C# Parsing JSON array of objects

Question

I have an array of objects like this in json format:

{"results":[{"SwiftCode":"","City":"","BankName":"Deutsche Bank","Bankkey":"10020030","Bankcountry":"DE"},{"SwiftCode":"","City":"10891 Berlin","BankName":"Commerzbank Berlin (West)","Bankkey":"10040000","Bankcountry":"DE"}]}

What I want to get is a object[] in C#, where one object contains all the data what is in one json object. The thing is, I can NOT make a class with the properties of this object like here:

public class Result
{
    public int SwiftCode { get; set; }
    public string City { get; set; }
    //      .
    //      .
    public string Bankcountry { get; set; }
}

Because I get everytime different results back, but I know it's always an array of objects. Someone knows how I could manage to get an array of objects back?

EDIT

I have to pass this object to powershell via WriteObject(results). So the ouput should only be the object IN the array.

the better question is, why do you need it to be an `object[]` in c# if you don't even know what the object is going to look like? It sounds like you should be using something like a dictionary instead. — Red Alert, Nov 11 '13 at 15:58
I don't have to know what kind of object it is, I give it over in powershell for the end-user. — Patrick, Nov 11 '13 at 16:01

score 22 · Answer 1 · answered May 01 '16 at 17:20

Though this is an old question, I thought I'd post my answer anyway, if that helps someone in future

 JArray array = JArray.Parse(jsonString);
 foreach (JObject obj in array.Children<JObject>())
 {
     foreach (JProperty singleProp in obj.Properties())
     {
         string name = singleProp.Name;
         string value = singleProp.Value.ToString();
         //Do something with name and value
         //System.Windows.MessageBox.Show("name is "+name+" and value is "+value);
      }
 }

This solution uses Newtonsoft library, don't forget to include using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;

allonhadaya · Accepted Answer · 2013-11-13T16:15:39.780

20

Use newtonsoft like so:

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string json = "{'results':[{'SwiftCode':'','City':'','BankName':'Deutsche    Bank','Bankkey':'10020030','Bankcountry':'DE'},{'SwiftCode':'','City':'10891    Berlin','BankName':'Commerzbank Berlin (West)','Bankkey':'10040000','Bankcountry':'DE'}]}";

        var resultObjects = AllChildren(JObject.Parse(json))
            .First(c => c.Type == JTokenType.Array && c.Path.Contains("results"))
            .Children<JObject>();

        foreach (JObject result in resultObjects) {
            foreach (JProperty property in result.Properties()) {
                // do something with the property belonging to result
            }
        }
    }

    // recursively yield all children of json
    private static IEnumerable<JToken> AllChildren(JToken json)
    {
        foreach (var c in json.Children()) {
            yield return c;
            foreach (var cc in AllChildren(c)) {
                yield return cc;
            }
        }
    }
}

edited Nov 13 '13 at 16:15

answered Nov 11 '13 at 16:14

allonhadaya

1,297
7
19

1

Thanks for the answer, it' helpful as well. but what would be if my string looks like `tring json = "{'test':{'results':[{'SwiftCode':'','City':'','BankName':'Deutsche Bank','Bankkey':'10020030','Bankcountry':'DE'},{'SwiftCode':'','City':'10891 Berlin','BankName':'Commerzbank Berlin (West)','Bankkey':'10040000','Bankcountry':'DE'}]}}";` – Patrick Nov 12 '13 at 11:09
Is the `results` array at any level of nesting the signal to spit out the enclosed objects? – allonhadaya Nov 12 '13 at 18:06
Yes `results` it's always the name of the `object[]` I need. Solved it with the following code: `dynamic obj = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(json); var convert = obj.d.results.ToString(); ErrorRecord errorRecord; var result = JsonObject.ConvertFromJson(convert, out errorRecord);` Do you have a smoother solution for me? – Patrick Nov 13 '13 at 07:49
Now another problem appeared. Somewhere in my rawjson I have dates in unixtimestamp like this: `Date: "/Date(1382400000)/"` . But if parse the json this way, It automaticly trys to convert in a type of DateTime, but with wrong date. So can I ovverride only the part of parsing the date? It would help me a lot. – Patrick Feb 04 '14 at 11:27
1

@AstralisSomnium this might lead you in the right direction: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18088406/how-to-deserialize-date-milliseconds-with-json-net – allonhadaya Feb 05 '14 at 12:18
What if you have same array multiple times in a json? and you don't want to only capture the "First" occurrence.? rather want to capture all of them and add them in a array response? – shab Feb 17 '17 at 03:25
@shab You can use [Where](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.linq.enumerable.where(v=vs.110).aspx) to capture every match instead of just the `First`. And then flatten all of their children with [SelectMany](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb534336(v=vs.110).aspx): `AllChildren(...).Where(...).SelectMany(arr => .Children())` Hope that gives you some ideas. – allonhadaya Mar 04 '17 at 01:40

score 18 · Answer 3 · edited Nov 11 '13 at 16:00

18

Use NewtonSoft JSON.Net library.

dynamic obj = Newtonsoft.Json.JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(jsonString);

Hope this helps.

edited Nov 11 '13 at 16:00

Mehmet Ince

4,059
12
45
65

answered Nov 11 '13 at 15:57

Marvin Smit

4,088
1
22
21

Thanks for the fast answer. I already tried `dynamic`, but it stores even information about the array itself (like type, has valuse, first, last, parent....), but I don't need any of these. I only need the `objects`. – Patrick Nov 11 '13 at 16:04
3

So, ignore the data your not interested in and take it from obj.results[x]? – Marvin Smit Nov 11 '13 at 16:05
3

Holy potato, that's awesome! Didn't know that I can just .whateverIwantHere in a `dynamic` class. Thank you Marvin! – Patrick Nov 11 '13 at 16:08

score 13 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 01 '16 at 11:25

I have just got an solution a little bit easier do get an list out of an JSON object. Hope this can help.

I got an JSON like this:

{"Accounts":"[{\"bank\":\"Itau\",\"account\":\"456\",\"agency\":\"0444\",\"digit\":\"5\"}]"}

And made some types like this

    public class FinancialData
{
    public string Accounts { get; set; } // this will store the JSON string
    public List<Accounts> AccountsList { get; set; } // this will be the actually list. 
}

    public class Accounts
{
    public string bank { get; set; }
    public string account { get; set; }
    public string agency { get; set; }
    public string digit { get; set; }

}

and the "magic" part

 Models.FinancialData financialData = (Models.FinancialData)JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(myJSON,typeof(Models.FinancialData));
        var accounts = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(financialData.Accounts) as JArray;

        foreach (var account in  accounts)
        {
            if (financialData.AccountsList == null)
            {
                financialData.AccountsList = new List<Models.Accounts>();
            }

            financialData.AccountsList.Add(JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Models.Accounts>(account.ToString()));
        }

This is actually the correct way of parsing a json collection inside the parent json object. — Kshitij Jhangra, Feb 12 '20 at 06:47
I was creating all sorts of kludgy solutions that weren't working. I _knew_ there'd be a simple, elegant solution to fetching the records within a single JSON field. Thank you! — Bob Kaufman, Dec 28 '20 at 19:24

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Nov 10 '21 at 15:47

Using .NET 6 you could use built in System.Text.Json.Nodes

Example:

string json = @"{""results"":[{""SwiftCode"":"""",""City"":"""",""BankName"":""Deutsche Bank"",""Bankkey"":""10020030"",""Bankcountry"":""DE""},{""SwiftCode"":"""",""City"":""10891 Berlin"",""BankName"":""Commerzbank Berlin (West)"",""Bankkey"":""10040000"",""Bankcountry"":""DE""}]}";

JsonObject obj = JsonNode.Parse(json).AsObject();
JsonArray jsonArray = (JsonArray)obj["results"];

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered May 14 '15 at 20:12

1

I believe this is much simpler;

dynamic obj = JObject.Parse(jsonString);
string results  = obj.results;
foreach(string result in result.Split('))
{
//Todo
}

answered May 14 '15 at 20:12

mca

124
1
3

C# Parsing JSON array of objects

6 Answers6

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