How can I serialize dynamic object to JSON in C# MVC Controller action?

Question

I want to serialize dynamic object to JSON. I tried using ExpandoObject, but the result is not what I need:

public JsonResult Edit()
{   
    dynamic o = new ExpandoObject();
    ((IDictionary<string,Object>)o)["abc"] = "ABC"; //or o.abc = "ABC";
    return Json(o);
}

I want JSON to look like: {"abc": "ABC"} but instead it looks like [{"Key":"abc","Value":"ABC"}] Obviously ExpandoObject will not do, but can I inherit from DynamicObject and somehow override its methods to achieve JSON format I want?

Answer is to flatten according to: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5156664/how-to-flatten-an-expandoobject-returned-via-jsonresult-in-asp-net-mvc — Joe, Aug 12 '11 at 14:58

score 8 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 19 '14 at 18:24

I had this same problem and ended up fixing it by using the JSON.net (Newtonsoft.Json) serializer instead of using the JsonContent result. It then serialized my dynamic objects with normal properties versus the "key" "value" weird list.

//In my usage I had a list of dynamic objects
var output = new List<dynamic>();

//Change this
return JsonContent(new {Error = errorMessage, Results = output});

//to this
return Content(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new {Error = errorMessage, Results = output}));

Please consider copying your answer to http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5156664/how-to-flatten-an-expandoobject-returned-via-jsonresult-in-asp-net-mvc — ProfNimrod, Dec 03 '14 at 15:09

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 28 '12 at 17:32

This may not be useful to you, but I had a similar requirement, but used a SerializableDynamicObject

I changed the name of the dictionary to "Fields" and then this serializes with Json.Net to produce json which looks like:

  {"Fields":{"Property1":"Value1", "Property2":"Value2" etc.

where Property1 and Property2 are Dynamically added properties - i.e. Dictionary Keys

It would be perfect if I could get rid of the extra "Fields" property which encapsulates the rest, but I've worked around that limitation.

Can you move this over to http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5156664/how-to-flatten-an-expandoobject-returned-via-jsonresult-in-asp-net-mvc and VTC this please? I'll even throw in a +1 in the deal :D — Ruben Bartelink, Jul 19 '12 at 07:43

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 12 '11 at 15:41

3

This will return what you want.

public JsonResult Edit()
{   
    return Json(new {abc = "ABC"});
}

answered Aug 12 '11 at 15:41

scottm

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3

This is a class with abc property. I want the class to have properties added at run time. – panpawel Aug 12 '11 at 16:16

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 08 '13 at 06:37

0

You can always serialize a HashTable, its not dynamic but it supports object key value pairs.

answered Apr 08 '13 at 06:37

Roy

428
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score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 18 '14 at 13:49

This worked for me perfectly. You have to use Json.NET.

 [HttpGet]
    public string GetJson()
    {
        List<Dictionary<string, string>> list = new List<Dictionary<string, string>>();

        List<DataEntry> properties = new List<DataEntry>();

        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
        {
            properties.Add(new DataEntry { Column = "column" + i.ToString(), Value = "value" + i.ToString() });
        }

        list.Add(properties.ToDictionary(x => x.Column, y => y.Value));
        string test = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(list);

        return test;
    }

How can I serialize dynamic object to JSON in C# MVC Controller action?

5 Answers5

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