Parsing JSON using Json.net

Question

I\'m trying to parse some JSON using the JSon.Net library. The documentation seems a little sparse and I\'m confused as to how to accomplish what I need. Here is the forma

Answer 1

You use the JSON class and then call the GetData() function.

/// 

/// This class encodes and decodes JSON strings.
/// Spec. details, see http://www.json.org/
///
/// JSON uses Arrays and Objects. These correspond here to the datatypes ArrayList and Hashtable.
/// All numbers are parsed to doubles.
/// 
    using System;
    using System.Collections;
    using System.Globalization;
    using System.Text;

public class JSON
{
    public const int TOKEN_NONE = 0;
    public const int TOKEN_CURLY_OPEN = 1;
    public const int TOKEN_CURLY_CLOSE = 2;
    public const int TOKEN_SQUARED_OPEN = 3;
    public const int TOKEN_SQUARED_CLOSE = 4;
    public const int TOKEN_COLON = 5;
    public const int TOKEN_COMMA = 6;
    public const int TOKEN_STRING = 7;
    public const int TOKEN_NUMBER = 8;
    public const int TOKEN_TRUE = 9;
    public const int TOKEN_FALSE = 10;
    public const int TOKEN_NULL = 11;

    private const int BUILDER_CAPACITY = 2000;

    /// 

    /// Parses the string json into a value
    /// 
    /// A JSON string.
    /// An ArrayList, a Hashtable, a double, a string, null, true, or false
    public static object JsonDecode(string json)
    {
        bool success = true;

        return JsonDecode(json, ref success);
    }

    /// 

    /// Parses the string json into a value; and fills 'success' with the successfullness of the parse.
    /// 
    /// A JSON string.
    /// Successful parse?
    /// An ArrayList, a Hashtable, a double, a string, null, true, or false
    public static object JsonDecode(string json, ref bool success)
    {
        success = true;
        if (json != null) {
            char[] charArray = json.ToCharArray();
            int index = 0;
            object value = ParseValue(charArray, ref index, ref success);
            return value;
        } else {
            return null;
        }
    }

    /// 

    /// Converts a Hashtable / ArrayList object into a JSON string
    /// 
    /// A Hashtable / ArrayList
    /// A JSON encoded string, or null if object 'json' is not serializable
    public static string JsonEncode(object json)
    {
        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder(BUILDER_CAPACITY);
        bool success = SerializeValue(json, builder);
        return (success ? builder.ToString() : null);
    }

    protected static Hashtable ParseObject(char[] json, ref int index, ref bool success)
    {
        Hashtable table = new Hashtable();
        int token;

        // {
        NextToken(json, ref index);

        bool done = false;
        while (!done) {
            token = LookAhead(json, index);
            if (token == JSON.TOKEN_NONE) {
                success = false;
                return null;
            } else if (token == JSON.TOKEN_COMMA) {
                NextToken(json, ref index);
            } else if (token == JSON.TOKEN_CURLY_CLOSE) {
                NextToken(json, ref index);
                return table;
            } else {

                // name
                string name = ParseString(json, ref index, ref success);
                if (!success) {
                    success = false;
                    return null;
                }

                // :
                token = NextToken(json, ref index);
                if (token != JSON.TOKEN_COLON) {
                    success = false;
                    return null;
                }

                // value
                object value = ParseValue(json, ref index, ref success);
                if (!success) {
                    success = false;
                    return null;
                }

                table[name] = value;
            }
        }

        return table;
    }

    protected static ArrayList ParseArray(char[] json, ref int index, ref bool success)
    {
        ArrayList array = new ArrayList();

        // [
        NextToken(json, ref index);

        bool done = false;
        while (!done) {
            int token = LookAhead(json, index);
            if (token == JSON.TOKEN_NONE) {
                success = false;
                return null;
            } else if (token == JSON.TOKEN_COMMA) {
                NextToken(json, ref index);
            } else if (token == JSON.TOKEN_SQUARED_CLOSE) {
                NextToken(json, ref index);
                break;
            } else {
                object value = ParseValue(json, ref index, ref success);
                if (!success) {
                    return null;
                }

                array.Add(value);
            }
        }

        return array;
    }

    protected static object ParseValue(char[] json, ref int index, ref bool success)
    {
        switch (LookAhead(json, index)) {
            case JSON.TOKEN_STRING:
                return ParseString(json, ref index, ref success);
            case JSON.TOKEN_NUMBER:
                return ParseNumber(json, ref index, ref success);
            case JSON.TOKEN_CURLY_OPEN:
                return ParseObject(json, ref index, ref success);
            case JSON.TOKEN_SQUARED_OPEN:
                return ParseArray(json, ref index, ref success);
            case JSON.TOKEN_TRUE:
                NextToken(json, ref index);
                return true;
            case JSON.TOKEN_FALSE:
                NextToken(json, ref index);
                return false;
            case JSON.TOKEN_NULL:
                NextToken(json, ref index);
                return null;
            case JSON.TOKEN_NONE:
                break;
        }

        success = false;
        return null;
    }

    protected static string ParseString(char[] json, ref int index, ref bool success)
    {
        StringBuilder s = new StringBuilder(BUILDER_CAPACITY);
        char c;

        EatWhitespace(json, ref index);

        // "
        c = json[index++];

        bool complete = false;
        while (!complete) {

            if (index == json.Length) {
                break;
            }

            c = json[index++];
            if (c == '"') {
                complete = true;
                break;
            } else if (c == '\\') {

                if (index == json.Length) {
                    break;
                }
                c = json[index++];
                if (c == '"') {
                    s.Append('"');
                } else if (c == '\\') {
                    s.Append('\\');
                } else if (c == '/') {
                    s.Append('/');
                } else if (c == 'b') {
                    s.Append('\b');
                } else if (c == 'f') {
                    s.Append('\f');
                } else if (c == 'n') {
                    s.Append('\n');
                } else if (c == 'r') {
                    s.Append('\r');
                } else if (c == 't') {
                    s.Append('\t');
                } else if (c == 'u') {
                    int remainingLength = json.Length - index;
                    if (remainingLength >= 4) {
                        // parse the 32 bit hex into an integer codepoint
                        uint codePoint;
                        if (!(success = UInt32.TryParse(new string(json, index, 4), NumberStyles.HexNumber, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out codePoint))) {
                            return "";
                        }
                        // convert the integer codepoint to a unicode char and add to string
                        s.Append(Char.ConvertFromUtf32((int)codePoint));
                        // skip 4 chars
                        index += 4;
                    } else {
                        break;
                    }
                }

            } else {
                s.Append(c);
            }

        }

        if (!complete) {
            success = false;
            return null;
        }

        return s.ToString();
    }

    protected static double ParseNumber(char[] json, ref int index, ref bool success)
    {
        EatWhitespace(json, ref index);

        int lastIndex = GetLastIndexOfNumber(json, index);
        int charLength = (lastIndex - index) + 1;

        double number;
        success = Double.TryParse(new string(json, index, charLength), NumberStyles.Any, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out number);

        index = lastIndex + 1;
        return number;
    }

    protected static int GetLastIndexOfNumber(char[] json, int index)
    {
        int lastIndex;

        for (lastIndex = index; lastIndex < json.Length; lastIndex++) {
            if ("0123456789+-.eE".IndexOf(json[lastIndex]) == -1) {
                break;
            }
        }
        return lastIndex - 1;
    }

    protected static void EatWhitespace(char[] json, ref int index)
    {
        for (; index < json.Length; index++) {
            if (" \t\n\r".IndexOf(json[index]) == -1) {
                break;
            }
        }
    }

    protected static int LookAhead(char[] json, int index)
    {
        int saveIndex = index;
        return NextToken(json, ref saveIndex);
    }

    protected static int NextToken(char[] json, ref int index)
    {
        EatWhitespace(json, ref index);

        if (index == json.Length) {
            return JSON.TOKEN_NONE;
        }

        char c = json[index];
        index++;
        switch (c) {
            case '{':
                return JSON.TOKEN_CURLY_OPEN;
            case '}':
                return JSON.TOKEN_CURLY_CLOSE;
            case '[':
                return JSON.TOKEN_SQUARED_OPEN;
            case ']':
                return JSON.TOKEN_SQUARED_CLOSE;
            case ',':
                return JSON.TOKEN_COMMA;
            case '"':
                return JSON.TOKEN_STRING;
            case '0': case '1': case '2': case '3': case '4':
            case '5': case '6': case '7': case '8': case '9':
            case '-':
                return JSON.TOKEN_NUMBER;
            case ':':
                return JSON.TOKEN_COLON;
        }
        index--;

        int remainingLength = json.Length - index;

        // false
        if (remainingLength >= 5) {
            if (json[index] == 'f' &&
                json[index + 1] == 'a' &&
                json[index + 2] == 'l' &&
                json[index + 3] == 's' &&
                json[index + 4] == 'e') {
                index += 5;
                return JSON.TOKEN_FALSE;
            }
        }

        // true
        if (remainingLength >= 4) {
            if (json[index] == 't' &&
                json[index + 1] == 'r' &&
                json[index + 2] == 'u' &&
                json[index + 3] == 'e') {
                index += 4;
                return JSON.TOKEN_TRUE;
            }
        }

        // null
        if (remainingLength >= 4) {
            if (json[index] == 'n' &&
                json[index + 1] == 'u' &&
                json[index + 2] == 'l' &&
                json[index + 3] == 'l') {
                index += 4;
                return JSON.TOKEN_NULL;
            }
        }

        return JSON.TOKEN_NONE;
    }

    protected static bool SerializeValue(object value, StringBuilder builder)
    {
        bool success = true;

        if (value is string) {
            success = SerializeString((string)value, builder);
        } else if (value is Hashtable) {
            success = SerializeObject((Hashtable)value, builder);
        } else if (value is ArrayList) {
            success = SerializeArray((ArrayList)value, builder);
        } else if ((value is Boolean) && ((Boolean)value == true)) {
            builder.Append("true");
        } else if ((value is Boolean) && ((Boolean)value == false)) {
            builder.Append("false");
        } else if (value is ValueType) {
            // thanks to ritchie for pointing out ValueType to me
            success = SerializeNumber(Convert.ToDouble(value), builder);
        } else if (value == null) {
            builder.Append("null");
        } else {
            success = false;
        }
        return success;
    }

    protected static bool SerializeObject(Hashtable anObject, StringBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Append("{");

        IDictionaryEnumerator e = anObject.GetEnumerator();
        bool first = true;
        while (e.MoveNext()) {
            string key = e.Key.ToString();
            object value = e.Value;

            if (!first) {
                builder.Append(", ");
            }

            SerializeString(key, builder);
            builder.Append(":");
            if (!SerializeValue(value, builder)) {
                return false;
            }

            first = false;
        }

        builder.Append("}");
        return true;
    }

    protected static bool SerializeArray(ArrayList anArray, StringBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Append("[");

        bool first = true;
        for (int i = 0; i < anArray.Count; i++) {
            object value = anArray[i];

            if (!first) {
                builder.Append(", ");
            }

            if (!SerializeValue(value, builder)) {
                return false;
            }

            first = false;
        }

        builder.Append("]");
        return true;
    }

    protected static bool SerializeString(string aString, StringBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Append("\"");

        char[] charArray = aString.ToCharArray();
        for (int i = 0; i < charArray.Length; i++) {
            char c = charArray[i];
            if (c == '"') {
                builder.Append("\\\"");
            } else if (c == '\\') {
                builder.Append("\\\\");
            } else if (c == '\b') {
                builder.Append("\\b");
            } else if (c == '\f') {
                builder.Append("\\f");
            } else if (c == '\n') {
                builder.Append("\\n");
            } else if (c == '\r') {
                builder.Append("\\r");
            } else if (c == '\t') {
                builder.Append("\\t");
            } else {
                int codepoint = Convert.ToInt32(c);
                if ((codepoint >= 32) && (codepoint <= 126)) {
                    builder.Append(c);
                } else {
                    builder.Append("\\u" + Convert.ToString(codepoint, 16).PadLeft(4, '0'));
                }
            }
        }

        builder.Append("\"");
        return true;
    }

    protected static bool SerializeNumber(double number, StringBuilder builder)
    {
        builder.Append(Convert.ToString(number, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture));
        return true;
    }
}

//parse and show entire json in key-value pair
    Hashtable HTList = (Hashtable)JSON.JsonDecode("completejsonstring");
        public void GetData(Hashtable HT)
        {           
            IDictionaryEnumerator ienum = HT.GetEnumerator();
            while (ienum.MoveNext())
            {
                if (ienum.Value is ArrayList)
                {
                    ArrayList arnew = (ArrayList)ienum.Value;
                    foreach (object obj in arnew)                    
                    {
                        Hashtable hstemp = (Hashtable)obj;
                        GetData(hstemp);
                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(ienum.Key + "=" + ienum.Value);
                }
            }
        }