Suppress properties with null value on ASP.NET Web API

Question

I've created an ASP.Net WEB API Project that will be used by a mobile application. I need the response json to omit null properties instead of return them as property: null.

How can I do this?

score 141 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 03 '18 at 18:56

141

In the WebApiConfig:

config.Formatters.JsonFormatter.SerializerSettings = 
                 new JsonSerializerSettings {NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore};

Or, if you want more control, you can replace entire formatter:

var jsonformatter = new JsonMediaTypeFormatter
{
    SerializerSettings =
    {
        NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore
    }
};

config.Formatters.RemoveAt(0);
config.Formatters.Insert(0, jsonformatter);

edited Aug 03 '18 at 18:56

Rey

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answered Jan 23 '13 at 18:25

Filip W

26,907
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2

Shame config.Formatters.XmlFormatter doesn't have the same Property... :/ – RoboJ1M Oct 01 '14 at 16:23
9

Since Json.NET 5 (not sure for previous versions), you can also do this: `config.Formatters.JsonFormatter.SerializerSettings.NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore` - this will update the null value handling without resetting any other json serialization settings (like using lower case on the first letter of properties) – Ivaylo Slavov May 15 '15 at 00:08
8

Is it possible to get it to do it for just a single property? – Martin Brown Mar 03 '16 at 16:50
1

the NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore did not work for my results – Nathan Tregillus Aug 02 '17 at 19:49
1

can we implement it in actionfilterattribute – Awais Mahmood May 24 '18 at 09:31
How can we implement this as a filter for class or method level? @AwaisMahmood – Chenna Aug 02 '18 at 12:31
1

@Chenna create an attribute and call it on a class level or method level wherever you want – Awais Mahmood Aug 03 '18 at 06:29
4

If the change should happen on a per-property basis, and one is using a sufficiently new version of Json.Net, one can use this attribute on the property: `[JsonProperty(NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore)]`. – Carsten Führmann Dec 03 '18 at 14:37
Still Working :) Thanks – Muhammad Saqlain Jan 15 '19 at 04:56

score 33 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 16 '15 at 09:44

33

I ended up with this piece of code in the startup.cs file using ASP.NET5 1.0.0-beta7

services.AddMvc().AddJsonOptions(options =>
{
    options.SerializerSettings.NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore;
});

answered Oct 16 '15 at 09:44

sboulema

790
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score 20 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 15 '19 at 15:43

20

For ASP.NET Core 3.0, the ConfigureServices() method in Startup.cs code should contain:

services.AddControllers()
    .AddJsonOptions(options =>
    {
        options.JsonSerializerOptions.IgnoreNullValues = true;
    });

answered Nov 15 '19 at 15:43

Dave Werner

300
2
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This is the best option, because on the API (without MVC) you don't have MVC implemented. – CodeRush Oct 11 '21 at 07:45

score 7 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 26 '18 at 09:30

7

You can also use [DataContract] and [DataMember(EmitDefaultValue=false)] attributes

answered Sep 26 '18 at 09:30

goofballLogic

34,243
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1

This is the only answer that covers both the xml and json response. – ColmanJ Feb 18 '20 at 14:00

ilker unal · Answer 5 · 2015-05-20T07:12:38.080

If you are using vnext, in vnext web api projects, add this code to startup.cs file.

    public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
    {
        services.AddMvc().Configure<MvcOptions>(options =>
        {
            int position = options.OutputFormatters.FindIndex(f =>  f.Instance is JsonOutputFormatter);

            var settings = new JsonSerializerSettings()
            {
                NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore
            };

            var formatter = new JsonOutputFormatter();
            formatter.SerializerSettings = settings;

            options.OutputFormatters.Insert(position, formatter);
        });

    }

Suppress properties with null value on ASP.NET Web API

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