You can configure OData service so it itself limits (hard limit) to number of items it will ever return – DataServiceConfiguration.MaxResultsPerCollection. This limit is not the same as one that gives you URI with token added where you can ask for more. This is hard limit, which, if you go over it, produces error. Sadly the error in <m:error> is inside invalid XML. The XML is missing closing tag.

And that’s expected. :\ That means if you’re parsing the XML manually using some parser that parses the whole XML completely in one batch, you’re out of luck. You’ll not be even able to read what happened. Solution is, of course, to read the using some “just forward reader” that parses one item at time, ignoring what’s next until you ask for it.

The reason I was given when asked was that they don’t want you to accidentally succeed. Good way of enforcing that, not! I can think of different way of doing that while not breaking the validity of the XML.

Anyway, if you’re parsing the result on your own, be prepared to handle also invalid XML.

I was recently doing my course on Entity Framework (drop me a line, if you’re interested) and the last day we were diving into WCF Data Services aka OData.

There’s a MimeType attribute that allows you, simply speaking, set the MIME type for the output of some operation. That’s great, because you can immediately provide i.e. text/html output where the HTML is saved in come column in database. But it’s a fair need to want to specify the MIME type for operations you have. Sadly the MimeType attribute has to be on class and has AllowMultiple = false. Bummer.

After some poking around, research etc. I found that there’s indeed a limitation that you currently cannot specify the MIME type for more than one operation. But good news is, that in future release(s) this limitation should be lifted.

Wondering how’s possible I never thought about this myself before???