Dot character '.' in MVC Web API 2 for request such as api/people/STAFF.45287

Question

The URL I'm trying to let work is one in the style of: http://somedomain.com/api/people/staff.33311 (just like sites as LAST.FM allow all sort of signs in their RESTFul & WebPage urls, for example "http://www.last.fm/artist/psy'aviah" is a valid url for LAST.FM).

What works are following scenarios: - http://somedomain.com/api/people/ - which returns all people - http://somedomain.com/api/people/staff33311 - would work as well, but it's not what I'm after I'd want the url to accept a "dot", like the example below - http://somedomain.com/api/people/staff.33311 - but this gives me a

HTTP Error 404.0 - Not Found
The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

I've set up following things:

1. The controller "PeopleController"

   public IEnumerable<Person> GetAllPeople()
   {
       return _people;
   }
   
   public IHttpActionResult GetPerson(string id)
   {
       var person = _people.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Id.ToLower().Equals(id.ToLower()));
       if (person == null)
           return NotFound();
   
       return Ok(person);
   }    
   

2. The WebApiConfig.cs

   public static void Register(HttpConfiguration config)
   {
       // Web API configuration and services
   
       // Web API routes
       config.MapHttpAttributeRoutes();
   
       config.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
           name: "DefaultApi",
           routeTemplate: "api/{controller}/{id}",
           defaults: new { id = RouteParameter.Optional }
       );
   }
   

I already tried following all the tips of this blogpost http://www.hanselman.com/blog/ExperimentsInWackinessAllowingPercentsAnglebracketsAndOtherNaughtyThingsInTheASPNETIISRequestURL.aspx but it still won't work.. I also think it's quite tedious and I wonder if there isn't another, better and more secure way.

We have our Id's internally like this, so we're going to have to find a solution to fit the dot in one way or another, preferably in the style of "." but I'm open to alternative suggestions for urls if need be...

Answer 1

Suffix the URL with a slash e.g. http://somedomain.com/api/people/staff.33311/ instead of http://somedomain.com/api/people/staff.33311.