How to Effectively Deserialize JSON with Dynamic Object Properties in C#

Learn how to manage dynamic JSON deserialization in C# when properties can hold both primitive and complex types. Get practical solutions featuring custom JsonConverter.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/71842536/ asked by the user 'Emilly' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/8599927/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/71843430/ provided by the user 'Markus' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/642579/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Deserialize JSON containing property of type object

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/licensing
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Effectively Deserialize JSON with Dynamic Object Properties in C#

When working with JSON data in C# , developers frequently encounter situations where the data structure is dynamic — particularly when it involves properties that can either be primitive types (like integers or strings) or complex objects. This flexibility can make deserialization challenging, especially if you are using tools like JsonConvert from the Newtonsoft.Json library. In this guide, we will discuss a solution for properly deserializing JSON content when dealing with such properties.

The Problem

Let's look at a practical example. Assume we have the following JSON data structure:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this JSON:

The Value property within Info can either be a primitive (integer 3) or a complex object (an object containing a string Text).

The challenge is how to properly deserialize this JSON into C# classes without losing any data when Value can take multiple forms. Using the standard JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Info>>(jsonText); will fail to deserialize when the Value property is assigned a more complex type, like a list or an object.

The Solution

To handle dynamic deserialization effectively, we can create a custom JSON converter. This converter will analyze the content of the JSON and create the appropriate C# object dynamically.

Step 1: Define the Data Models

First, let's define our C# classes corresponding to the JSON structure:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this structure:

ComplexData represents the main object.

Info includes a property for Value that will dynamically store either a primitive integer or a more complex object (like ComplexSubData).

Step 2: Create a Custom JSON Converter

Next, we will implement the ValueJsonConverter, which will help deserialize the Value property based on its type:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Applying the Converter

The custom converter is applied to the Value property using the [JsonConverter] attribute. When you serialize or deserialize the object, this converter intercepts the process, determining the actual type of data that it needs to handle.

Conclusion

By implementing a custom JSON converter, you can effectively manage the deserialization of JSON data that includes properties of both primitive and complex types in C# . This approach not only makes your code more robust but also ensures that you can expand easily to accommodate future JSON structures that may be more complex.

With this strategy, you're now equipped to handle the dynamic nature of JSON in a structured way. Happy coding!

Видео How to Effectively Deserialize JSON with Dynamic Object Properties in C# канала vlogize