SerializeObject with URL as root attribute

Question

I need to convert a .net object into this format:

   {
        "http://www.example.com/extension/powered-by": {
            "name": "Tin Can Engine",
            "homePage": "../lrs-lms/lrs-for-lmss-home/",
            "version": "2012.1.0.5039b"
        }
    }

How can I easily do this using JsonConvert.SerializeObject and a anonymous object?

Why you are trying to use an url as a key ? I don't think this will be a valid key for a json data. — Cihan Uygun, Mar 21 '16 at 15:44
All of those 'special' characters are not valid characters in a c# variable name. Your only option is to use the method that serializes to a `Dictionary` — Michael Coxon, Mar 21 '16 at 15:44
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1207731/how-can-i-deserialize-json-to-a-simple-dictionarystring-string-in-asp-net — Michael Coxon, Mar 21 '16 at 15:45

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 21 '16 at 15:48

4

You can't use an anonymous object because you can't have a property named in that format.

However, you may use a Dictionary<string, object>:

Dictionary<string, object> root = new Dictionary<string, object>();
root.Add("http://www.example.com/extension/powered-by", new
{
    name = "Tin Can Engine",
    homePage = "../lrs-lms/lrs-for-lmss-home/",
    version = "2012.1.0.5039b"
});
string json = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(root);

answered Mar 21 '16 at 15:48

Matias Cicero

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Here's your code running on DotNetFiddle (with a slight modification to make "nice" json): https://dotnetfiddle.net/xzcEn3 – Mar 21 '16 at 15:52
Also a great approach to create a json output – Cihan Uygun Mar 21 '16 at 15:56

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 21 '16 at 15:55

You may use property name attribute for Json.NET but not sure this is what you are looking for. Can you try class structure like below;

public class RootObject {
    [JsonProperty(PropertyName = "http://www.example.com/extension/powered-by")]
    public TinCanObject tinCanObject {get;set;}
}

public class TinCanObject {
    public string name {get;set;}
    public string home {get;set;}
    public string version {get;set;}
}

RootObject rootObject = new RootObject();
rootObject.tinCanObject = new TinCanObject();
rootObject.tinCanObject.name = "Tin Can Engine";
rootObject.tinCanObject.home = "../lrs-lms/lrs-for-lmss-home/";
rootObject.tinCanObject.version = "2012.1.0.5039b";

string result = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(rootObject);

Hope this helps

SerializeObject with URL as root attribute

2 Answers2