Develop Reference

How to convert object which is like to json object to c#?

I have an object returned from API. It is very like to json but it is not. I printed it in visual studio immediate window. Something like.
[0]: {{
"projectId": 111,
"userId": 11,
"name": "Bill, Gates",
"value": "11"
}}
[1]: {{
"projectId": 222,
"userId": 22,
"name": "Cill, Gates",
"value": "22"
}}
// .....many
It is not json type. So I use cast
IEnumerable<MyClass> list = obj.Cast<object>();
public class MyClass
{
public int projectId {get; set;}
public int userId {get; set;}
public string name {get; set;}
public string value {get; set;}
}
However when I loop through the list
foreach(var item in list)
{
var temp = item.value;
}
I can't get item or temp. Hover it or print it in the immediate window; it shows
NullReferenceException
I assume that I have to convert the object to real json type rather then using cast<object>.
So what is the best way?

You can try something like this:
json = Regex.Replace(json, #"\[[0-9]+\]:", ""); // remove [0]:
json = json.Replace("{{", "{");
json = json.Replace("}}", "},");
json = $"[{json}]";
var obj = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(json);
might need more work if you have more nested objects

Okay, so I was experimenting with your string and trying to use Regular Expressions and I have found a way to parse your string into your corresponding MyClass structure. I hope this helps you out:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
public class Program
{
public static void Main()
{
string str = #"[0]: {{
'projectId': 111,
'userId': 11,
'name': 'Bill, Gates',
'value': '11'
}}
[1]: {{
'projectId': 222,
'userId': 22,
'name': 'Cill, Gates',
'value': '22'
}}";
try
{
showMatch(str, #"('(.*)':(.*)[',])");
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
Console.WriteLine("Exception occured: "+ex.Message);
}
}
static private void showMatch(string text, string expr)
{
//Declare what is required! Phew
List<MyClass> output = new List<MyClass>();
int projectId=0;
int userId=0;
string name=string.Empty;
string value=string.Empty;
var regEx = new Regex(#"[^0-9a-zA-Z]+");
//Start the matching process
MatchCollection mc = Regex.Matches(text, expr);
bool check;
foreach (Match m in mc)
{
check = false;
string[] parsed = m.ToString().Split(':');
var stripped = regEx.Replace(parsed[1], "");
if (parsed[0] == "'projectId'")
{
projectId = Convert.ToInt32(stripped);
}
if (parsed[0] == "'userId'")
{
userId = Convert.ToInt32(stripped);
}
if (parsed[0] == "'name'")
{
name = stripped;
}
if (parsed[0] == "'value'")
{
value = stripped;
check = true;
}
//Add to list
if(check==true)
{
output.Add(new MyClass { projectId = projectId, userId = userId, name = name, value = value });
}
}
output.Dump();
}
}
public class MyClass
{
public int projectId { get; set; }
public int userId { get; set; }
public string name { get; set; }
public string value { get; set; }
}
Output:
[
{
name : BillGates
projectId : 111
userId : 11
value : 11
},
{
name : CillGates
projectId : 222
userId : 22
value : 22
}
]
Working DEMO: https://dotnetfiddle.net/TCXVde

Serializing and deserializing objects with arbitrary fields using Json.NET in Unity

I'd like to serialize and deserialize objects with arbitrary fields. I've tried to have the object with the arbitrary fields extend Dictionary<string, object> in hopes that I would be able to set the arbitrary fields as Dictionary entries. In this case I expect to have Company and Position in the json response (listed in code comments) in addition to the manager and office fields. Unfortunately I'm able get the arbitrary fields but unable to get the non arbitrary fields.
I would also like to be able to add arbitrary objects, not just strings (ie add a salary object with base salary, bonus, etc to the job). I also have some restrictions and cannot use dynamic for this.
public class Person
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public int Age { get; set; }
public Job Job { get; set; }
}
public class Job : Dictionary<string, object>
{
public string Company { get; set; }
public string Position { get; set; }
}
var job = new Job()
{
Company = "Super Mart",
Position = "Cashier"
};
// Set arbitrary fields
job["manager"] = "Kathy";
job["office"] = "001";
var john = new Person()
{
Name = "John Doe",
Age = 41,
Job = job
};
var employeeJson = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(john, Formatting.Indented);
Log.Debug("TestSerialization", "json: {0}", employeeJson);
// Result
// {
// "Name": "John Doe",
// "Age": 41,
// "Job": {
// "manager": "Kathy",
// "office": "001"
// }
// }
var johnDoe = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Person>(employeeJson);
Log.Debug("TestSerialization", "name: {0}, age: {1}", johnDoe.Name, johnDoe.Age);
// Result
// name: John Doe, age: 41
Log.Debug("TestSerialization", "company: {0}, position: {1}", johnDoe.Job.Company, johnDoe.Job.Position);
// Result
// company: , position:
Log.Debug("TestSerialization", "manager: {0}, office: {1}", johnDoe.Job["manager"], johnDoe.Job["office"]);
// Result
// manager: Kathy, office: 001
My result json from deserialization using this code is
{
"Name": "John Doe",
"Age": 41,
"Job": {
"manager": "Kathy",
"office": "001"
}
}
I would like the result json to be (what the service would expect)
{
"Name": "John Doe",
"Age": 41,
"Job": {
"Company" = "Super Mart",
"Position" = "Cashier"
"manager": "Kathy",
"office": "001"
}
}

I think the problem with your job Class, it derived from a dictionary so when you serialize it will not consider its members. only dictionary values,
Try this way, I am not sure this will help your context
public class Job
{
public string Company { get; set; }
public string Position { get; set; }
public Dictionary<string,object> job { get; set; }
public Job()
{
job = new Dictionary<string, object>();
}
}
Debug.Log(johnDoe.Job.job["manager"]+"-"+ johnDoe.Job.job["office"]);

How do I make a JSON array?

I want many of them but I don't how to make so many I can only make one just like this here:
[
{
"NAME1": "Max1"
}
]
But I want to make this:
[
{
"NAME1": "Max1"
},
{
"NAME2": "Max2"
},
{
"NAME3": "Max3"
},
{
"NAME4": "Max4"
}
]
How do I do it
Here is my code:
public void nxt_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
List<Voc> _data = new List<Voc>();
_data.Add(new Voc()
{
NAME = textBox1.Text
});
string jger2 = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(_data.ToArray(), Formatting.Indented);
File.WriteAllText(#"D:\Users\Oxygen\Desktop\ss.json", jger2);
}
public class Voc
{
public string NAME { get; set; }
}
has anybody any ideas?

Below are a couple of ways to do this, demonstrated in this fiddle.
The first uses anonymous types, which are objects which don't have a real class, but are constructed by assigning values to properties. However, to use these you need to know the property names at compile time; so this will only work if you know exactly how many names you'll have in your array. e.g.
var data = new object[] {
new {Name1 = textBox1.Text}
,new {Name2 = textBox2.Text}
,new {Name3 = textBox3.Text}
,new {Name4 = textBox4.Text}
};
Another approach is to use a dictionary, which can be populated with name value pairs at runtime, then you can convert these to JSON. E.g.
var textBoxes = new [] {textBox1, textBox2, textBox3, textBox4};
var dict = new Dictionary<string,string>();
for (var i = 0; i< textBoxes.Length; i++)
{
dict.Add(string.Format("Name{0}", i), textBoxes[i].Text );
}
However
I would strongly advise against these methods; or rather this approach. JSON is designed to be made up of key-value pairs. They keys should be known, whilst the values can change. That means that if you have 4 different values for a name instead of holding 4 different names, you hold those values against that name; e.g.
{"Name": ["Max1","Max2","Max3","Max4"]}
...with the number of the element being defined by the array's index.
The C# for that looks like this:
SomeClass data = GetValues();
//...
public class SomeClass
{
public IEnumerable<string> Name {get;private set;}
//or: public string[] Name {get;private set;}
//...
}
If you really need to store the different names, those should be stored as values against the name key; e.g.
[
{"Name": "Name1", "Value": "Max1"}
,{"Name": "Name2", "Value": "Max2"}
,{"Name": "Name3", "Value": "Max3"}
,{"Name": "Name4", "Value": "Max4"}
]
The C# for that looks like this:
IEnumerable<SomeClass> data = GetValues();
//or: SomeClass[] data = GetValues();
//...
public class SomeClass
{
public string Name {get;private set;}
public string Value {get;private set;}
//...
}
 
Full Code
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
public class Program
{
public static void Main()
{
//setup our test data
var textBox1 = new TextBox("Max1");
var textBox2 = new TextBox("Max2");
var textBox3 = new TextBox("Max3");
var textBox4 = new TextBox("Max4");
//demo using anonymous objects (NB: property names must be known at compile time)
var data = new object[] {
new {Name1 = textBox1.Text}
,new {Name2 = textBox2.Text}
,new {Name3 = textBox3.Text}
,new {Name4 = textBox4.Text}
};
Console.WriteLine( JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data, Formatting.Indented));
//demo using a dictionary
var textBoxes = new [] {textBox1, textBox2, textBox3, textBox4};
var dict = new Dictionary<string,string>();
for (var i = 0; i< textBoxes.Length; i++)
{
dict.Add(string.Format("Name{0}", i+1), textBoxes[i].Text );
}
Console.WriteLine("[" + string.Join(",", dict.Select( e => string.Format("{{\"{0}\": \"{1}\"}}", e.Key.Replace("\"","\"\""), e.Value.Replace("\"","\"\"") ) )) + "]"); //based on https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5597349/how-do-i-convert-a-dictionary-to-a-json-string-in-c/5597628#5597628
}
}
//dummy class
public class TextBox
{
public TextBox(string text){Text = text;}
public string Text{get;private set;}
}

First of all, your Array is poorly formatted.
It should be:
{
"NAMES": [
{
"NAME": "Max1"
},
{
"NAME": "Max2"
},
{
"NAME": "Max3"
},
{
"NAME": "Max4"
}
]
}
Run that through json2Csharp.com and it will generate the following:
public class NAME
{
public string NAME { get; set; }
}
public class RootObject //Rename this
{
public List<NAME> NAMES { get; set; }
}
Which you should be able to serialize and deserialize using almost any C# JSON library.

Convert CSV (nested objects) to JSON

I need to convert a CSV data (with one line of header, and one line of data) in a JSON object.
The CSV contains nested columns, there is an example:
id,name,category/id,category/name,category/subcategory/id,category/subcategory/name,description
0,Test123,15,Cat123,10,SubCat123,Desc123
And I want a JSON to look like this:
{
"id": 0,
"name": "Test123",
"category": {
"id": 15,
"name": "Cat123",
"subcategory": {
"id": 10,
"name": "SubCat123",
}
},
"description": "Desc123"
}
I've tried CsvHelper and ChoETL libs, without success, because these libs, as far as I know, require that I have a class as model, but I don't have these classes, because the data is totally dynamic.
The site http://www.convertcsv.com/csv-to-json.htm is a good example to make this with success.
Just paste the JSON that I have created above, go to Step 3 and check the option 'Recreate nested objects and arrays', then click 'CSV to JSON' in step 5.
But I need to make this in my application, without using external frameworks.
How can I make this to work?

If you do not have it, add the newtonsoft library(dll) and then add the folowing references
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
Add the following classes
public class Rootobject
{
public int id { get; set; }
public string name { get; set; }
public Category category { get; set; }
public string description { get; set; }
}
public class Category
{
public int id { get; set; }
public string name { get; set; }
public Subcategory subcategory { get; set; }
}
public class Subcategory
{
public int id { get; set; }
public string name { get; set; }
}
then use this code
DataTable CSVData = new DataTable(); // your csv rows
HashSet<Rootobject> MyObjectsList = new HashSet<Rootobject>(); //create hashset to handle your classes
foreach(DataRow row in CSVData.Rows)
{
//change the indices in ItemArray with the right indices
MyObjectsList.Add(new Rootobject() {
id = (int)row.ItemArray[0], name = (string)row.ItemArray[0], category = new Category() {
id = (int)row.ItemArray[0], name = (string)row.ItemArray[0], subcategory = new Subcategory() {
id = (int)row.ItemArray[0], name = (string)row.ItemArray[0]
}
}
});
}
string _ResultObj = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(MyObjectsList); //here get your json string

With the latest ChoETL.JSON 1.0.1.6, you can convert them easily. This will work only if the headers are simple texts, no spaces or special characters allowed.
using (var json = new ChoJSONWriter("nested.json")
.SingleElement()
.Configure(c => c.SupportMultipleContent = true)
.Configure(c => c.DefaultArrayHandling = false)
)
{
using (var csv = new ChoCSVReader("nested.csv").WithFirstLineHeader())
json.Write(csv.Select(i => i.ConvertToNestedObject('/')));
}
Output JSON will look at below
[
{
"id":0,
"name":"Test123",
"category": {
"id": 15,
"name": "Cat123",
"subcategory": {
"id": 10,
"name": "SubCat123"
}
},
"description":"Desc123"
}
]
Sample fiddle: https://dotnetfiddle.net/vttMIB
UPDATE:
Cinchoo ETL now supports native nested object support by just setting 'NestedColumnSeparator' configuration parameter to '/'. Sample below shows how to
using (var json = new ChoJSONWriter("nested.json")
.SingleElement()
.Configure(c => c.SupportMultipleContent = true)
.Configure(c => c.DefaultArrayHandling = false)
)
{
using (var csv = new ChoCSVReader("nested.csv")
.WithFirstLineHeader()
.Configure(c => c.NestedColumnSeparator = '/')
)
json.Write(csv);
}
Sample fiddle: https://dotnetfiddle.net/xFlQso

JSON string to model / HashMap/ Dictionary in C#

I have JSON:
{
"One": [
{
"ID": 1,
"name": "s"
},
{
"categoryID": 2,
"name": "c"
}
],
"Two": [
{
"ID": 3,
"name": "l"
}
],
"Three": [
{
"ID": 8,
"name": "s&P"
},
{
"ID": 52,
"name": "BB"
}
]
}
I want to:
Take this JSON to any object(like JObject)
Filter the JSON on different conditions(like name start with s, etc
Return this JSON to client
Things I have tried:
1. Creating models:
class Model
{
public int Id;
public string name;
}
class MainModel
{
public string mainName;
public List<Model> categories;
}
And use these model to:
List<MainModel> m = json_serializer.DeserializeObject(jsonString);
I tried to Dictionary also but getting unable to cast exception.
any help would be appreciated.

The following will allow you to deserialize your JSON to a Dictionary and filter on it. This uses Newtonsoft.Json Nuget package, but that's fairly common. Code posted below. Working example found here .Net Fiddle.
using System;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
public class Program
{
public static void Main()
{
var json = "{\"One\": [{ \"ID\": 1, \"name\": \"s\"},{ \"categoryID\": 2, \"name\": \"c\"}],\"Two\": [{ \"ID\": 3, \"name\": \"l\"}],\"Three\": [{ \"ID\": 8, \"name\": \"s&P\"},{ \"ID\": 52, \"name\": \"BB\"}]}";
var deserialized = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Dictionary<string, List<Model>>>(json);
Console.WriteLine(deserialized["One"][0].name);
Console.WriteLine("Filter to starts with s");
var filtered = deserialized.SelectMany(item => item.Value).Where(innerItem => innerItem.name.StartsWith("s"));
foreach(var item in filtered){
Console.WriteLine(item.name);
}
}
public class Model{
public int ID {get;set;}
public string name {get;set;}
public int categoryID {get;set;}
}
}

I have written this code assuming that:
One, Two and Three are a MainCategory -which is seralized as JProperty from a KeyValuePair<string name, List<SubCategory> values>. Long type name, eh? Add the following if you want to use the result dictionary often:
using MainCategories = System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<string, System.Collections.Generic.List<JsonDeSerializtionTest.SubCategory>>;
categoryID and ID are properties that descibe an Id and can not co-exist on the same SubCategory but do change the type of SubCategory.
1. Create the SubCategory class:
public class SubCategory
{
[JsonIgnore]
public DataTypes DataType { get; set; }
[JsonIgnore]
public string Parent { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("ID")]
public int Id { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("categoryID")]
public int CategoryId => Id;
[JsonProperty("name")]
public string Name { get; set; }
public bool ShouldSerializeId()
{
return DataType == DataTypes.Id;
}
public bool ShouldSerializeCategoryId()
{
return DataType == DataTypes.CategoryId;
}
}
2. Create the Deserialize(string json) function:
private static MainCategories Deserialize(string json)
{
Dictionary<string, List < SubCategory >> jsonBody = new Dictionary<string, List<SubCategory>>();
JObject jObject = JObject.Parse(json);
// the outer object {one...two..}
foreach (KeyValuePair<string, JToken> jMainCategory in jObject)
{
// jMainCategory => "one": [{...}, {...}]
string key = jMainCategory.Key;
List<SubCategory> values = new List<SubCategory>();
foreach (JObject jSubCategory in jMainCategory.Value)
{
//jsubCategory => {"name" : ..., "ID": ... }
SubCategory subCategory = new SubCategory();
JToken idProperty;
if (jSubCategory.TryGetValue("ID", out idProperty))
{
subCategory.DataType = DataTypes.Id;
subCategory.Id = idProperty.Value<int>();
}
else
{
subCategory.DataType = DataTypes.CategoryId;
subCategory.Id = jSubCategory["categoryID"].Value<int>();
}
subCategory.Name = jSubCategory["name"].Value<string>();
subCategory.Parent = key;
// subCategory.AnotherProperty = jSubCategory["anotherproperty"].Value<type>();
values.Add(subCategory);
}
jsonBody.Add(key, values);
}
return jsonBody;
}
3. Use the function to get a Dictionary<string, List<SubCategory>> which you can use for sorting and filtering. Example:
public static MainCategories WhereNameStartsWith(this MainCategories jsonBody, string str)
{
MainCategories result = new MainCategories();
//if you want to keep the result json structure `as is` return a MainCategories object
foreach (var subCategory in jsonBody.SelectMany(mainCategory => mainCategory.Value).Where(subCategory => subCategory.Name.StartsWith(str)))
{
if(result.ContainsKey(subCategory.Parent))
result[subCategory.Parent].Add(subCategory);
else
result.Add(subCategory.Parent, new List<SubCategory> {subCategory});
}
// if you just want the subcategories matching the condition create a WhereListNameStartsWith method
// where `result` is a list of subcategories matching the condition
return result;
}
Upside:
No playing around with NewtonSoft JsonConverter or ContractResolvers.
The ability to use LINQ to easily sort Name AND CategoryId/Id which have the same value but make a different SubCategory.DataType:
foreach (var subCategory in jsonBody.SelectMany(mainCategory => mainCategory.Value).Where(subCategory => subCategory.DataType == DataTypes.CategoryId))
You can easily serialize the JSON back to string representation. Example:
string jsonIn ="{\"One\":[{\"ID\":1,\"name\":\"s\"}," +
"{\"categoryID\":2,\"name\":\"c\"}]," +
"\"Two\":[{\"ID\":3,\"name\":\"l\"}]," +
"\"Three\":[{\"ID\":8,\"name\":\"s&P\"}," +
"{\"ID\":52,\"name\":\"BB\"}]}";
MainCategories desrializedJson = Deserialize(jsonIn);
MainCategories filtered = desrializedJson.WhereNameStartsWith("s");
string jsonOut = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(desrializedJson, Formatting.None);
Debug.Assert(jsonOut == jsonIn); //true
Removes the need for null checking when accessing Id/CategoryId.
My favorite: using C# syntax for property names.
Downside:
I don't know. This is a paste and forget soltuion :P
Probably a harder time when changing your JSON structure (although I might argue it would make things much easier for you)
Notes:
Parent is optional and is used to make things easier when using LINQ
DataTypes is an enum which is used to determine wether ID or categoryID was found if you want such information and also to serialize the proper property (identical two way convertion)
public enum DataTypes
{
Id,
CategoryId
};