Web API ideas

webapi_experiment1.cs

//generic formatter which takes in a model and transforms it to something specific for the media type
//StrategyFormatter is a generic formatter that you derive from to create specific ones. You override the formatter methods to write the response.

public interface IFormatterStrategy<TOutput> {
  TOutput Transform(object model);
}

//loops through all the formatter strategies and asks them to handle the model
public abstract class StrategyFormatter<TOutput> : MediaTypeFormatter {
  public IEnumerable<IStrategyFormatter<TOutput>> Strategies {public get;private set;}

  public StrategyFormatter(params IEnumerable<IFormatterStrategy<TOutput>> strategies) {
    Strategies = strategies;
    //implementation here
  }
}

public class AtomFormatter(IEnumerable<IFormatterStrategy<AtomMediaTypeModel>> strategies[]) : StrategyFormatter<TOutput> {
  //will take in a model and translate it into an AtomModel which will be written.
}

public class CustomerFormatterStrategy : IFormatterStrategy<AtomMediaTypeModel> {
  public AtomMediaTypeModel Transform(Customer model) 
  {
    //transform a customer to an Atom feed.
  } 
}

var formatter = new AtomFormatter(new CustomerFormatterStrategy());

Some people, when confronted with a problem, think “I know, I’ll create an interface.” Now they have two problems.

Don't worry, adding a generic parameter to the interface usually solves one of those problems.

DrPizza some people dismiss things with comments without seeking to understand the intention. I agree just adding an interface is not the solution. That is not the intent.