How to Convert JSON object to Custom C# object?

Question

Is there an easy way to populate my C# Object with the JSON object passed via AJAX?

//This is the JSON Object passed to C# WEBMETHOD from the page using JSON.stringify

{
    "user": {
        "name": "asdf",
        "teamname": "b",
        "email": "c",
        "players": ["1", "2"]
    }
}

//C# WebMetod That receives the JSON Object

[WebMethod]
public static void SaveTeam(Object user)
{

}

//C# Class that represents the object structure of JSON Object passed in to the WebMethod

public class User
{
    public string name { get; set; }
    public string teamname { get; set; }
    public string email { get; set; }
    public Array players { get; set; }
}

Answer 1

Performance-wise, I found the ServiceStack's serializer a bit faster than then others. It's JsonSerializer class in ServiceStack.Text namespace.

https://github.com/ServiceStack/ServiceStack.Text

ServiceStack is available through NuGet package: https://www.nuget.org/packages/ServiceStack/

Answer 2

Rather than sending as just an object .

Create a public class of properties that is accessible and send the data to the Webmethod.

[WebMethod]
public static void SaveTeam(useSomeClassHere user)
{
}

use same parameters names in ajax call to send data.

Answer 3

public static class Utilities
{
    public static T Deserialize<T>(string jsonString)
    {
        using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream(Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(jsonString)))
        {    
            DataContractJsonSerializer serializer = new DataContractJsonSerializer(typeof(T));
            return (T)serializer.ReadObject(ms);
        }
    }
}

More information go to following link http://ishareidea.blogspot.in/2012/05/json-conversion.html

About DataContractJsonSerializer Class you can read here.

Answer 4

The following 2 examples make use of either

1. JavaScriptSerializer under System.Web.Script.Serialization Or
2. Json.Decode under System.Web.Helpers

---

Example 1: using System.Web.Script.Serialization

using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using System.Web.Script.Serialization;

namespace Tests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class JsonTests
    {
        [TestMethod]
        public void Test()
        {
            var json = "{\"user\":{\"name\":\"asdf\",\"teamname\":\"b\",\"email\":\"c\",\"players\":[\"1\",\"2\"]}}";
            JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new JavaScriptSerializer();
            dynamic jsonObject = serializer.Deserialize<dynamic>(json);

            dynamic x = jsonObject["user"]; // result is Dictionary<string,object> user with fields name, teamname, email and players with their values
            x = jsonObject["user"]["name"]; // result is asdf
            x = jsonObject["user"]["players"]; // result is object[] players with its values
        }
    }
}

Usage: JSON object to Custom C# object

using System;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using System.Web.Script.Serialization;
using System.Linq;

namespace Tests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class JsonTests
    {
        [TestMethod]
        public void TestJavaScriptSerializer()
        {
            var json = "{\"user\":{\"name\":\"asdf\",\"teamname\":\"b\",\"email\":\"c\",\"players\":[\"1\",\"2\"]}}";
            User user = new User(json);
            Console.WriteLine("Name : " + user.name);
            Console.WriteLine("Teamname : " + user.teamname);
            Console.WriteLine("Email : " + user.email);
            Console.WriteLine("Players:");
            foreach (var player in user.players)
                Console.WriteLine(player);
        }
    }

    public class User {
        public User(string json) {
            JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new JavaScriptSerializer();
            var jsonObject = serializer.Deserialize<dynamic>(json);
            name = (string)jsonObject["user"]["name"];
            teamname = (string)jsonObject["user"]["teamname"];
            email = (string)jsonObject["user"]["email"];
            players = jsonObject["user"]["players"];
        }

        public string name { get; set; }
        public string teamname { get; set; }
        public string email { get; set; }
        public Array players { get; set; }
    }
}

---

Example 2: using System.Web.Helpers

using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using System.Web.Helpers;

namespace Tests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class JsonTests
    {
        [TestMethod]
        public void TestJsonDecode()
        {
            var json = "{\"user\":{\"name\":\"asdf\",\"teamname\":\"b\",\"email\":\"c\",\"players\":[\"1\",\"2\"]}}";
            dynamic jsonObject = Json.Decode(json);

            dynamic x = jsonObject.user; // result is dynamic json object user with fields name, teamname, email and players with their values
            x = jsonObject.user.name; // result is asdf
            x = jsonObject.user.players; // result is dynamic json array players with its values
        }
    }
}

Usage: JSON object to Custom C# object

using System;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using System.Web.Helpers;
using System.Linq;

namespace Tests
{
    [TestClass]
    public class JsonTests
    {
        [TestMethod]
        public void TestJsonDecode()
        {
            var json = "{\"user\":{\"name\":\"asdf\",\"teamname\":\"b\",\"email\":\"c\",\"players\":[\"1\",\"2\"]}}";
            User user = new User(json);
            Console.WriteLine("Name : " + user.name);
            Console.WriteLine("Teamname : " + user.teamname);
            Console.WriteLine("Email : " + user.email);
            Console.WriteLine("Players:");
            foreach (var player in user.players)
                Console.WriteLine(player);
        }
    }

    public class User {
        public User(string json) {
            var jsonObject = Json.Decode(json);
            name = (string)jsonObject.user.name;
            teamname = (string)jsonObject.user.teamname;
            email = (string)jsonObject.user.email;
            players = (DynamicJsonArray) jsonObject.user.players;
        }

        public string name { get; set; }
        public string teamname { get; set; }
        public string email { get; set; }
        public Array players { get; set; }
    }
}

This code requires adding System.Web.Helpers namespace found in,

%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft ASP.NET\ASP.NET Web Pages{VERSION}\Assemblies\System.Web.Helpers.dll

Or

%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft ASP.NET\ASP.NET Web Pages{VERSION}\Assemblies\System.Web.Helpers.dll

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

To keep your options open, if you're using .NET 3.5 or later, here is a wrapped up example you can use straight from the framework using Generics. As others have mentioned, if it's not just simple objects you should really use JSON.net.

public static string Serialize<T>(T obj)
{
    DataContractJsonSerializer serializer = new DataContractJsonSerializer(obj.GetType());
    MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream();
    serializer.WriteObject(ms, obj);
    string retVal = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(ms.ToArray());
    return retVal;
}

public static T Deserialize<T>(string json)
{
    T obj = Activator.CreateInstance<T>();
    MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream(Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(json));
    DataContractJsonSerializer serializer = new DataContractJsonSerializer(obj.GetType());
    obj = (T)serializer.ReadObject(ms);
    ms.Close();
    return obj;
}

You'll need:

using System.Runtime.Serialization;

using System.Runtime.Serialization.Json;

Answer 6

Using JavaScriptSerializer() is less strict than the generic solution offered : public static T Deserialize(string json)

That might come handy when passing json to the server that does not match exactly the Object definition you are trying to convert to.