How to call an Azure Web API (2.2) - from Dynamics Custom WorkFlow Activity of Plugin c#

Question

Hello,
I am specifically trying to call a web api, that has a FromBody.
However, I am trying to do it without having to use libraries (or nuget packages) that I cannot install on CRM of CRM Online.
It seems JSON newtonsoft is big... or I guess I could use my own custom formatter...
But I would love to see if someone has an example for posting to web API, versus an ASMX
Thanks

Answer 1

Wow I had this awesome thing typed up... and it wouldn't do it then wanted me to verify and then that messed up and I lost it all... Wow..
Anyway
[SOLVED]
Works from Plugin or Workflow activity
Use the Query string to pass things (not the body) or else you have to compress it and you can't use the libraries to DO that in the Sandbox... You CAN do that if you or on premise and do NOT isolate.. Then heck I did everything I wanted but for online
this was it.
You do NOT have to use WebClient, use HttpClient (follow the code below)
WebApi 2.2 is what I used
My signature for Webapi
You do have to clean up the response.. as the string you get back is JSON.. and you cannot use the JSON desieralizer...
Easy fix... just do a replacement of the \ and " to a " " space.. then Trim the result.. bingo a clean string response...
[HttpGet]
Public string MyMethod(string value1, string value2, string value3)
This will parse the query string so USE these are your parameters in your query string or the API will NOT work. ?value1=ddd&&value2=ddd&&value3=aaa
of course make up your own string names
IIS and Apache etc work differently so the AMOUNT of data you can send will differ per platform, per version of platform AND usually you can configure it.. IIS used to be like 2048 by default.. anything beyond that (as a total URL incoming) was truncated..
Not sure now. I know it was configurable
I got it working.. all my points are gone... but it's possible
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Activities;
using Microsoft.Xrm.Sdk;
using Microsoft.Xrm.Sdk.Workflow;
using Microsoft.Xrm.Sdk.Query;
using Microsoft.Xrm;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.IO;
using System.IO.Compression;
using System.Net.Http.Headers;
using System.Runtime.Serialization.Json;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.Net;
try
    string result = string.Empty;
    using (var client = new HttpClient())
        client.BaseAddress = new Uri(webapihost);
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Clear();
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/x-www-form-urlencoded"));
        client.Timeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 30); ;
        client.MaxResponseContentBufferSize = 2000000;
        using (HttpResponseMessage response = client.GetAsync(webapihost + apimethod + querystring).Result)
            if (response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
                result = Decompress(response);
                tracingService.Trace("Call Data Value [{0}]", result.ToString());
catch (Exception simple)
    throw new InvalidPluginExecutionException("Error with simple HTTPClient x-www-form-urlencoded" + simple.ToString());
private string Decompress(HttpResponseMessage response)
    try
        switch (response.Content.Headers.ContentEncoding.ToString().ToLower())
            case "gzip":
                    return DecompressGzip(response.Content.ReadAsStreamAsync().Result);
            case "deflate":
                    return Inflate(response.Content.ReadAsStreamAsync().Result);
            default:
                    return response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result;
    catch (Exception ex)
        throw new Exception("Error decompressing: " + ex.ToString());
private string DecompressGzip(Stream datastream)
    try
        //Create a new stream
        //decompress the original
        //get back the string (JSON)
        if (datastream != null)
            Stream decompressedStream = null;
            decompressedStream = new GZipStream(datastream, CompressionMode.Decompress, true);
            var streamReader = new StreamReader(decompressedStream);
            string stringdata = streamReader.ReadToEnd();
            decompressedStream.Dispose();
            return stringdata;
        else
            return string.Empty;
    catch (Exception ex)
        throw new Exception("Gzip error: " + ex.ToString());
private string Inflate(Stream datastream)
    try
        if (datastream != null)
            Stream decompressedStream = null;
            decompressedStream = new DeflateStream(datastream, CompressionMode.Decompress, true);
            var streamReader = new StreamReader(decompressedStream);
            string stringdata = streamReader.ReadToEnd();
            decompressedStream.Dispose();
            return stringdata;
        else
            return string.Empty;
    catch (Exception ex)
        throw new Exception("Inflate error: " + ex.ToString());