> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://elixor.js.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://elixor.js.org/requesting-non-json-data.md).

# Requesting non-JSON data

​Not all APIs return JSON data. In this next example, a `DownloaderService` method reads a text file from the server and logs the file contents, before returning those contents to the caller as an `Observable<string>`.

{% code title="Downloader.service.ts" %}

```typescript
getTextFile(filename: string) {
  // The Observable returned by get() is of type Observable<string>
  // because a text response was specified.
  // There's no need to pass a <string> type parameter to get().
  return elixor.get(filename, {responseType: 'text'})
    .pipe(
      tap( // Log the result or error
        data => this.log(filename, data),
        error => this.logError(filename, error)
      )
    );
}
```

{% endcode %}

`elixor.get()` returns a string rather than the default JSON because of the `responseType` option.

The RxJS `tap` operator (as in "wiretap") lets the code inspects good and error values passing through the observable without disturbing them.

A `download()` method in the `DownloaderComponent` initiates the request by subscribing to the service method.

{% code title="Download.tsx" %}

```typescript
download() {
  getTextFile('assets/textfile.txt')
    .subscribe(results => this.contents = results);
}
```

{% endcode %}