How to implement custom JsonConverter in JSON.NET to deserialize a List of base class objects?

Question

I am trying to extend the JSON.net example given here http://james.newtonking.com/projects/json/help/CustomCreationConverter.html

I have another sub class deriving

Answer 1

The project JsonSubTypes implement a generic converter that handle this feature with the helps of attributes.

For the concrete sample provided here is how it works:

    [JsonConverter(typeof(JsonSubtypes))]
    [JsonSubtypes.KnownSubTypeWithProperty(typeof(Employee), "JobTitle")]
    [JsonSubtypes.KnownSubTypeWithProperty(typeof(Artist), "Skill")]
    public class Person
    {
        public string FirstName { get; set; }
        public string LastName { get; set; }
    }

    public class Employee : Person
    {
        public string Department { get; set; }
        public string JobTitle { get; set; }
    }

    public class Artist : Person
    {
        public string Skill { get; set; }
    }

    [TestMethod]
    public void Demo()
    {
        string json = "[{\"Department\":\"Department1\",\"JobTitle\":\"JobTitle1\",\"FirstName\":\"FirstName1\",\"LastName\":\"LastName1\"}," +
                      "{\"Department\":\"Department1\",\"JobTitle\":\"JobTitle1\",\"FirstName\":\"FirstName1\",\"LastName\":\"LastName1\"}," +
                      "{\"Skill\":\"Painter\",\"FirstName\":\"FirstName1\",\"LastName\":\"LastName1\"}]";


        var persons = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<IReadOnlyCollection<Person>>(json);
        Assert.AreEqual("Painter", (persons.Last() as Artist)?.Skill);
    }

Answer 2

Just thought i would share a solution also based on this that works with the Knowntype attribute using reflection , had to get derived class from any base class, solution can benefit from recursion to find the best matching class though i didn't need it in my case, matching is done by the type given to the converter if it has KnownTypes it will scan them all until it matches a type that has all the properties inside the json string, first one to match will be chosen.

usage is as simple as:

 string json = "{ Name:\"Something\", LastName:\"Otherthing\" }";
 var ret  = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<A>(json, new KnownTypeConverter());

in the above case ret will be of type B.

JSON classes:

[KnownType(typeof(B))]
public class A
{
   public string Name { get; set; }
}

public class B : A
{
   public string LastName { get; set; }
}

Converter code:

/// <summary>
    /// Use KnownType Attribute to match a divierd class based on the class given to the serilaizer
    /// Selected class will be the first class to match all properties in the json object.
    /// </summary>
    public  class KnownTypeConverter : JsonConverter
    {
        public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
        {
            return System.Attribute.GetCustomAttributes(objectType).Any(v => v is KnownTypeAttribute);
        }

        public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
        {
            // Load JObject from stream
            JObject jObject = JObject.Load(reader);

            // Create target object based on JObject
            System.Attribute[] attrs = System.Attribute.GetCustomAttributes(objectType);  // Reflection. 

                // Displaying output. 
            foreach (System.Attribute attr in attrs)
            {
                if (attr is KnownTypeAttribute)
                {
                    KnownTypeAttribute k = (KnownTypeAttribute) attr;
                    var props = k.Type.GetProperties();
                    bool found = true;
                    foreach (var f in jObject)
                    {
                        if (!props.Any(z => z.Name == f.Key))
                        {
                            found = false;
                            break;
                        }
                    }

                    if (found)
                    {
                        var target = Activator.CreateInstance(k.Type);
                        serializer.Populate(jObject.CreateReader(),target);
                        return target;
                    }
                }
            }
            throw new ObjectNotFoundException();


            // Populate the object properties

        }

        public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
        {
            throw new NotImplementedException();
        }
    }

Answer 3

A lot of the times the implementation will exist in the same namespace as the interface. So, I came up with this:

    public class InterfaceConverter : JsonConverter
    {
    public override bool CanWrite => false;
    public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
    {
    }

    public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
    {
        var token = JToken.ReadFrom(reader);
        var typeVariable = this.GetTypeVariable(token);
        if (TypeExtensions.TryParse(typeVariable, out var implimentation))
        { }
        else if (!typeof(IEnumerable).IsAssignableFrom(objectType))
        {
            implimentation = this.GetImplimentedType(objectType);
        }
        else
        {
            var genericArgumentTypes = objectType.GetGenericArguments();
            var innerType = genericArgumentTypes.FirstOrDefault();
            if (innerType == null)
            {
                implimentation = typeof(IEnumerable);
            }
            else
            {
                Type genericType = null;
                if (token.HasAny())
                {
                    var firstItem = token[0];
                    var genericTypeVariable = this.GetTypeVariable(firstItem);
                    TypeExtensions.TryParse(genericTypeVariable, out genericType);
                }

                genericType = genericType ?? this.GetImplimentedType(innerType);
                implimentation = typeof(IEnumerable<>);
                implimentation = implimentation.MakeGenericType(genericType);
            }
        }

        return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(token.ToString(), implimentation);
    }

    public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
    {
        return !typeof(IEnumerable).IsAssignableFrom(objectType) && objectType.IsInterface || typeof(IEnumerable).IsAssignableFrom(objectType) && objectType.GetGenericArguments().Any(t => t.IsInterface);
    }

    protected Type GetImplimentedType(Type interfaceType)
    {
        if (!interfaceType.IsInterface)
        {
            return interfaceType;
        }

        var implimentationQualifiedName = interfaceType.AssemblyQualifiedName?.Replace(interfaceType.Name, interfaceType.Name.Substring(1));
        return implimentationQualifiedName == null ? interfaceType : Type.GetType(implimentationQualifiedName) ?? interfaceType;
    }

    protected string GetTypeVariable(JToken token)
    {
        if (!token.HasAny())
        {
            return null;
        }

        return token.Type != JTokenType.Object ? null : token.Value<string>("$type");
    }
}

Therefore, you can include this globally like so:

public static JsonSerializerSettings StandardSerializerSettings => new JsonSerializerSettings
    {
        Converters = new List<JsonConverter>
        {
            new InterfaceConverter()
        }
    };