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Deserialization of JSON to List of Interface with generic type parameter

As the title mentions, I am trying to deserialize a JSON but am having some trouble. I think below includes the necessary information.
public class Variable<T> : IVariable where T : IConvertible
{
//...
}
public class ArrayVariable<T> : IVariable where T : IConvertible
{
//...
}
So I have a list of IVariable which I then serialize successfully (all of the information is in the json):
JsonConvert.SerializeObject(myIVariableList)
Now I am trying to deserialize it but I am having trouble determining the correct way to go about doing it as it involves finding the generic type T in addition to the type Variable or ArrayVariable. I have already tried
JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<IVariable>>(result.newValues)
but obviously, you can create instances of an interface. Any help would be much appreciated.

You can use TypeNameHandling.All but I would strongly recommend you avoid it due to it being very dangerous and allows attackers to compromise your code.
Another safer option is to use a custom converter. Here's a very trivial (and fragile) example that should get you started:
First lets make some basic classes that share an interface:
public interface IVariable { }
public class Foo : IVariable
{
public int A { get; set; }
}
public class Bar : IVariable
{
public int B { get; set; }
}
Now we can make our converter:
public class IVariableConverter : JsonConverter<IVariable>
{
public override IVariable ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType,
IVariable existingValue, bool hasExistingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
// First load the JSON into a JObject
var variable = JObject.Load(reader);
// If the JSON had a property called A, it must be a Foo:
if (variable.ContainsKey("A"))
{
return variable.ToObject<Foo>();
}
// If the JSON had a property called B, it must be a Bar:
if (variable.ContainsKey("B"))
{
return variable.ToObject<Bar>();
}
// And who knows what was passed in if it was missing both of those properties?!
throw new Exception("Er, no idea what that JSON was supposed to be!");
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, IVariable value,
JsonSerializer serializer)
{
// Feel free to write your own code here if you need it
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
And now we can do some actual deserialising:
// A basic JSON example:
var json = "[{\"A\":1},{\"B\":2}]";
// The settings to tell the serialiser how to process an IVariable object
var settings = new JsonSerializerSettings
{
Converters = new List<JsonConverter> { new IVariableConverter() }
};
// And deserialise with the defined settings
var result = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<IVariable>>(json, settings);
You will need to be a bit more creative with how you identify each type, but this is a safe way to achieve what you need.

You can use TypeNameHandling.All to add type information to your serialiazed json and then utilize it during parsing:
var variables = new List<IVariable>()
{
new Variable<int>()
};
var settings = new JsonSerializerSettings { TypeNameHandling = TypeNameHandling.All };
var serializeObject = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(variables, settings);
var list = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<IVariable>>(serializeObject, settings);

C# Newtonsoft JSON - Deserializing Object with collection of unknown objects

I'm struggling with deserialization of the json file using the newtonsoft.json. Object which I want to deserialize looks like this:
public class Device
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Type { get; set; }
public List<Sensor> Sensors { get; }
public bool IsPaired { get; set; }
}
Sensor class is Virtual.
I have multiple classes which inherit from Sensor class (TemperatureSensor, WaterLevelSensor etc.) and add some new properties. Instances of these classes are stored in Sensors collection.
Json file looks like this:
[
{
"Name":"Device1",
"Id":0,
"Type":"TemperatureSensor",
"Sensors":[
{
"Id":0,
"Type":"TemperatureSensor",
"Data":18.136218099999997,
"ReadIntervalInMiliseconds":5000
},
{
"Id":1,
"Type":"TemperatureSensor",
"Data":18.0999819,
"ReadIntervalInMiliseconds":5000
}
],
"IsPaired":false
},
{
"Name":"Device2",
"Id":1,
"Type":"AutomaticGate",
"Sensors":[
{
"OpenPercentage":0,
"Id":0,
"Type":"AutomaticGate",
"Data":0.0,
"ReadIntervalInMiliseconds":0
}
],
"IsPaired":false
},
{
"Name":"Device3",
"Id":2,
"Type":"Other",
"Sensors":[
{
"IsActive":false,
"Id":0,
"Type":"AirConditioner",
"Data":0.0,
"ReadIntervalInMiliseconds":0
},
{
"Id":1,
"Type":"LightSensor",
"Data":4.0,
"ReadIntervalInMiliseconds":5000
}
],
"IsPaired":false
}
]
I assume that i have to read the "Type" of Sensor from json file, and on this basis create the Object and add it to some collection and then return Device class object with this collection.
I was trying to make custom JsonConverter like in this blog post but with little effect.

You can create a custom JsonConverter to convert Sensor objects to concrete derived classes. Here's a working example of such a JsonConverter:
public class SensorConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanRead => true;
public override bool CanWrite => false;
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
// Don't do IsAssignableFrom tricks here, because you only know how to convert the abstract class Sensor.
return objectType == typeof(Sensor);
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
var jObject = JObject.Load(reader);
string sensorType = jObject["Type"].Value<string>();
switch (sensorType)
{
case "TemperatureSensor":
return jObject.ToObject<TemperatureSensor>(serializer);
case "AutomaticGate":
return jObject.ToObject<AutomaticGate>(serializer);
case "AirConditioner":
return jObject.ToObject<AirConditioner>(serializer);
case "LightSensor":
return jObject.ToObject<LightSensor>(serializer);
default:
throw new NotSupportedException($"Sensor type '{sensorType}' is not supported.");
}
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer) => throw new NotImplementedException();
}
Then, when deserializing, you will have to add your custom converter to the settings in order for this to work.
Note that your Sensors property is get-only at the moment. You will have to provide a setter in order for NewtonSoft to populate the property.

Another solution that requires much less code is using JsonSubTypes
Assuming an abstract Sensor class, you need to register via custom attribute a known subclass and it's identifier. So in your case, the identifier is property named "Type" and the class mappings is in KnownSubType attributes.
[JsonConverter(typeof(JsonSubtypes), "Type")]
[JsonSubtypes.KnownSubType(typeof(TemperatureSensor), "TemperatureSensor")]
[JsonSubtypes.KnownSubType(typeof(WaterLevelSensor), "WaterLevelSensor")]
[JsonSubtypes.KnownSubType(typeof(AirConditioner), "AirConditioner")]
[JsonSubtypes.KnownSubType(typeof(AutomaticGate), "AutomaticGate")]
[JsonSubtypes.KnownSubType(typeof(LightSensor), "LightSensor")]
public abstract class Sensor
{
}
In your Device class, Sensors property must have a set property.
public List<Sensor> Sensors { get; set;}
Usage:
var items = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Device>>(json);

Deserialize JSON object as .NET HashSet

Here's an example of raw JSON data:
{ "Standards": { "1": "1" } }
I want to deserialize the data to:
public class Model
{
public HashSet<String> Standards { get; set; }
}
The Standards field actually has the Dictionary<String, String> type. Somehow the keys and values are always equal. As the types are incompatible, I'm looking for a way to perform a custom deserialization of this field.
A solution based on JSON.NET library is preferred.
P.S.: I have no control over the data serialization process.

You can handle this with a custom JsonConverter. Here is the code you would need:
public class CustomHashSetConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return objectType == typeof(HashSet<string>);
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
JObject jo = JObject.Load(reader);
return new HashSet<string>(jo.Properties().Select(p => p.Name));
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
HashSet<string> hashSet = (HashSet<string>)value;
JObject jo = new JObject(hashSet.Select(s => new JProperty(s, s)));
jo.WriteTo(writer);
}
}
To use the converter, add a [JsonConverter] attribute to your model like this:
public class Model
{
[JsonConverter(typeof(CustomHashSetConverter))]
public HashSet<string> Standards { get; set; }
}
Then, just deserialize as normal and it should work:
Model model = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Model>(json);
Here is a round-trip demo: https://dotnetfiddle.net/tvHt5Y

Declared properties won't be serialized if its declaring type is a dynamic object

Let's say I've the following dynamic object:
public class SomeDynamicObject : DynamicObject
{
public string Text { get; set; }
}
If I serialize it using JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new SomeDynamicObject { Text = "hello world" }) it'll return {} instead of { "Text": "hello world" }.
I suspect the issue is that JSON.NET thinks it's a full dynamic object while my case is a dynamic object with declared members.
Is there any serialization settings or built-in converter that could be configured so JSON.NET can serialize both kinds of members?
To avoid confusion
Actual use case: I don't know which will be the types being serialized but I need to cover the whole use case of serializing declared properties of a dynamic object.
That is, I can't use attributes. That's why I'm asking if there's some converter or a serialization setting that can generalize this use case.

Update for non-attribute converter
Since you can't decorate, you lose a lot of power. Once the JsonWriter has converted to a JObject, the dynamic properties appear to be lost.
However, you can always use a little reflection in a custom converter's WriteJson method to serialize non-dynamic types.
public class SomeDynamicObject : DynamicObject
{
public string Text { get; set; }
public DynamicObject DynamicProperty { get; set; }
}
public class CustomDynamicConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return true;
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.Null)
return null;
JObject jObject = JObject.Load(reader);
var target = Activator.CreateInstance(objectType);
//Create a new reader for this jObject, and set all properties to match the original reader.
JsonReader jObjectReader = jObject.CreateReader();
jObjectReader.Culture = reader.Culture;
jObjectReader.DateParseHandling = reader.DateParseHandling;
jObjectReader.DateTimeZoneHandling = reader.DateTimeZoneHandling;
jObjectReader.FloatParseHandling = reader.FloatParseHandling;
// Populate the object properties
serializer.Populate(jObjectReader, target);
return target;
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
var properties = value.GetType().GetProperties().Where(x => x.PropertyType != typeof(DynamicObject)).ToList();
JObject o = (JObject)JToken.FromObject(value);
properties.ForEach(x =>
{
o.AddFirst(new JProperty(x.Name, x.GetValue(value)));
});
o.WriteTo(writer);
}
}
If you explicitly decorate your properties with [JsonProperty], the serializer will pick them up, even if the containing type is dynamic.
public class SomeDynamicObject : DynamicObject
{
[JsonProperty]
public string Text { get; set; }
}
when serialized correctly outputs:
{"Text":"hello world"}

Deserializing JSON when sometimes array and sometimes object

I'm having a bit of trouble deserializing data returned from Facebook using the JSON.NET libraries.
The JSON returned from just a simple wall post looks like:
{
"attachment":{"description":""},
"permalink":"http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=123456789"
}
The JSON returned for a photo looks like:
"attachment":{
"media":[
{
"href":"http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=12345",
"alt":"",
"type":"photo",
"src":"http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/12345_s.jpg",
"photo":{"aid":"1234","pid":"1234","fbid":"1234","owner":"1234","index":"12","width":"720","height":"482"}}
],
Everything works great and I have no problems. I've now come across a simple wall post from a mobile client with the following JSON, and deserialization now fails with this one single post:
"attachment":
{
"media":{},
"name":"",
"caption":"",
"description":"",
"properties":{},
"icon":"http://www.facebook.com/images/icons/mobile_app.gif",
"fb_object_type":""
},
"permalink":"http://www.facebook.com/1234"
Here is the class I am deserializing as:
public class FacebookAttachment
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Description { get; set; }
public string Href { get; set; }
public FacebookPostType Fb_Object_Type { get; set; }
public string Fb_Object_Id { get; set; }
[JsonConverter(typeof(FacebookMediaJsonConverter))]
public List<FacebookMedia> { get; set; }
public string Permalink { get; set; }
}
Without using the FacebookMediaJsonConverter, I get an error: Cannot deserialize JSON object into type 'System.Collections.Generic.List`1[FacebookMedia]'.
which makes sense, since in the JSON, Media is not a collection.
I found this post which describes a similar problem, so I've attempted to go down this route: Deserialize JSON, sometimes value is an array, sometimes "" (blank string)
My converter looks like:
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.StartArray)
return serializer.Deserialize<List<FacebookMedia>>(reader);
else
return null;
}
Which works fine, except I now get a new exception:
Inside JsonSerializerInternalReader.cs, CreateValueInternal(): Unexpected token while deserializing object: PropertyName
The value of reader.Value is "permalink". I can clearly see in the switch that there's no case for JsonToken.PropertyName.
Is there something I need to do differently in my converter? Thanks for any help.

A very detailed explanation on how to handle this case is available at "Using a Custom JsonConverter to fix bad JSON results".
To summarize, you can extend the default JSON.NET converter doing
Annotate the property with the issue
[JsonConverter(typeof(SingleValueArrayConverter<OrderItem>))]
public List<OrderItem> items;
Extend the converter to return a list of your desired type even for a single object
public class SingleValueArrayConverter<T> : JsonConverter
{
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
object retVal = new Object();
if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.StartObject)
{
T instance = (T)serializer.Deserialize(reader, typeof(T));
retVal = new List<T>() { instance };
} else if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.StartArray) {
retVal = serializer.Deserialize(reader, objectType);
}
return retVal;
}
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return true;
}
}
As mentioned in the article this extension is not completely general but it works if you are fine with getting a list.

The developer of JSON.NET ended up helping on the projects codeplex site. Here is the solution:
The problem was, when it was a JSON object, I wasn't reading past the attribute. Here is the correct code:
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.StartArray)
{
return serializer.Deserialize<List<FacebookMedia>>(reader);
}
else
{
FacebookMedia media = serializer.Deserialize<FacebookMedia>(reader);
return new List<FacebookMedia>(new[] {media});
}
}
James was also kind enough to provide unit tests for the above method.

Based on Camilo Martinez's answer above, this is a more modern, type-safe, leaner and complete approach using the generic version of JsonConverter and C# 8.0 as well as implementing the serialization part. It also throws an exception for tokens other than the two expected according to the question. Code should never do more than required otherwise you run the risk of causing a future bug due to mishandling unexpected data.
internal class SingleObjectOrArrayJsonConverter<T> : JsonConverter<ICollection<T>> where T : class, new()
{
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, ICollection<T> value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
serializer.Serialize(writer, value.Count == 1 ? (object)value.Single() : value);
}
public override ICollection<T> ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, ICollection<T> existingValue, bool hasExistingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
return reader.TokenType switch
{
JsonToken.StartObject => new Collection<T> {serializer.Deserialize<T>(reader)},
JsonToken.StartArray => serializer.Deserialize<ICollection<T>>(reader),
_ => throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException($"Converter does not support JSON token type {reader.TokenType}.")
};
}
}
And then decorate the property thus:
[JsonConverter(typeof(SingleObjectOrArrayJsonConverter<OrderItem>))]
public ICollection<OrderItem> items;
I've changed the property type from List<> to ICollection<> as a JSON POCO typically need only be this weaker type, but if List<> is required, then just replaced ICollection and Collection with List in all the above code.

take a look at the System.Runtime.Serialization namespace in the c# framework, it's going to get you to where you want to be very quickly.
If you want, you can check out some example code in this project (not trying to plug my own work but i just finished pretty much exactly what you are doing but with a different source api.
hope it helps.

.Net Framework
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using System.IO;
public Object SingleObjectOrArrayJson(string strJson)
{
if(String.IsNullOrEmpty(strJson))
{
//Example
strJson= #"{
'CPU': 'Intel',
'PSU': '500W',
'Drives': [
'DVD read/writer'
/*(broken)*/,
'500 gigabyte hard drive',
'200 gigabyte hard drive'
]
}";
}
JsonTextReader reader = new JsonTextReader(new StringReader(strJson));
//Initialize Read
reader.Read();
if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.StartArray)
{
return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Object>>(strJson);
}
else
{
Object media = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Object>(strJson);
return new List<Object>(new[] {media});
}
}
Note:
"Object" must be defined according to the Json attributes of your response

Expounding upon Martinez and mfanto's answer for Newtonsoft. It does work with Newtonsoft:
Here is an example of doing it with an array instead of a list (and correctly named).
public class SingleValueArrayConverter<T> : JsonConverter
{
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
serializer.Serialize(writer, value);
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.StartObject
|| reader.TokenType == JsonToken.String
|| reader.TokenType == JsonToken.Integer)
{
return new T[] { serializer.Deserialize<T>(reader) };
}
return serializer.Deserialize<T[]>(reader);
}
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return true;
}
}
Then over the attribute write this:
[JsonProperty("INSURANCE")]
[JsonConverter(typeof(SingleValueArrayConverter<InsuranceInfo>))]
public InsuranceInfo[] InsuranceInfo { get; set; }
Newtonsoft will do the rest for you.
return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(json);
Cheers to Martinez and mfanto!
Believe it or not, this will work with sub items. (It may even have to.) So... inside of my InsuranceInfo, if I have another object/array hybrid, use this again on that property.
This will also allow you to reserialize the object back to json. When it does reserialize, it will always be an array.

I think you should write your class like this...!!!
public class FacebookAttachment
{
[JsonProperty("attachment")]
public Attachment Attachment { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("permalink")]
public string Permalink { get; set; }
}
public class Attachment
{
[JsonProperty("media")]
public Media Media { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("name")]
public string Name { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("caption")]
public string Caption { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("description")]
public string Description { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("properties")]
public Properties Properties { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("icon")]
public string Icon { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("fb_object_type")]
public string FbObjectType { get; set; }
}
public class Media
{
}
public class Properties
{
}