Submitting JSON as body?

[justindunn]

I'm trying to submit a JSON post to my local dev server and having issues. I haven't seen much documentation on sending complex parameters or JSON in the body for a POST request in the documentation (unless I'm missing something). I've been browsing through issues with no success unfortunately on how to get this to work, I have a complex bit of JSON that I need to send in a .POST request to my Rails API. Here is the code for sending the JSON

 `@IBAction func SessionSubmit(_ sender: Any) {
    let selected_session_type = session_type_ids[self.SessionTypePicker.selectedRow(inComponent: 0)]
    let selected_session_duration = session_type_durations[self.SessionTypePicker.selectedRow(inComponent: 0)]
    let dateFormatter = DateFormatter()
    let selected_start_time = DateTimePicker.date
    let start_time = dateFormatter.string(from: DateTimePicker.date)
    let end_time = dateFormatter.string(from: selected_start_time + selected_session_duration.minutes)
    let refreshToken = current_user.refreshToken as String
    let accessToken = current_user.accessToken as String
    let params: [String: Any] = ["access_token": accessToken, "refresh_token": refreshToken]
    let body: [String: Any] = ["data": [
                    "type": "session",
                    "attributes": [
                        "title": "",
                        "description": "",
                        "start": start_time,
                        "end": end_time,
                        "session_mode": "video_session"],
                        "relationships": [
                            "users": [
                                "data": [
                                    ["type": "user",
                                     "id": current_user.userId],
                                    ["type": "user",
                                     "id": clientId]
                                ]
                            ],
                            "session_type":[
                                "data": [
                                    "type": "session_type",
                                    "id": selected_session_type
                                    ]
                                ]
                            ]
                        ]
                    ]
    do {
        let jsonData = try JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: body, options: .prettyPrinted)
        print(jsonData)
        let decoded = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: jsonData, options: [])
        print(decoded)
        
        if let dictFromJSON = decoded as? [String:Any] {
            print(dictFromJSON)
            self.sendData(parameters: params, body: dictFromJSON) {
                self.stopAnimating()
            }
        }
    } catch {
        print(error.localizedDescription)
    }
    startAnimating(GlobalVariables().LoadingSize)`

   `    func sendData(parameters: [String:Any], body: [String:Any], finished: @escaping () -> Void) {
    DataController().Post(parameters: parameters, path: "/v1/sessions/"+current_user.userId).perform(withSuccess: { (FetchedArray) in
        if let SessionTypesArray = FetchedArray.response["data"].array {
            self.session_types += SessionTypesArray 
        }
        finished()
    }) { (FetchFailed) in
        AuthenticationController().logout(user: self.current_user)
        self.dismiss(animated: true, completion: {});
        finished()
    }
}`

I'm thinking maybe I need to make these embedded in the document and only have my refresh and access tokens as parameters? so I tried working on doing it that way and yet still another road block because of not seeing any ways to add to the body, I know there is appendBody but I'm not sure how that would work either, the json seems to not be flowing to the rails api correctly either
`Started POST "/v1/sessions/122" for 127.0.0.1 at 2017-05-19 13:52:32 -0400
Error occurred while parsing request parameters.
Contents:

access_token=90d2befd58912f978dc681f2f0d1eaf3d217dbe25fdac3d1ec4ab45e9bfff41a&data%5Btype%5D=session&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bdescription%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Btitle%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bend%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bsession_mode%5D=video_session&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bstart%5D=&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Btype%5D=session_type&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Bid%5D=379&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=122&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=6&refresh_token=6b60a52534e1fa2ed436a9542a6c27b7f05e56e7b306f48df12b286b8fe5f624

JSON::ParserError - 822: unexpected token at 'access_token=90d2befd58912f978dc681f2f0d1eaf3d217dbe25fdac3d1ec4ab45e9bfff41a&data%5Btype%5D=session&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bdescription%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Btitle%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bend%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bsession_mode%5D=video_session&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bstart%5D=&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Btype%5D=session_type&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Bid%5D=379&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=122&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=6&refresh_token=6b60a52534e1fa2ed436a9542a6c27b7f05e56e7b306f48df12b286b8fe5f624':
json (1.8.6) lib/json/common.rb:155:in parse'

any help here would be greatly appreciated guys! thanks in advance!

[DenTelezhkin]

Just do:

request.parameters = body
request.parameterEncoding = JSONEncoding.default

You don't need to explicitly create JSON using JSONSerialization, since it's already implemented in Alamofire ParameterEncoding, and therefore, in TRON as well.

[justindunn]

Ok I tried adding that to my api controller for the request, but instead of using body I just went back and added everything to my main params
let params: [String: Any] = ["access_token": accessToken, "refresh_token": refreshToken, "data": [ "type": "session", "attributes": [ "title": "", "description": "", "start": start_time, "end": end_time, "session_mode": "video_session"], "relationships": [ "users": [ "data": [ ["type": "user", "id": current_user.userId], ["type": "user", "id": clientId] ] ], "session_type":[ "data": [ "type": "session_type", "id": selected_session_type ] ] ] ] ]

my api controller code is this
func PostCreate(parameters: [String:Any], path: String) -> APIRequest<Fetched, FetchFailed> { let request: APIRequest<Fetched, FetchFailed> = DataController.tron.request(path) request.method = .post request.parameterEncoding = JSONEncoding.default request.headers = ["Accept":"application/vnd.api+json"] request.headers = ["Content-Type":"application/vnd.api+json"] print(request.path) print(request.parameters) print(request.headers) print(request.urlBuilder) return request }

But now I'm getting an invalid media type, I'm thinking that JSONEncoding.default is messing up the ""application/vnd.api+json" content-type, right?

[DenTelezhkin]

It should not reset Content-Type, if you set it before sending a request

https://github.com/Alamofire/Alamofire/blob/master/Source/ParameterEncoding.swift#L313-L314

[justindunn]

func PostCreate(parameters: [String:Any], path: String) -> APIRequest<Fetched, FetchFailed> {
    let request: APIRequest<Fetched, FetchFailed> = DataController.tron.request(path)
    request.method = .post
    request.parameterEncoding = JSONEncoding.default
    request.headers = ["Accept":"application/vnd.api+json"]
    request.headers = ["Content-Type":"application/vnd.api+json"]
    print(request.path)
    print(request.parameters)
    print(request.headers)
    print(request.urlBuilder)
    return request
}

when I submit it with that I get

"errors" : [
{
"code" : "406",
"status" : "406",
"title" : "Not acceptable",
"detail" : "All requests must use the 'application/vnd.api+json' Accept without media type parameters. This request specified 'application/json'."
}
]

but if I comment out the JSONEncoding.default I get the issue I had originally

Started POST "/v1/sessions/" for 127.0.0.1 at 2017-05-21 11:37:17 -0400
Error occurred while parsing request parameters.
Contents:

access_token=9856a83b1a286343482a729e5ec7c909f838e43fc0623586e38c13ff0bb72c10&data%5Btype%5D=session&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bdescription%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Btitle%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bend%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bstart%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bsession_mode%5D=video_session&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=122&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=6&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Btype%5D=session_type&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Bid%5D=679&refresh_token=6b368c95d13e7ecece91dfe1ade30e80ccb7d7311ffcf0771086f227e1de72fc

JSON::ParserError - 822: unexpected token at 'access_token=9856a83b1a286343482a729e5ec7c909f838e43fc0623586e38c13ff0bb72c10&data%5Btype%5D=session&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bdescription%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Btitle%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bend%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bstart%5D=&data%5Battributes%5D%5Bsession_mode%5D=video_session&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=122&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Btype%5D=user&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Busers%5D%5Bdata%5D%5B%5D%5Bid%5D=6&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Btype%5D=session_type&data%5Brelationships%5D%5Bsession_type%5D%5Bdata%5D%5Bid%5D=679&refresh_token=6b368c95d13e7ecece91dfe1ade30e80ccb7d7311ffcf0771086f227e1de72fc':

Another catch 22 unfortunately, does this seem like its something wrong with our backend api?

[DenTelezhkin]

You should append, but not reassign headers

request.headers["Accept"] = "application/vnd.api+json"
request.headers["Content-Type"] = application/vnd.api+json"

[justindunn]

Awesome, I think that got it, now I'm having an authentication issue with our server, but I don't think it has anything to do with what we were trying to solve, thanks again for all your help!