C# - The HttpResponse Class
The HttpResponse class is under System.Web namespace. It contains methods and properties necessary to crafting an HTTP response. Several methods are used to modify headers, cookies, and the actual content of the response.
Properties and Methods of the HttpResponse Class
| Item | Description |
| Properties | |
| Buffer | If set to True, the entire response is buffered in memory until the response is finished before sending to client |
| BufferOutput | If set to True, the entire response is buffered in memory until the response is finished before sending to client |
| CacheControl | Sets the response cache-control header to Public or Private |
| Charset | Contains the HTTP character set for the response |
| ContentEncoding | Contains the HTTP character set for the response |
| ContentType | Contains the HTTP MIME type of the response |
| Cookies | Contains the response cookie collection (that is, the cookies that will be transmitted back to the client on the current response) |
| Expires | Contains the number of minutes before the page transmitted to the client expires |
| ExpiresAbsolute | Contains the absolute date and time for a page to be removed from the cache |
| IsClientConnected | Contains True if the client is still connected to the Web server |
| Status | Contains the HTTP status sent to the client |
| StatusCode | Contains the integer value of the HTTP status sent to the client |
| StatusDescription | Contains the HTTP status description sent to the client |
| SuppressContent | Contains True if HTML content should not be sent to the client |
| Methods | |
| AddFileDependency() | Adds a single file to the collection of files that the current response depends on |
| AddHeader() | Adds another header to the header collection |
| AppendCookie() | Adds a cookie to the cookie collection |
| AppendHeader() | Adds another header to the header collection |
| AppendToLog() | Adds log information to the IIS log file |
| BinaryWrite() | Writes a string of binary characters to the output stream |
| Clear() | Clears the buffer stream for the current response |
| ClearContent() | Clears the buffer stream for the current response |
| ClearHeaders() | Clears all headers from the output stream |
| Close() | Closes the connection to the client |
| End() | Sends all buffered output to the client and ceases execution of the current response |
| Flush() | Sends all buffered output to the client |
| Pics() | Adds a Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS)-Label header to the header collection |
| Redirect() | Redirects a client to a new URL |
| Write() | Writes information to the output stream |
| WriteFile() | Writes a file directly to the output stream |
HttpResponse.Buffer
Syntax
Boolean Buffer
Description
The Buffer property enables a developer to specify that the entire response should be held in memory until processing is finished and then sent to the client.
Example
Response.Buffer = true;
HttpResponse.BufferOutput
Syntax
Boolean BufferOutput
Description
The BufferOutput property enables a developer to specify that the entire response should be held in memory until processing is finished and then sent to the client.
Example
Response.BufferOutput = true;
HttpResponse.CacheControl
Syntax
String CacheControl
Description
The CacheControl property is used to set the cache-control HTTP header to Public or Private
Example
Response.CacheControl = "Public";
HttpResponse.Charset
Syntax
String Charset
Description
The Charset property contains the charset of the response.
Example
string charSet = Response.Charset;
HttpResponse.ContentEncoding
Syntax
Encoding ContentEncoding
Description
The ContentEncoding property is an encoding object that contains information about the character set of the current response.
Example
string charSetName = Response.ContentEncoding.EncodingName;
HttpResponse.ContentType
Syntax
String ContentType
Description
The ContentType property contains the HTTP MIME type of the current response.
Example
string contentType = Resposen.ContentType;
HttpResponse.Cookies
Syntax
HttpCookieCollection Cookies
Description
The Cookies property contains a collection of all cookies to be transmitted to the client in the current response.
Example
HttpCookie newCookie = new HttpCookie("FullName");
newCookie.Value = "TriConsole";
Response.Cookies.Add(newCookie);
HttpResponse.Expires
Syntax
Int32 Expires
Description
The Expires property contains the amount of time, in minutes, before the response expires.
Example
Response.Expires = 60;
HttpResponse.ExpiresAbsolute
Syntax
DateTime ExpiresAbsolute
Description
The ExpiresAbsolute property specifies the date and time at which a page will expire.
Example
Response.ExpiresAbsolute = DateTime.Now;
HttpResponse.IsClientConnected
Syntax
Boolean IsClientConnected
Description
The IsClientConnected property contains True if the client is still connected to the Web server during the processing of a response.
Example
if(Response.IsClientConnected){
//process the query since we know client is connected
}
HttpResponse.Status
Syntax
String Status
Description
The Status property contains the HTTP status that is sent to the client.
Example
string status = Response.Status;
HttpResponse.StatusCode
Syntax
Int32 StatusCode
Description
The StatusCode property contains the HTTP status code sent to the client.
Example
int statusCode = Response.StatusCode;
HttpResponse.StatusDescription
Syntax
String StatusDescription
Description
The StatusDescription property contains the description of the HTTP status sent to the client.
Example
string statusDescription = Response.StatusDescription;
HttpResponse.SuppressContent
Syntax
Boolean SuppressContent
Description
If the SuppressContent property contains True, HTTP output will not be sent to the client.
Example
Response.SuppressContent = true;
HttpResponse.AddHeader()
Syntax
void AddHeader(String name, String value)
Description
The AddHeader() method adds a new header to the current response.
Example
Response.AddHeader("NewHeader", "NewHeaderValue");
HttpResponse.AppendCookie()
Syntax
void AppendCookie(HttpCookie cookie)
Description
The AppendCookie() method adds a cookie to the cookie collection.
Example
HttpCookie newCookie = new HttpCookie("UserName");
newCookie.Value = "triconsole";
Response.AppendCookie("newCookie");
HttpResponse.AppendHeader()
Syntax
void AppendHeader()
Description
The AppendHeader() method adds a new header to the collection of headers sent to the client. An exception error occurs if this method is used after the headers have already been sent. Because the entire HTTP response is buffered until all server-side processing is complete, this exception occurs only if the default behavior is changed.
Example
Response.AppendHeader("NewHeader", "NewHeaderValue");
HttpResponse.AppendToLog()
Syntax
void AppendToLog(String param)
Description
The AppendToLog() method adds a custom entry to the IIS log.
Example
Response.AppendToLog("Custom Log Entry Information");
HttpResponse.BinaryWrite()
Syntax
void BinaryWrite(Byte[] buffer)
Description
The BinaryWrite() method writes a string of binary characters to the HTTP output stream.
Example
FileStream fs = new FileStream("c:\\example.txt", FileMode.Open);
long FileSize = fs.Length;
byte[] Buffer = new byte[(int)FileSize];
fs.Read(Buffer, 0, (int)FileSize);
fs.Close();
Response.Write("Contents of File: ");
Response.BinaryWrite(Buffer);
HttpResponse.Clear()
Syntax
void Clear()
Description
The Clear() method removes all content from the response buffer.
Example
Response.Clear();
HttpResponse.ClearContent()
Syntax
void ClearContent()
Description
The ClearContent() method removes all content from the response buffer.
Example
Response.ClearContent();
HttpResponse.ClearHeaders()
Syntax
void ClearHeaders()
Description
The ClearHeaders() method removes all headers from the response buffer.
Example
Response.ClearHeaders();
HttpResponse.Close()
Syntax
void Close()
Description
The Close() method closes the connection to the client.
Example
Response.Close();
HttpResponse.End()
Syntax
void End()
Description
The End() method flushes the response buffer and then closes the connection to the client.
Example
Response.End();
HttpResponse.Flush()
Syntax
void Flush()
Description
The Flush() method sends all information that is currently in the response buffer to the client.
Example
Response.Flush();
HttpResponse.Pics()
Syntax
void Pics(String value)
Description
The Pics() method adds a PICS-Label header to the current response.
Example
Response.Pics("All-Ages");
HttpResponse.Redirect()
Syntax
void Redirect(String url)
Description
The Redirect() method sends the client to a new URL. Because the Redirect() method actually preforms the redirection through a META tag, if the headers have already been sent to the client, an exception error is generated.
Example
Response.Redirect("http://www.yahoo.com");
HttpResponse.Write()
Syntax
void Write(Char[] buffer, Int32 index, Int32 count)
void Write(Char ch)
void Write(Object obj)
void Write(String s)
Description
The Write() method writes information to the output stream for the current request.
Example
Response.Write("Hello test!!");
HttpResponse.WriteFile()
Syntax
void WriteFile(IntPtr fileHandle, Int64 offset, Int64 size)
void WriteFile(String fileName)
void WriteFile(String fileName, Boolean readIntoMemory)
void WriteFile(String fileName, Int64 offset, Int64 size)
Description
The WriteFile() method writes the contents of a file directory to the output stream for a response.
Example
Response.WriteFile("c:\\example.txt");