as a respone. How to do on the fly ? OR any other optimal ways.
Please suggest me to do better ways.. Thanks
Q1) You can quite easily pass the view-model, but it's also similarly easy to pull that information from the posted form.
Passing the view-model
If you want to pass the view-model to a WebAPI method then remember that said method must take as a parameter an object with the same properties. So if the object that you wish to post back always has the same properties then it's trivial to build a server-side class with the same properties and receive an instance of that class.
To post back this client-side object you can do something like this (uses jQuery, which I see you're already using):
$.ajax({
contentType: "application/json",
data: my-view-model.toJSON(),
type: "POST",
url: baseUrl + "api/FileHandler/GetExcelFileTest" });
I haven't attached any success or error handlers here because the JavaScript isn't concerned with the return, but you might wish to add some handlers in case an exception is thrown in your WebAPI method. I recommend doing that by adding the following to the above $.ajax() call:
statusCode: {
500: function(jqXhr, textStatus, errorThrown) {
},
[other HTTP error codes]
}
[Read the documentation for the $.ajax() call here.]
One additional tip here: when you call my-view-model.toJSON() (or self.toJSON(), if called from within your view-model) Knockout will first of all determine if your view-model contains a toJSON() method. If so, it will use this method; if not then it will call the browser's implementation of this function. However, the browser's implementation of this function will serialise everything, which can be particularly length if you have, for example, long select lists in your view-model. Therefore, if you wish only to send back a subset of the view-model's properties then define your own toJSON function on your view-model like so:
var toJSON = function() {
return {
Property1: ...,
Property2: ...
};
}
[Read more about converting a view-model to JSON here.]
Posting the form as-is
If you don't wish to expend the effort to do the view-model wiring then you can just post the form exactly like you have in your question. You can then retrieve the values from the form by using
Request.Form["my-field"];
Q2)
You're probably right in pointing out that it's not wise to create the Excel file in the physical folder. However, as far as I'm aware (interested if someone says otherwise) you'll have to use a 3rd-party library for this. Microsoft do offer an Office automation library but I have a suspicion that you also need Office to be installed at the same location.
Creating Excel spreadsheets dynamically is something I've done several times but for the actual creation I use Aspose.Cells, which requires a license. Although I do create a physical version and then delete it, I believe Aspose.Cells may allow you to create it as a stream. But take a look around, there are certainly other libraries which offer Excel automation.
Returning the File from the Server
Calling $.ajax({...}) alone won't allow you to present the user with a "Save as..." dialog. What I do in this situation - and this won't work if you wish to store the generated file only in memory (FileStream, for example) and not on the file system - is to respond to the $.ajax({...}) call with a filename for the generated file.
The next step is to direct the user towards that filename.
So I have something like this in my JavaScript:
$.ajax({
dataType: "json",
type: "GET", // you'll probably want POST in your case
url: ...,
success: function(response) {
if (response && response.Uri && response.Uri.length) {
window.location.href = [root URL] + response.Uri;
}
}
});
But don't be alarmed by this redirect. That window.location.href points directly to a folder on the server, no controller needed. Because the browser then receives a file it presents the "Save as..." dialog while remaining on the same webpage.

Get Picture from Client - save on MongoDB, expressJS, nodeJS

I'm trying to Implement a simple Picture upload from the client to my mongoDB.
I've read many explanations but I can't find a way from start to finish.
My clientside -
function profilePic(input) {
if (input.files && input.files[0]) {
var file = input.files[0];
localStorage.setItem('picture', JSON.stringify(file));
}
}
Later on I take the this JSON from the LocalStorage and send it to my server side like this:
var request = false;
var result = null;
request = new XMLHttpRequest();
if (request) {
request.open("POST", "usersEditProf/");
request.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (request.readyState == 4 && request.status == 200) {
.....//More code to send to Server
request.setRequestHeader('content-type', 'application/json');
request.send(JSON.stringify(localStorage.getItem('picture)));
}
}
On my serverside:
app.post('/usersEditProf/',users.editProfile);
/** Edits the Profile - sends the new one **/
exports.editProfile = function(req, res) {
var toEdit = req.body;
var newPic = toEdit.picture;
And thats where I get lost. is newPic actually holding the picture? I doubt it...
Do I need to change the path? What is the new path I need to give the picture?
How do I put it in my DB? Do I need GridFS?
When trying to simply put that in my collection, it looks like this (example with a image called bar.jpg:
picture: "{\"webkitRelativePath\":\"\",\"lastModifiedDate\":\"2012-10-08T23:34:50.000Z\",\"name\":\"bar.jpg\",\"type\":\"image/jpeg\",\"size\":88929}",
If you want to upload a blob through XMLHTTPRequest(), you need to use an HTML 5 FormData object:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/FormData
It alows you to specify a filename to push, then you handle the incoming file as you would with a mime form post. Note the limitations on browser support when you use the FormData object. Your alternative is a form POST to a hidden frame, which works OK but is not nearly as clean looking in code as FormData.

Calling an XPage through ajax call

Scenario
Lotus Domino form with a button that made an Ajax call to an Xpage, that do some stuff (read a properties file).
Framework: prototype.js
Button code:
var now = new Date()
var n = $H({
........
now: now.getTime()
});
var url = "/" + $F("path") + "/myxpages.xsp";
var myAjax = new Ajax.Request(
url,
{
method: 'post',
parameters: n.toQueryString(),
onComplete: function(response) {
ajaxResult = response.responseText;
}
});
Xpage
myxpages.xsp has this SSJS code on afterPageLoad event
var request = facesContext.getExternalContext().getRequest();
var response = facesContext.getExternalContext().getResponse();
response.setHeader("Expires", -1);
response.setHeader("Cache-Control", "no-cache");
com.org.MyGetProperties.readProperties(request,response);
MyGetProperties class
This class is deployed in WebContent/WEB-INF/classes
public class MyGetProperties {
static PrintWriter out = null;
public static synchronized void readProperties(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws Exception {
try {
*(DO SOME STUFF HERE)*
out = new PrintWriter(response.getWriter());
// return result
out.println("OK");
} catch (Exception e) {..}
}
}
Sometimes ajaxResult variable in ajax response call is empty, sometimes is "OK", as expected (seems to be something related to cache, but i think i've managed it correctly).
The behavior is different on different production server, i don't know if depends on server configurations.
Could be a PrintWriter problem?
Short answer: don't. Long answer: use the Ajax control. You put that on your page and your URL changes to myxpages.xsp/nameyougavetheajaxcontrolproperty
This way you can be sure not to run foul of any cached result or pending operation. It also has a property where you can specify a Java class directly. That class extends (need to Google that - answered it on SO before) which gives you direct access to request/response
Update:
You need to tell that you are done:
facesContext.responseComplete();
See my original post on XAgents, the revision and some thought on testing.

ActionScript 3.0 To Send POST and get data from .Net 4 using MVC

I am trying to get my flash application to send a request back to the webserver so that it can get some information. So far after reading on stackoverflow for a while and on the net I have some code written, but its not quite working right. I need just a little help tying it all together.
Here is the controller for my webserver
//
// POST: /Home/HoneyPot
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult HoneyPot(bool GetData)
{
//ViewBag.
return View();
}
Here is the ActionScript code that is supposed to be making the request.
// get dynamic page element information
var myData:URLRequest = new URLRequest("http://localhost:59418/HoneyPot");
myData.method = URLRequestMethod.POST;
var vars:URLVariables = new URLVariables();
vars.Input = "GetData=true";
myData.data = vars;
var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
loader.dataFormat = URLLoaderDataFormat.VARIABLES;
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, gotPostData_Spiral);
loader.load(myData);
function gotPostData_Spiral(anEvent:Event):void
{
var postData = anEvent.target.data.myVar;
}
Right now when I run the flash code I get this output back:
Error opening URL 'http://localhost:59418/HoneyPot'
Error: Error #2101: The String passed to URLVariables.decode() must be a URL-encoded query
string containing name/value pairs.
at Error$/throwError()
at flash.net::URLVariables/decode()
at flash.net::URLVariables()
at flash.net::URLLoader/onComplete()
Thank you for the help
Instead of:
vars.Input = "GetData=true";
try:
vars.GetData = "true";

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