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Complex Classes Style question...

(please forgive me if there are syntax errors. I just started typing, i hope you can get the gist of what I'm talking about) Which style is the best/generally more accepted way of doing the following? I haven't dealt with creating REST services, so I'm curious...

Ex: I have an application where I have a user and two address: Too and Fro. Creating the classes and the WCF interface, I come up with something like this.

<DataContract()> _
Public Class AThing
      Public User As User
      Public Fro As Fro
      Public Class Too
            Public Address As Address
      End Class
End Class

<DataContract()> _
Public Class Fro
      Inherits Address
End Class

<DataContract()> _
Public Class Address
      Private _Street As String = ""
      <DataMember()> _
      Public Property Street() As String
            Get
                  Return _Street
            End Get
            Set(ByVal value As String)
                  _Street = value
            End Set
      End Property

      Private _City As String = ""
      <DataMember()> _
      Public Property City() As String
            Get
                  Return _City
            End Get
            Set(ByVal value As String)
                  _City = value
            End Set
      End Property

      Private _State As String = ""
      <DataMember()> _
      Public Property State() As String
            Get
                  Return _State
            End Get
            Set(ByVal value As String)
                  _State = value
            End Set
      End Property

      Private _PostalCode As String = ""
      <DataMember()> _
      Public Property PostalCode() As String
            Get
                  Return _PostalCode
            End Get
            Set(ByVal value As String)
                  _PostalCode = value
            End Set
      End Property

End Class

And a XML string that looks like:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<AThing>
      <User>
            <UserName>Me</UserName>
      </User>
      <Fro>
            <Street>123 Main St</Street>
            <City>Somewhere</City>
            <State>TX</State>
      </Fro>
      <Too>
            <Address>
                  <Street>987 Main St</Street>
                  <City>Somewhere Else</City>
                  <State>FL</State>
            </Address>
      </Too>
</AThing>

When implementing a REST interface, which is the better way to do it? Or as a friend puts it: makes you look like you actually know what you're doing?

Bob Learned

I don't know what you are really asking for, but here are some thoughts:

1) Use an interface to define the contract

2) Use auto properties where possible:

Public Property State() As String

vs.

Private _State As String = ""
<DataMember()> _
Public Property State() As String
Get
Return _State
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_State = value
End Set
End Property

3) Public Property From As Address
Public Property To As Address

LandyJ

ASKER

Oops. Sorry. I guess it was more clear in my mind than on screen. I was asking which way is better to deal with the address fields for the string that would be sent via the URL.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Bob Learned

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LandyJ

ASKER

Thanks. that link answered another question I had, but I'm trying to implement the ability to do both JSON and XML via URL. I was using the way MapQuest is set up (http://www.mapquestapi.com/geocoding/) as a guide. I already have the Service References interface working the way I want it.

Evidently, what I'm really asking is which is the better way to set up the address structures so that when things are serialized/deserialized, customers will send and I will get the correct Address data into the correct Address object. In this app, I must know which is which. I can't just have two Address records and guess which is which. Also, there is the distinct possibility that I am over-thinking this W-A-Y too much.

I appreciate your help.

Bob Learned

You can use both XML and JSON in requests, but you will need to specify the message format.

JSON example:

[OperationContract]
[WebInvoke(Method="GET", UriTemplate="/GetDataJson", 
    RequestFormat=WebMessageFormat.Json,
    ResponseFormat=WebMessageFormat.Json)]
string GetDataJson();

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XML example:

[OperationContract]
[WebInvoke(Method="GET", UriTemplate="/GetDataXml", 
    RequestFormat=WebMessageFormat.Xml,
    ResponseFormat=WebMessageFormat.Xml)]
string GetDataXml();

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LandyJ

ASKER

Didn't answer the original question, but it helped overall.