How can I parse a JSON string that would cause illegal C# identifiers?

Question

I have been using NewtonSoft JSON Convert library to parse and convert JSON string to C# objects. But now I have came across a really awkward JSON string and I am unable to convert it into C# object because I cant make a C# class out of this JSON string.

Here is the JSON string

{
"1": {
    "fajr": "04:15",
    "sunrise": "05:42",
    "zuhr": "12:30",
    "asr": "15:53",
    "maghrib": "19:18",
    "isha": "20:40"
},
"2": {
    "fajr": "04:15",
    "sunrise": "05:42",
    "zuhr": "12:30",
    "asr": "15:53",
    "maghrib": "19:18",
    "isha": "20:41"
 } 
}

The C# class required to parse this JSON string should be like this:

public class 1 {

    public string fajr { get; set; }
    public string sunrise { get; set; }
    public string zuhr { get; set; }
    public string asr { get; set; }
    public string maghrib { get; set; }
    public string isha { get; set; }
}

public class 2 {

    public string fajr { get; set; }
    public string sunrise { get; set; }
    public string zuhr { get; set; }
    public string asr { get; set; }
    public string maghrib { get; set; }
    public string isha { get; set; }
}

But it cant be a true C# class because we know that Class names cannot start with a number.

It will be really great if anyone can suggest how to parse such type of json string.

Your logic is wrong. from what I see, you have a list of items with the same structure. So your class should represent that structure, NOT the list, and you should parse your JSON to a .NET List, not to several classes. — Laurent S.
– Laurent S., Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 16:40
As soon as it looks like key-value pairs, the answer below is spot on — Konstantin Chernov
– Konstantin Chernov, Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 16:40
Yeah there is another class which has the two properties one for class 1 and other for class 2 — TaLha Khan
– TaLha Khan, Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 16:42
L.B. here unders explained this much more clearly than me :-) — Laurent S.
– Laurent S., Commented Jul 2, 2014 at 16:43

L.B · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-02 16:37:40Z

66

You can deserialize to a dictionary.

public class Item
{
    public string fajr { get; set; }
    public string sunrise { get; set; }
    public string zuhr { get; set; }
    public string asr { get; set; }
    public string maghrib { get; set; }
    public string isha { get; set; }
}

var dict = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Dictionary<string, Item>>(json);

answered Jul 2, 2014 at 16:37

L.B

116k20 gold badges189 silver badges229 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

2 Comments

TaLha Khan Over a year ago

thanks a ton..worked like a charm......problem solved. but still i dont know how it worked. can you please explain how dictionary worked ?

L.B Over a year ago

@TaLhaKhan Because your json represents key-value pairs. "1" is the key, {...} is the value.

ken2k · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-02 16:48:37Z

48

While the dictionary is the best solution for the specific case you had, the question you asked could also be interpreted as:

how do I deserialize objects with property names that cannot be used in C#?

For example what if you had

{
    "0": "04:15",
    "zzz": "foo"
}

Solution: use annotations:

public class Item
{
   [JsonProperty("0")]
   public string AnyName { get; set; }

   [JsonProperty("zzz")]
   public string AnotherName { get; set; }
}

answered Jul 2, 2014 at 16:48

ken2k

49.2k12 gold badges119 silver badges179 bronze badges

3 Comments

I4V Over a year ago

Of course, if the number of Keys and their names are known beforehand. Not suitable for dynamically created objects like userid : {name:aa,surname:bb}, anotheruserid:{}

Roman Over a year ago

@I4V If they are dynamically created objects you probably couldn't use predefined classes anyway.

I4V Over a year ago

@R0MANARMY I didn't mean it . Keys can be dynamic, for example a guid or an id comming from db. But its value is a known type. {{1232574:{name:john}, 755344674:{name:doe}}

Hidayet R. Colkusu · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-24 02:11:42Z

0

You can use this extensions:

public static class JsonExtensions
{
    public static Dictionary<string, T> ToObject<T>(this string json)
    {
        return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Dictionary<string, T>>(json);
    }

    public static string ToJson<T>(this T obj)
    {
        return JsonConvert.SerializeObject(obj);
    }
}

answered May 24, 2020 at 2:11

Hidayet R. Colkusu

3946 silver badges15 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

How can I parse a JSON string that would cause illegal C# identifiers?

3 Answers 3

2 Comments

3 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Linked

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

3 Answers 3

2 Comments

3 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Linked

Related