init()
In this article we are going to see how can query a GraphQL endpoint, in the next article we are going to see how you could do a Mutation.
Here is a quick overview of what GrapgQL is
http://graphql.org/
FYI: GraphQL is a query language for your API, and a server-side runtime for executing queries by using a type system you define for your data. GraphQL isn't tied to any specific database or storage engine and is instead backed by your existing code and data.
Now lets say that we have this end point https://grapql.api.MyWebsite.com
Also lets say that on this endpoint I can query it as follow:
fragment BookFields on Book {
xid
title
author
thumbnails
year
}
{
views {
sections {
edges {
node {
name
title
components {
edges {
node {
__typename
...BookFields
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
And lets say that the endpoint will respond with the following json payload:
{
"data": {
"views": {
"sections": {
"edges": [
{
"node": {
"name": "HarryPotter_books",
"title": "Harry Potter Books",
"components": {
"edges": [
{
"node": {
"__typename": "Books",
"xid": "A1",
"author": "J. K. Rowling",
"title": "Harry Potter : The Philosopher's Stone",
"thumbnails": "https://ABC.net/x240-nEZ.jpg",
"year": 1997
}
},
{
"node": {
"__typename": "Books",
"xid": "A1",
"author": "J. K. Rowling",
"title": "Harry Potter : The Chamber of Secrets",
"thumbnails": "https://ABC.net/x240-nEZ.jpg",
"year": 1998
}
},
{
"node": {
"__typename": "Books",
"xid": "A1",
"author": "J. K. Rowling",
"title": "Harry Potter : The Prisoner of Azkaban",
"thumbnails": "https://ABC.net/x240-nEZ.jpg",
"year": 1999
}
},
{
"node": {
"__typename": "Books",
"xid": "A1",
"author": "J. K. Rowling",
"title": "Harry Potter : The Goblet of Fire",
"thumbnails": "https://ABC.net/x240-nEZ.jpg",
"year": 2000
}
}
]
}
}
}
]
}
}
}
}
}
Now we convert this JSON to C# classes:
public class NodeItem
{
public string __typename { get; set; }
public string xid { get; set; }
public string author { get; set; }
public string title { get; set; }
public string thumbnails { get; set; }
public int year { get; set; }
}
public class EdgeItem
{
public NodeItem node { get; set; }
}
public class Components
{
public List<EdgeItem> edges { get; set; }
}
public class Node
{
public string name { get; set; }
public string title { get; set; }
public Components components { get; set; }
}
public class Edge
{
public Node node { get; set; }
}
public class Sections
{
public List<Edge> edges { get; set; }
}
public class Views
{
public Sections sections { get; set; }
}
public class Data
{
public Views views { get; set; }
}
public class RootObject
{
public Data data { get; set; }
}
Ok now that we can create a blank UWP app, add 2 folders one for the models and one for the GraqhQL txt file. In my solution the folders are called Model and QlFiles. In QlFiles we will add a txt file called MyQuery.txt that will hold our query.
Next we will need to read this json text file using :
await StorageFile.GetFileFromApplicationUriAsync(appUri);
and
await FileIO.ReadTextAsync(anjFile);
And now we just need to format our get query and we can do the HTTP call.
public sealed partial class MainPage : Page
{
public const string GrapgQL_PARAM_To_CALL = "query={0}";
public const string GRAPHQL_URL_BASE = "https://graphql.api.abcde.com/";
public const string MyQueryCallFile = "ms-appx:///QlFiles/MyQuery.txt";
public MainPage()
{
this.InitializeComponent();
Loaded += MainPage_Loaded;
}
private async void MainPage_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
//Fetching the json from the txt file
var queryParams = await FileIOReaderHelper.ReadFromDefaultFileAsync(MyQueryCallFile);
//merging the parms for the query
var paramsToCall = String.Format(GrapgQL_PARAM_To_CALL,
WebUtility.UrlEncode(queryParams));
//Creating the query to call
var urlQuery = String.Format("{0}?{1}",
GRAPHQL_URL_BASE,
paramsToCall);
//doing the http call
var response = await HttpClient.SendAsync(urlQuery);
var responseJson = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
//you can deserialize with the RootObject class you created
var responseObject = JsonService.DeserializeObject<RootObject>(responseJson);
}
public static class FileIOReaderHelper
{
//Read the content from Json file
public static async Task<string> ReadFromDefaultFileAsync(string fileName)
{
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(fileName))
{
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(fileName));
}
Uri appUri = new Uri(fileName);
IStorageFile anjFile = await StorageFile.GetFileFromApplicationUriAsync(appUri);
string txtFile = await FileIO.ReadTextAsync(anjFile);
return txtFile;
}
}
}
As of today as you can see using GraphQL in you .NET application is a bit hash and not developer friendly. If by any chance you have a cleaner way of doing it don't hesitate to comment!
Happy coding!