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Bind appsettings.json array section to generic class with generic list property

I have to read some values from appsettings.json using IOptionsSnapshot and return them through the API endpoint
"adConfig": [
{
"id": 3,
"adDef": [
{
"type": "number",
"key": "somekey",
"displayName": "Rules",
"values": [
0,
1
],
"regex": null
},
{
"type": "select",
"key": "anotherkey",
"displayName": "Some state",
"values": [
"some string value",
"another string value"
],
"regex": null
}
]
},
{
"id": 1
....
}
]
For this porpose I created 2 classes to use to bind the settings.
public class AdDataModel<T>
{
public string type { get; set; }
public string key{ get; set; }
public string displayName { get; set; }
public List<T> Values { get; set; }
public string regex { get; set; }
}
public class AdConfigurationModel
{
public int Id{ get; set; }
public List<AdDataModel<dynamic>> AdDefinition { get; set; }
}
In the Startup.cs I use this code to bind the settings to the classes:
services.Configure<List<AdConfigurationModel>>(Configuration.GetSection("adConfig"));
So far so good. I inject this into the Controller class but the problem is that AdDataModel.Values are aways of type object<string> ( which is not the case for the first element of adDef:Values subsection). Is there any way to achive Values to be from type int or string based on the values in appsettings.json?
Thanks!

c# nested json to object (current with json.net)

i am new to c# and json.net.
I have a json configuration file and try to parse it to objects. But how can i map the relations correctly in the objects?
Currently the property in project loop is null.
And can the objects map "automatically" without mapping each property name/value?
I can also change the json!
configuration.json:
{
"debug": true,
"log": "database",
"projects": [
{
"name": "Name 1",
"showInfo": false,
"ranges": [
[
5,
6
],
[
9,
10
],
[
15,
20
]
],
"additional": [
{
"name": "subName 1",
"parameter": "ID"
},
{
"name": "subName 2",
"parameter": "ID2"
}
]
},
{
"name": "Name 2",
"showInfo": false,
"ranges": [
[
99,
100
]
]
},
{
"name": "Name 3",
"showInfo": false,
"ranges": [
[
44,
45
]
]
},
{
"name": "Name 4",
"showInfo": false,
"ranges": [
[
12,
14
]
],
"additional": [
{
"name": "subName xy",
"parameter": "ID"
}
]
}
]
}
my try to parse:
Configuration configuration = new Configuration();
JObject jObject = JObject.Parse(File.ReadAllText(filePath));
if (jObject.ContainsKey("debug"))
{
configuration.Debug = (bool) jObject["debug"];
}
if (jObject.ContainsKey("log"))
{
configuration.Log = (string) jObject["log"];
}
//loop projects
JToken projects = jObject["projects"];
foreach (JToken child in projects.Children())
{
var property = child as JProperty;
if (property != null)
{
var test = property.Name;
var test2 = property.Value;
}
}
the objects:
public class Configuration
{
public bool Debug { get; set; } = false;
public string Log { get; set; }
// this is propably wrong
public Dictionary<string, Dictionary<string, Project>> Projects { get; set; }
}
public class Project
{
public string name { get; set; }
public bool showInfo{ get; set; }
// wrong?
public int[,] ranges { get; set; }
// wrong?
public Additional[] Additional{ get; set; }
}
public class Additional
{
public string Name{ get; set; }
public string Parameter { get; set; }
}

You don't need a JObject at all json files can be desterilized to objects it's much more efficient because you don't create unneeded objects.
You Config class is just wrong
public class Configuration
{
public bool Debug { get; set; }
public string Log { get; set; }
public Project[] Projects { get; set; }
}
public class Project
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public bool ShowInfo { get; set; }
public int[][] Ranges { get; set; }
public Additional[] Additional { get; set; }
}
public class Additional
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Parameter { get; set; }
}`
Should look like this.
And then use. JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Configuration>(json); To get the object.
If you have Visual studio it has this cool feature called paste special where you can just past your json and it will create a proper class for deserialization. It's under Edit-> Paste special-> Paste json as class

C# Web API Nested JSON from Stored Procedure in MSSQL

Overview:
I'm building an API using ASP.NET Web API 2. I'm building Stored Procedures in SQL and linking these in the API to serve data.
I know that SQL can return JSON using FOR JSON AUTO, for example. But, I don't think it's the best place to configure the data and out put JSON. So I'm assuming there must be a way to achieve nested JSON in the API.
This is what I want to achieve:
{
"Apps": [
{
"ItemID": "1",
"Path": "/AppReport",
"Name": "AppReport",
"Reports": [
{
"Reports_ItemID": "11",
"Reports_Path": "/AppReport/SubReport",
"Reports_Name": "SubReport"
},
{
"Reports_ItemID": "12",
"Reports_Path": "/AppReport/SubReport2",
"Reports_Name": "SubReport2"
}
]
},
{
"ItemID": "2",
"Path": "/AppReport2",
"Name": "AppReport2",
"Reports": [
{
"Reports_ItemID": "22",
"Reports_Path": "/AppReport/SubReport",
"Reports_Name": "SubReport"
}
]
}
]
}
At the moment it's coming out as a flat Array of Objects
{
"Apps": [
{
"ItemID": "1",
"Path": "/AppReport",
"Name": "AppReport",
"Reports_ItemID": "11",
"Reports_Path": "/AppReport/SubReport",
"Reports_Name": "SubReport"
},
{
"ItemID": "1",
"Path": "/AppReport",
"Name": "AppReport",
"Reports_ItemID": "12",
"Reports_Path": "/AppReport/SubReport2",
"Reports_Name": "SubReport2"
},
...
]
}
I have a class of the Stored Procedure in the API that looks like this:
namespace API.Stored_Procedures
{
public partial class SP_GetApps
{
public System.Guid ItemID { get; set; }
public string Path { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public System.Guid Report_ItemID { get; set; }
public string Report_Path { get; set; }
public string Report_Name { get; set; }
}
}
My Controller looks like this:
[HttpGet]
[Route("{uid}", Name ="getReportApps")]
[ResponseType(typeof(SP_GetApps_Result))]
public IHttpActionResult SP_GetApps(string uid)
{
var res = db.Database.SqlQuery<SP_GetApps_Result>
("SP_GetApps {0}", uid);
return Ok(res);
}

In order to achieve the desired JSON Class should look like
public class App
{
public string ItemID { get; set; }
public string Path { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public List<Report> Reports { get; set; }
}
public class Report
{
public string Reports_ItemID { get; set; }
public string Reports_Path { get; set; }
public string Reports_Name { get; set; }
}

How do I configure services when I bind an array of objects?

I have a json string attached to the VCAP_SERVICES environment variable that looks like this:
{
"redislabs": [
{
"credentials": {
"host": "redis-1756.pcfredissb2.com",
"ip_list": [
"10.999.46.999"
],
"password": "cz(2u",
"port": 1756
},
"syslog_drain_url": null,
"volume_mounts": [],
"label": "redislabs",
"provider": null,
"plan": "simple-redis",
"name": "sdsredis2",
"tags": [
"redislabs"
]
},
{
"credentials": {
"host": "redis-13610.pcfredis.com",
"ip_list": [
"10.999.46.9999"
],
"password": "n-C*",
"port": 13610
},
"syslog_drain_url": null,
"volume_mounts": [],
"label": "redislabs",
"provider": null,
"plan": "simple-redis",
"name": "sdsredis",
"tags": [
"redislabs"
]
}
]
}
In ConfigureServices in Startup.cs, when I run Configuration.GetSection("redislabs").AsEnumerable() I get something that looks like this:
I have a few options classes that looks like this:
public class RedisLabs
{
public RedisLab[] redislabs { get; set; }
}
public class RedisLab
{
public Credentials credentials { get; set; }
public object syslog_drain_url { get; set; }
public object[] volume_mounts { get; set; }
public string label { get; set; }
public object provider { get; set; }
public string plan { get; set; }
public string name { get; set; }
public string[] tags { get; set; }
}
public class Credentials
{
public string host { get; set; }
public string[] ip_list { get; set; }
public string password { get; set; }
public int port { get; set; }
}
My question is how the heck do I perform the binding on something like this? Is binding an array of objects even possible?
I've tried:
var redislabs = new List<RedisLab>();
Configuration.GetSection("redislabs").Bind(redislabs);
and
services.Configure<RedisLabs>(Configuration);
and a few other methods. Nothing seems to work.
Halp, plz.

Given your json file and classes this should work (binding top level section to instance of a class that that holds the array):
var redisLabs = new RedisLabs();
Configuration.Bind(redisLabs);
This also works:
services.Configure<RedisLabs>(Configuration);
...
var rlOptions = app.ApplicationServices.GetRequiredService<IOptions<RedisLabs>>();
var redisLabs = rlOptions.Value;

How to convert JSON to C# classes?

I have a complex JSON object that I want represent as C# class. I have a head start on the parent class called "Form", but how can I represent a collection for different types (see the "elements" object below)?
Here is the JSON object:
{
"action": "index.html",
"method": "post",
"elements":
[
{
"type": "fieldset",
"caption": "User information",
"elements":
[
{
"name": "email",
"caption": "Email address",
"type": "text",
"placeholder": "E.g. user#example.com",
"validate":
{
"email": true
}
},
{
"name": "password",
"caption": "Password",
"type": "password",
"id": "registration-password",
"validate":
{
"required": true,
"minlength": 5,
"messages":
{
"required": "Please enter a password",
"minlength": "At least {0} characters long"
}
}
},
{
"name": "password-repeat",
"caption": "Repeat password",
"type": "password",
"validate":
{
"equalTo": "#registration-password",
"messages":
{
"equalTo": "Please repeat your password"
}
}
},
{
"type": "radiobuttons",
"caption": "Sex",
"name": "sex",
"class": "labellist",
"options":
{
"f": "Female",
"m": "Male"
}
}
]
]
}
The class I have start looks like this:
public class Form
{
public Guid id
{
get;
set;
}
public string action
{
get;
set;
}
public string method
{
get;
set;
}
public ??? elements
{
get;
set;
}
public Form()
{
}
}
How do I handle the "elements" property to get the desired JSON output?
I am using WCF 4.0 with these atributes in the web.config: automaticFormatSelectionEnabled="false", defaultOutgoingResponseFormat="Json". Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

If you don't have the liberty of using dynamic types from .NET 4 or would like to leverage the benefits that static typing provide, the JSON Class Generator project on codeplex will generate c# classes given a json input string. (shameless plug) I've also taken code from this project and slapped a web UI on it.

Wow. Fascinating question. Maybe use ExpandoObject / dynamic?
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.dynamic.expandoobject.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/csharpfaq/archive/2009/10/01/dynamic-in-c-4-0-introducing-the-expandoobject.aspx?PageIndex=4
Or anonymous types I think are serializable with the built-in .NET JSON serializer.

You do not need to try and create the class structure manually.
Sometimes it is rather frustrating too. :)
There is a visual studio command you can use (I think vs2015 and later):
On a new class file click Menu => Edit => Paste Special
Select "Paste JSON as Classes"
Now specifically in your JSON there is an error, you are missing the closing curly-brace of first "element" object.
Below is the corrected JSON:
{
"action": "index.html",
"method": "post",
"elements": [
{
"type": "fieldset",
"caption": "User information",
"elements": [
{
"name": "email",
"caption": "Email address",
"type": "text",
"placeholder": "E.g. user#example.com",
"validate": {
"email": true
}
},
{
"name": "password",
"caption": "Password",
"type": "password",
"id": "registration-password",
"validate": {
"required": true,
"minlength": 5,
"messages": {
"required": "Please enter a password",
"minlength": "At least {0} characters long"
}
}
},
{
"name": "password-repeat",
"caption": "Repeat password",
"type": "password",
"validate": {
"equalTo": "#registration-password",
"messages": {
"equalTo": "Please repeat your password"
}
}
},
{
"type": "radiobuttons",
"caption": "Sex",
"name": "sex",
"class": "labellist",
"options": {
"f": "Female",
"m": "Male"
}
}
]
}
]
}
And the corresponding Classes:
public class Rootobject
{
public string action { get; set; }
public string method { get; set; }
public Element[] elements { get; set; }
}
public class Element
{
public string type { get; set; }
public string caption { get; set; }
public Element1[] elements { get; set; }
}
public class Element1
{
public string name { get; set; }
public string caption { get; set; }
public string type { get; set; }
public string placeholder { get; set; }
public Validate validate { get; set; }
public string id { get; set; }
public string _class { get; set; }
public Options options { get; set; }
}
public class Validate
{
public bool email { get; set; }
public bool required { get; set; }
public int minlength { get; set; }
public Messages messages { get; set; }
public string equalTo { get; set; }
}
public class Messages
{
public string required { get; set; }
public string minlength { get; set; }
public string equalTo { get; set; }
}
public class Options
{
public string f { get; set; }
public string m { get; set; }
}

If you just want to make sure all this unknown data gets deserialized and can be reserialized at some point in the future, I suggest the usage of IExtensibleDataObject.
Here are some samples to get you started. Hope this helps! (If you already knew this and were looking for something different...let me know!)
Forward-Compatible Data Contracts
Data Contract Versioning
Useful clarifying thread on the topic at MSDN forums