Parsing a complex JSON result with C#
I am trying to parse the following complex JSON result, which is returned from the Zoho Crm API:
{
"response":
{
"result":
{
"Contacts":
{
"row":
[
{
"no":"1",
"FL":
[
{
"content":"555555000000123456",
"val":"CONTACTID"
},
{
"content":"555555000000012345",
"val":"SMOWNERID"
},
{
"content":"John Doe",
"val":"Contact Owner"
},
{
"content":"Pete",
"val":"First Name"
},
{
"content":"Smith",
"val":"Last Name"
},
{
"content":"[email protected]",
"val":"Email"
},
{
"content":"5555551000000012346",
"val":"SMCREATORID"
},
{
"content":"Jane Doe",
"val":"Created By"
},
{
"content":"555555000000012347",
"val":"MODIFIEDBY"
},
{
"content":"Doris Doe",
"val":"Modified By"
},
{
"content":"2013-06-14 17:24:10",
"val":"Created Time"
},
{
"content":"2013-06-14 17:24:10",
"val":"Modified Time"
},
{
"content":"2013-06-14 17:28:05",
"val":"Last Activity Time"
}
]
},
{
...
}
]
}
},
"uri":"/crm/private/json/Contacts/getRecords"
}
}
Here is how my Object looks:
public class Contact
{
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "CONTACTID")]
public string ContactID { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "SMOWNERID")]
public string OwnerID { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Contact Owner")]
public string ContactOwner { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "First Name")]
public string FirstName { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Last Name")]
public string LasName { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Email")]
public string Email { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "SMCREATORID")]
public string CreatorID { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Created By")]
public string CreatedBy { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "MODIFIEDBY")]
public string ModifiedByID { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Modified By")]
public string ModifiedBy { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Created Time")]
public DateTime CreatedTime { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Modified Time")]
public DateTime ModifiedTime { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "Last Activity Time")]
public DateTime LastActivityTime { get; set; }
}
The "row" pattern repeats (no 1, 2, 3 ...) so what I am basically trying to get is a Generic List of Objects of this type. I am trying to using JSON.NET, but I am open to other suggestions if it makes this any easier.
This doesn't work in this case obviously:
var response = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Contact>(jsonString);
And neither does this:
var deserializedObjects = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Contact>>(jsonString);
Here is a workaround I have put together to parse this using JavaScriptSerializer, but it is by far one of my worst code blocks ever!
List<Contact> loContactList = new List<Contact>();
Contact loContact = null;
Dictionary<string, object> dictionary = new JavaScriptSerializer().Deserialize<Dictionary<string, object>>(jsonString);
var response = (Dictionary<string, object>)dictionary["response"];
var result = (Dictionary<string, object>)response["result"];
var contacts = (Dictionary<string, object>)result["Contacts"];
var row = (ArrayList)contacts["row"];
foreach (var item in row)
{
var loArrayItem = (Dictionary<string, object>)item;
var fl = (ArrayList)loArrayItem["FL"];
loContact = new Contact();
foreach (var contactitem in fl)
{
var contactdict = (Dictionary<string, object>)contactitem;
string val = (string)contactdict["val"];
string content = (string)contactdict["content"];
if (val == "CONTACTID")
{
loContact.ContactID = content;
}
else if (val == "SMOWNERID")
{
loContact.OwnerID = content;
}
else if (val == "Contact Owner")
{
loContact.ContactOwner = content;
}
else if (val == "First Name")
{
loContact.FirstName = content;
}
else if (val == "Last Name")
{
loContact.LastName = content;
}
else if (val == "Email")
{
loContact.Email = content;
}
else if (val == "SMCREATORID")
{
loContact.CreatorID = content;
}
else if (val == "Created By")
{
loContact.CreatedBy = content;
}
else if (val == "MODIFIEDBY")
{
loContact.ModifiedByID = content;
}
else if (val == "Modified By")
{
loContact.ModifiedBy = content;
}
else if (val == "Created Time")
{
loContact.CreatedTime = Convert.ToDateTime(content);
}
else if (val == "Modified Time")
{
loContact.ModifiedTime = Convert.ToDateTime(content);
}
else if (val == "Last Activity Time")
{
loContact.LastActivityTime = Convert.ToDateTime(content);
}
}
loContactList.Add(loContact);
}
I have gone through other similar posts on StackOverflow and none of them seem to provide a solution for this problem. Does anyone have a solution for this? My goal is to parse this JSON response in a more elegant way, which doesn't involve a million dictionary objects and ArrayList! Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Pete
Update 7/2/13:
Based on Manvik's suggestion, I put together the following additional solution:
public class ResponseActual
{
[JsonProperty("response")]
public Response2 Response { get; set; }
}
public class Response2
{
[JsonProperty("result")]
public Result Result { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("uri")]
public string Uri { get; set; }
}
public class Result
{
[JsonProperty("Contacts")]
public Contacts Contacts { get; set; }
}
public class Contacts
{
[JsonProperty("row")]
public IList<Row> Row { get; set; }
}
public class Row
{
[JsonProperty("no")]
public string No { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("FL")]
public IList<FL> FL { get; set; }
}
public class FL
{
[JsonProperty("content")]
public string Content { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("val")]
public string Val { get; set; }
}
List<Contact> loContactList = new List<Contact>();
Contact loContact = null;
ResponseActual respone = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<ResponseActual>(jsonString);
foreach (var row in respone.Response.Result.Contacts.Row)
{
loContact = new Contact();
var rowItem = row.FL.ToList();
try { loContact.ContactID = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "CONTACTID").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.OwnerID = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "SMOWNERID").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.ContactOwner = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Contact Owner").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.FirstName = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "First Name").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.LastName = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Last Name").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.Email = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Email").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); } catch { }
try { loContact.CreatorID = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "SMCREATORID").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.CreatedBy = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Created By").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.ModifiedByID = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "MODIFIEDBY").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.ModifiedBy = rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Modified By").Select(x => x.Content).Single(); }
catch { }
try { loContact.CreatedTime = Convert.ToDateTime(rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Created Time").Select(x => x.Content).Single()); }
catch { }
try { loContact.ModifiedTime = Convert.ToDateTime(rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Modified Time").Select(x => x.Content).Single()); }
catch { }
try { loContact.LastActivityTime = Convert.ToDateTime(rowItem.Where<FL>((s, t) => s.Val == "Last Activity Time").Select(x => x.Content).Single()); }
catch { }
loContactList.Add(loContact);
}
Answer
Use the below classes for de-serializing using JSON.Net
public class ResponseActual
{
[JsonProperty("response")]
public Response2 Response { get; set; }
}
public class Response2
{
[JsonProperty("result")]
public Result Result { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("uri")]
public string Uri { get; set; }
}
public class Result
{
[JsonProperty("Contacts")]
public Contacts Contacts { get; set; }
}
public class Contacts
{
[JsonProperty("row")]
public IList<Row> Row { get; set; }
}
public class Row
{
[JsonProperty("no")]
public string No { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("FL")]
public IList<FL> FL { get; set; }
}
public class FL
{
[JsonProperty("content")]
public string Content { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("val")]
public string Val { get; set; }
}
//To De-serialize
ResponseActual respone = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<ResponseActual>(jSON_sTRING)
//Get the contacts list
List<FL> contacts = respone.Response.Result.Contacts.Row[0].FL.ToList();
//Now Get the required value using LINQ
var value = contacts.Where<FL>((s, e) => s.Val =="Email").Select(x=>x.Content).Single();
You may also checkout this - Deserializing JSON to .NET object using Newtonsoft (or LINQ to JSON maybe?)