If I have the following classes I want to serialize using JSON.NET:
[DataContract]
public class Thing
{
[DataMember(Name = "#context")]
public string Context => "http://schema.org"
}
[DataContract]
public class Organization : Thing
{
[DataMember(Name = "address")]
public Address Address { get; set; }
...
}
[DataContract]
public class Address : Thing
{
...
}
When I use JSON.NET to serialize an Organization I get:
{
"#context": "http://schema.org",
"address": {
"#context": "http://schema.org",
...
}
...
}
What is the most efficient way of ensuring that the #context property only appears in the top level Organization object and not in the Address object?
If Organization is the only top level descendant of Thing and also no fields of type Organization may appear in serialized objects, you may easily do this by defining ShouldSerializeContext in Thing as follows:
[DataContract]
public class Thing
{
[DataMember(Name = "#context")]
public string Context => "http://schema.org";
public bool ShouldSerializeContext() { return this is Organization; }
}
Demo: https://dotnetfiddle.net/GjmfbA
If any of the Thing's descendants may act as the root object, you may need to implement a custom converter. In WriteJson method of this converter, you may filter properties to be serialized. To remove the Context property from all but the root object check writer.Path, which will be an empty string for the root object:
[DataContract]
[JsonConverter(typeof(NoContextConverter))]
public class Thing
{
[DataMember(Name = "#context")]
public string Context => "http://schema.org";
}
// ...............
public class NoContextConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
var props = value.GetType().GetProperties()
.Where(p => Attribute.IsDefined(p, typeof(DataMemberAttribute)))
.ToList();
if (writer.Path != "")
props.RemoveAll(p => p.Name == "Context");
writer.WriteStartObject();
foreach (var prop in props)
{
writer.WritePropertyName(prop.GetCustomAttribute<DataMemberAttribute>().Name);
serializer.Serialize(writer, prop.GetValue(value, null));
}
writer.WriteEndObject();
}
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return typeof(Thing).IsAssignableFrom(objectType);
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
Demo: https://dotnetfiddle.net/cIlXID
N.B. For some reason, dotnetfiddle.net does not allow to use DataContractAttribute and DataMemberAttribute from System.Runtime.Serialization so I had to comment out relevant lines in this demo.
While #DimitryEgorov's answer is probably the correct way to go, it uses reflection which makes it slow. In the solution below, I use StringBuilder to do a string replace on the final JSON.
private const string ContextPropertyJson = "\"#context\":\"http://schema.org\",";
public override string ToString() => RemoveAllButFirstContext(
JsonConvert.SerializeObject(this, new JsonSerializerSettings));
private static string RemoveAllButFirstContext(string json)
{
var stringBuilder = new StringBuilder(json);
var startIndex = ContextPropertyJson.Length + 1;
stringBuilder.Replace(
ContextPropertyJson,
string.Empty,
startIndex,
stringBuilder.Length - startIndex - 1);
return stringBuilder.ToString();
}
Related
I am trying to bind my PascalCased c# model from snake_cased JSON in WebApi v2 (full framework, not dot net core).
Here's my api:
public class MyApi : ApiController
{
[HttpPost]
public IHttpActionResult DoSomething([FromBody]InputObjectDTO inputObject)
{
database.InsertData(inputObject.FullName, inputObject.TotalPrice)
return Ok();
}
}
And here's my input object:
public class InputObjectDTO
{
public string FullName { get; set; }
public int TotalPrice { get; set; }
...
}
The problem that I have is that the JSON looks like this:
{
"full_name": "John Smith",
"total_price": "20.00"
}
I am aware that I can use the JsonProperty attribute:
public class InputObjectDTO
{
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "full_name")]
public string FullName { get; set; }
[JsonProperty(PropertyName = "total_price")]
public int TotalPrice { get; set; }
}
However my InputObjectDTO is huge, and there are many others like it too. It has hundreds of properties that are all snake cased, and it would be nice to not have to specify the JsonProperty attribute for each property. Can I make it to work "automatically"? Perhaps with a custom model binder or a custom json converter?
No need to reinvent the wheel. Json.Net already has a SnakeCaseNamingStrategy class to do exactly what you want. You just need to set it as the NamingStrategy on the DefaultContractResolver via settings.
Add this line to the Register method in your WebApiConfig class:
config.Formatters.JsonFormatter.SerializerSettings.ContractResolver =
new DefaultContractResolver { NamingStrategy = new SnakeCaseNamingStrategy() };
Here is a demo (console app) to prove the concept: https://dotnetfiddle.net/v5siz7
If you want to apply the snake casing to some classes but not others, you can do this by applying a [JsonObject] attribute specifying the naming strategy like so:
[JsonObject(NamingStrategyType = typeof(SnakeCaseNamingStrategy))]
public class InputObjectDTO
{
public string FullName { get; set; }
public decimal TotalPrice { get; set; }
}
The naming strategy set via attribute takes precedence over the naming strategy set via the resolver, so you can set your default strategy in the resolver and then use attributes to override it where needed. (There are three naming strategies included with Json.Net: SnakeCaseNamingStrategy, CamelCaseNamingStrategy and DefaultNamingStrategy.)
Now, if you want to deserialize using one naming strategy and serialize using a different strategy for the same class(es), then neither of the above solutions will work for you, because the naming strategies will be applied in both directions in Web API. So in in that case, you will need something custom like what is shown in #icepickle's answer to control when each is applied.
Well, you should be able to do it using a custom JsonConverter to read your data. Using the deserialization provided in Manojs' answer, you could create a DefaultContractResolver that would create a custom deserialization when the class has a SnakeCasedAttribute specified above.
The ContractResolver would look like the following
public class SnakeCaseContractResolver : DefaultContractResolver {
public new static readonly SnakeCaseContractResolver Instance = new SnakeCaseContractResolver();
protected override JsonContract CreateContract(Type objectType) {
JsonContract contract = base.CreateContract(objectType);
if (objectType?.GetCustomAttributes(true).OfType<SnakeCasedAttribute>().Any() == true) {
contract.Converter = new SnakeCaseConverter();
}
return contract;
}
}
The SnakeCaseConverter would be something like this?
public class SnakeCaseConverter : JsonConverter {
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType) => objectType.GetCustomAttributes(true).OfType<SnakeCasedAttribute>().Any() == true;
private static string ConvertFromSnakeCase(string snakeCased) {
return string.Join("", snakeCased.Split('_').Select(part => part.Substring(0, 1).ToUpper() + part.Substring(1)));
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer) {
var target = Activator.CreateInstance( objectType );
var jobject = JObject.Load(reader);
foreach (var property in jobject.Properties()) {
var propName = ConvertFromSnakeCase(property.Name);
var prop = objectType.GetProperty(propName);
if (prop == null || !prop.CanWrite) {
continue;
}
prop.SetValue(target, property.Value.ToObject(prop.PropertyType, serializer));
}
return target;
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer) {
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
And then you could annotate your dto class using this attribute (which is just a placeholder)
[SnakeCased]
public class InputObjectDTO {
public string FullName { get; set; }
public int TotalPrice { get; set; }
}
and for reference, this is the used attribute
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Class)]
public class SnakeCasedAttribute : Attribute {
public SnakeCasedAttribute() {
// intended blank
}
}
One more thing to notice is that in your current form the JSON converter would throw an error ("20.00" is not an int), but I am going to guess that from here you can handle that part yourself :)
And for a complete reference, you could see the working version in this dotnetfiddle
You can add cusrom json converter code like below. This should allow you to specify property mapping.
public class ApiErrorConverter : JsonConverter
{
private readonly Dictionary<string, string> _propertyMappings = new Dictionary<string, string>
{
{"name", "error"},
{"code", "errorCode"},
{"description", "message"}
};
public override bool CanWrite => false;
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return objectType.GetTypeInfo().IsClass;
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
object instance = Activator.CreateInstance(objectType);
var props = objectType.GetTypeInfo().DeclaredProperties.ToList();
JObject jo = JObject.Load(reader);
foreach (JProperty jp in jo.Properties())
{
if (!_propertyMappings.TryGetValue(jp.Name, out var name))
name = jp.Name;
PropertyInfo prop = props.FirstOrDefault(pi =>
pi.CanWrite && pi.GetCustomAttribute<JsonPropertyAttribute>().PropertyName == name);
prop?.SetValue(instance, jp.Value.ToObject(prop.PropertyType, serializer));
}
return instance;
}
}
Then specify this attribute on your class.
This should work.
This blog explains the approach using console Application. https://www.jerriepelser.com/blog/deserialize-different-json-object-same-class/
I am receiving json from a server which I am converting to an object using Json.Net. For one member I am using the StringEnumConverter which works really perfect.
However all of a sudden the server decided to use strings which also can start with a number which results in a JsonSerilizationException - obviously because enums cannot start with a number in .Net.
Now I am trying to find a solution to handle that.My first approach was to add a "_" when Reading the Json (so my enums in the code would have a starting _ when they are followed by a number) and when writing the json I would delete the starting _ (if a number is following). To achieve this I copied the StringEnumConverter into my namespace and tried to change the according part in the WriteJson and ReadJson methods. However I cannot use the StringEnumConverter since there are other dependencies I cannot access in my own namespace.
Is there any elegant solution to this problem?
You can create a JsonConverter and trim the digits from the front
public class Json_34159840
{
public static string JsonStr = #"{""enum"":""1Value"",""name"":""James"",""enum2"":""1""}";
public static void ParseJson()
{
JsonConvert.DefaultSettings = () => new JsonSerializerSettings
{
Converters = new List<JsonConverter> { new EnumConverter() }
};
// Later on...
var result = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<JsonClass>(JsonStr);
Console.WriteLine(result.Enum);
Console.WriteLine(result.Enum2);
Console.WriteLine(result.Name);
}
}
public class EnumConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
var str = value.ToString();
if (Regex.IsMatch(str, #"^_"))
{
writer.WriteValue(str.Substring(1));
}
else
{
writer.WriteValue(str);
}
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
var value = reader.Value.ToString();
if (Regex.IsMatch(value, #"^\d+$"))
{
return Enum.Parse(objectType, value);
}
if (Regex.IsMatch(value, #"^\d+"))
{
value = "_" + value;
}
return Enum.Parse(objectType, value);
}
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
//You might want to do a more specific check like
//return objectType == typeof(JsonEnum);
return objectType.IsEnum;
}
}
public enum JsonEnum
{
_0Default,
_1Value
}
public class JsonClass
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public JsonEnum Enum { get; set; }
public JsonEnum Enum2 { get; set; }
}
Hope this helps.
EDIT: Added support for integers :D
A simple strategy is to deserialize the value into a string property and then convert into your own data type (enum or otherwise) via an accessor method or a secondary getter-only property.
In reference to this question:
How can I change property names when serializing with Json.net?
Sure, great, but can I have the cake and eat it?
What I'm looking for is an eye pleasing way have an alternate name for a property in such a way that the string may contain either.
Something like:
[BetterJsonProperty(PropertyName = "foo_bar")]
public string FooBar { get; set; }
Both
{
"FooBar": "yup"
}
and
{
"foo_bar":"uhuh"
}
would deserialize as expected.
As solution with no attribute would work or an attribute on the class like:
[AllowCStylePropertyNameAlternatives]
One way to accomplish this is to create a custom JsonConverter. The idea is to have the converter enumerate the JSON property names for objects we are interested in, strip the non-alphanumeric characters from the names and then try to match them up with the actual object properties via reflection. Here is how it might look in code:
public class LaxPropertyNameMatchingConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return objectType.IsClass;
}
public override bool CanWrite
{
get { return false; }
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
object instance = objectType.GetConstructor(Type.EmptyTypes).Invoke(null);
PropertyInfo[] props = objectType.GetProperties();
JObject jo = JObject.Load(reader);
foreach (JProperty jp in jo.Properties())
{
string name = Regex.Replace(jp.Name, "[^A-Za-z0-9]+", "");
PropertyInfo prop = props.FirstOrDefault(pi =>
pi.CanWrite && string.Equals(pi.Name, name, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));
if (prop != null)
prop.SetValue(instance, jp.Value.ToObject(prop.PropertyType, serializer));
}
return instance;
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
To use the custom converter with a particular class, you can decorate that class with a [JsonConverter] attribute like this:
[JsonConverter(typeof(LaxPropertyNameMatchingConverter))]
public class MyClass
{
public string MyProperty { get; set; }
public string MyOtherProperty { get; set; }
}
Here is a simple demo of the converter in action:
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
string json = #"
[
{
""my property"" : ""foo"",
""my-other-property"" : ""bar"",
},
{
""(myProperty)"" : ""baz"",
""myOtherProperty"" : ""quux""
},
{
""MyProperty"" : ""fizz"",
""MY_OTHER_PROPERTY"" : ""bang""
}
]";
List<MyClass> list = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<MyClass>>(json);
foreach (MyClass mc in list)
{
Console.WriteLine(mc.MyProperty);
Console.WriteLine(mc.MyOtherProperty);
}
}
}
Output:
foo
bar
baz
quux
fizz
bang
While this solution should do the job in most cases, there is an even simpler solution if you are OK with the idea of changing the Json.Net source code directly. It turns out you can accomplish the same thing by adding just one line of code to the Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonPropertyCollection class. In this class, there is a method called GetClosestMatchProperty() which looks like this:
public JsonProperty GetClosestMatchProperty(string propertyName)
{
JsonProperty property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.Ordinal);
if (property == null)
property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
return property;
}
At the point where this method is called by the deserializer, the JsonPropertyCollection contains all the properties from the class being deserialized, and the propertyName parameter contains the name of the JSON property name being matched. As you can see, the method first tries an exact name match, then it tries a case-insensitive match. So we already have a many-to-one mapping being done between the JSON and class property names.
If you modify this method to strip out all non-alphanumeric characters from the property name prior to matching it, then you can get the behavior you desire, without any special converters or attributes needed. Here is the modified code:
public JsonProperty GetClosestMatchProperty(string propertyName)
{
propertyName = Regex.Replace(propertyName, "[^A-Za-z0-9]+", "");
JsonProperty property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.Ordinal);
if (property == null)
property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
return property;
}
Of course, modifying the source code has its problems as well, but I figured it was worth a mention.
Another way of accomplishing this is intercepting the serialization/deserialization process early, by doing some overrides the JsonReader and JsonWriter
public class CustomJsonWriter : JsonTextWriter
{
private readonly Dictionary<string, string> _backwardMappings;
public CustomJsonWriter(TextWriter writer, Dictionary<string, string> backwardMappings)
: base(writer)
{
_backwardMappings = backwardMappings;
}
public override void WritePropertyName(string name)
{
base.WritePropertyName(_backwardMappings[name]);
}
}
public class CustomJsonReader : JsonTextReader
{
private readonly Dictionary<string, string> _forwardMappings;
public CustomJsonReader(TextReader reader, Dictionary<string, string> forwardMappings )
: base(reader)
{
_forwardMappings = forwardMappings;
}
public override object Value
{
get
{
if (TokenType != JsonToken.PropertyName)
return base.Value;
return _forwardMappings[base.Value.ToString()];
}
}
}
After doing this, you can serialize by doing
var mappings = new Dictionary<string, string>
{
{"Property1", "Equivalent1"},
{"Property2", "Equivalent2"},
};
var builder = new StringBuilder();
JsonSerializer.Create().Serialize(new CustomJsonWriter(new StringWriter(builder), mappings), your_object);
and deserialize by doing
var mappings = new Dictionary<string, string>
{
{"Equivalent1", "Property1"},
{"Equivalent2", "Property2"},
};
var txtReader = new CustomJsonReader(new StringReader(jsonString), mappings);
var your_object = JsonSerializer.Create().Deserialize<Your_Type>(txtReader);
In reference to this question:
How can I change property names when serializing with Json.net?
Sure, great, but can I have the cake and eat it?
What I'm looking for is an eye pleasing way have an alternate name for a property in such a way that the string may contain either.
Something like:
[BetterJsonProperty(PropertyName = "foo_bar")]
public string FooBar { get; set; }
Both
{
"FooBar": "yup"
}
and
{
"foo_bar":"uhuh"
}
would deserialize as expected.
As solution with no attribute would work or an attribute on the class like:
[AllowCStylePropertyNameAlternatives]
One way to accomplish this is to create a custom JsonConverter. The idea is to have the converter enumerate the JSON property names for objects we are interested in, strip the non-alphanumeric characters from the names and then try to match them up with the actual object properties via reflection. Here is how it might look in code:
public class LaxPropertyNameMatchingConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return objectType.IsClass;
}
public override bool CanWrite
{
get { return false; }
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
object instance = objectType.GetConstructor(Type.EmptyTypes).Invoke(null);
PropertyInfo[] props = objectType.GetProperties();
JObject jo = JObject.Load(reader);
foreach (JProperty jp in jo.Properties())
{
string name = Regex.Replace(jp.Name, "[^A-Za-z0-9]+", "");
PropertyInfo prop = props.FirstOrDefault(pi =>
pi.CanWrite && string.Equals(pi.Name, name, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));
if (prop != null)
prop.SetValue(instance, jp.Value.ToObject(prop.PropertyType, serializer));
}
return instance;
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
To use the custom converter with a particular class, you can decorate that class with a [JsonConverter] attribute like this:
[JsonConverter(typeof(LaxPropertyNameMatchingConverter))]
public class MyClass
{
public string MyProperty { get; set; }
public string MyOtherProperty { get; set; }
}
Here is a simple demo of the converter in action:
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
string json = #"
[
{
""my property"" : ""foo"",
""my-other-property"" : ""bar"",
},
{
""(myProperty)"" : ""baz"",
""myOtherProperty"" : ""quux""
},
{
""MyProperty"" : ""fizz"",
""MY_OTHER_PROPERTY"" : ""bang""
}
]";
List<MyClass> list = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<MyClass>>(json);
foreach (MyClass mc in list)
{
Console.WriteLine(mc.MyProperty);
Console.WriteLine(mc.MyOtherProperty);
}
}
}
Output:
foo
bar
baz
quux
fizz
bang
While this solution should do the job in most cases, there is an even simpler solution if you are OK with the idea of changing the Json.Net source code directly. It turns out you can accomplish the same thing by adding just one line of code to the Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonPropertyCollection class. In this class, there is a method called GetClosestMatchProperty() which looks like this:
public JsonProperty GetClosestMatchProperty(string propertyName)
{
JsonProperty property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.Ordinal);
if (property == null)
property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
return property;
}
At the point where this method is called by the deserializer, the JsonPropertyCollection contains all the properties from the class being deserialized, and the propertyName parameter contains the name of the JSON property name being matched. As you can see, the method first tries an exact name match, then it tries a case-insensitive match. So we already have a many-to-one mapping being done between the JSON and class property names.
If you modify this method to strip out all non-alphanumeric characters from the property name prior to matching it, then you can get the behavior you desire, without any special converters or attributes needed. Here is the modified code:
public JsonProperty GetClosestMatchProperty(string propertyName)
{
propertyName = Regex.Replace(propertyName, "[^A-Za-z0-9]+", "");
JsonProperty property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.Ordinal);
if (property == null)
property = GetProperty(propertyName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
return property;
}
Of course, modifying the source code has its problems as well, but I figured it was worth a mention.
Another way of accomplishing this is intercepting the serialization/deserialization process early, by doing some overrides the JsonReader and JsonWriter
public class CustomJsonWriter : JsonTextWriter
{
private readonly Dictionary<string, string> _backwardMappings;
public CustomJsonWriter(TextWriter writer, Dictionary<string, string> backwardMappings)
: base(writer)
{
_backwardMappings = backwardMappings;
}
public override void WritePropertyName(string name)
{
base.WritePropertyName(_backwardMappings[name]);
}
}
public class CustomJsonReader : JsonTextReader
{
private readonly Dictionary<string, string> _forwardMappings;
public CustomJsonReader(TextReader reader, Dictionary<string, string> forwardMappings )
: base(reader)
{
_forwardMappings = forwardMappings;
}
public override object Value
{
get
{
if (TokenType != JsonToken.PropertyName)
return base.Value;
return _forwardMappings[base.Value.ToString()];
}
}
}
After doing this, you can serialize by doing
var mappings = new Dictionary<string, string>
{
{"Property1", "Equivalent1"},
{"Property2", "Equivalent2"},
};
var builder = new StringBuilder();
JsonSerializer.Create().Serialize(new CustomJsonWriter(new StringWriter(builder), mappings), your_object);
and deserialize by doing
var mappings = new Dictionary<string, string>
{
{"Equivalent1", "Property1"},
{"Equivalent2", "Property2"},
};
var txtReader = new CustomJsonReader(new StringReader(jsonString), mappings);
var your_object = JsonSerializer.Create().Deserialize<Your_Type>(txtReader);
Is there any way to serialize objects of the following class and somehow ignore the exception being thrown?
public class HardToSerialize
{
public string IAmNotTheProblem { get; set; }
public string ButIAm { get { throw new NotImplementedException(); } }
}
Not suprisingly Newtonsoft throws an error when it tries to serialize the value of the ButIAm property.
I don't have access to the class so I can't decorate it with any attributes.
Clarification: I want this to work for any object that has properties that throws a NotImplementedException. The HardToSerialize class is just one example.
I found a solution that worked for me. Is there any major problems doing it like this?
var settings = new JsonSerializerSettings();
settings.Error += (o, args) => {
if(args.ErrorContext.Error.InnerException is NotImplementedException)
args.ErrorContext.Handled = true;
};
var s = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(obj, Newtonsoft.Json.Formatting.Indented, settings);
I would go for a surrogate class and a custom JsonConverter :
public class HardToSerializeSurrogate
{
public string IAmNotTheProblem { get; set; }
public string ButIAm { get; set; }
}
public class HardToSerializeConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return objectType == typeof(HardToSerialize);
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
var item = (HardToSerialize)value;
// fill the surrogate with the values of the original object
var surrogate = new HardToSerializeSurrogate();
surrogate.IAmNotTheProblem = item.IAmNotTheProblem;
serializer.Serialize(writer, surrogate);
}
}
Usage:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var hardToSerialize = new HardToSerialize() { IAmNotTheProblem = "Foo" };
var s = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(hardToSerialize,
new HardToSerializeConverter());
}
Of course implementing a custom JsonConverter is really worth if you must serialize a list of HardToSerialize objects, or an object that contains this type.
On the other hand, if you just want to serialize one HardToSerialize object each time, just create a surrogate copy of the object and serialize that without implementing a custom JsonConverter.
A possible workaround would be to create another object from EasyToSerialize and then serialize it.
[Serializable]
public class EasyToSerialize
{
public string IAmNotTheProblem { get; set; }
// other serializable properties
}
HardToSerialize x = ...;
var foo2 = new EasyToSerialize {
IAmNotTheProblem = x.IAmNotTheProblem
// other properties here
};