# Response

When building endpoints, we'll often be returning responses for requests. If we're making outgoing requests, we'll be receiving them.

```swift
public let status: Status
public var headers: [HeaderKey: String]
public var body: Body
public var data: Content
```

#### Status

The http status associated with the event, for example `.ok` == 200 ok.

#### Headers

These are the headers associated with the request. If you are preparing an outgoing response, this can be used to add your own keys.

```swift
let contentType = response.headers["Content-Type"]  
```

Or for outgoing response:

```swift
let response = response ...
response.headers["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
response.headers["Authorization"] = ... my auth token
```

##### Extending Headers

We generally seek to improve code bases by removing stringly typed code where possible. We can add variables to the headers using generic extensions.

```swift
extension HTTP.KeyAccessible where Key == HeaderKey, Value == String {
    var customKey: String? {
      get {
        return self["Custom-Key"]
      }
      set {
        self["Custom-Key"] = newValue
      }
    }
}
```

With this pattern implemented, our string `"Custom-Key"` is contained in one section of our code. We can now access like this:

```swift
let customKey = response.headers.customKey

// or

let request = ...
response.headers.customKey = "my custom value"
```

#### Body

This is the body associated with the response and represents the general data payload. You can view more about body in the associated [docs](./body.md)

For responses, the body is most commonly set at initialization. With two main types.

##### BodyRepresentable

Things that can be converted to bytes, ie:

```swift
let response = Response(status: .ok, body: "some string")
```

In the above example, the `String` will be automatically converted to a body. Your own types can do this as well.

##### Bytes Directly

If we already have our bytes array, we can pass it into the body like so:

```swift
let response = Response(status: .ok, body: .data(myArrayOfBytes))
```

##### Chunked

To send an `HTTP.Response` in chunks, we can pass a closure that we'll use to send our response body in parts.

```swift
let response = Response(status: .ok) { chunker in
  for name in ["joe", "pam", "cheryl"] {
      sleep(1)
      try chunker.send(name)
  }

  try chunker.close()
}
```

> Make sure to call `close()` before the chunker leaves scope.

## Content

We can access content the same we do in a [request](./request.md). This most commonly applies to outgoing requests.

```swift
let pokemonResponse = try drop.client.get("http://pokeapi.co/api/v2/pokemon/")
let names = pokemonResponse.data["results", "name"]?.array
```

## JSON

To access JSON directly on a given response, use the following:

```swift
let json = request.response["hello"]
```

## Key Paths

For more on KeyPaths, visit [here](./request.md#key-paths)

## Serving Files

If you are simply looking to serve files from your public directory,
it may be useful to look at 'FileMiddleware' instead.

```swift
let res = try Response(filePath: "/path/to/file.txt")
```

Use this to initialize a file response for the exact file path.
If using from a public folder for example, the file name should be appended
to the public directory, ie: `drop.publicDir + "myFile.cool"`

```swift
Response(filePath: String, ifNoneMatch: String? = nil, chunkSize: Int = 2048) throws
```

If none match represents an ETag that will be used to check if the file has
changed since the last load by the client. This allows clients like browsers
to cache their files and avoid downloading resources unnecessarily.
Most often calculated w/ https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7232#section-3.2

For an example of how this is used, look at 'FileMiddleware'.