Convert datatable to JSON in C#

Question

1. I want to get records from database into a DataTable.
2. Then convert the DataTable into a JSON object.
3. Return the JSON ob

Answer 1

We can accomplish the task in two simple way one is using Json.NET dll and another is by using StringBuilder class.

Using Newtonsoft Json.NET

string JSONresult;
JSONresult = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(dt);  
Response.Write(JSONresult);

Reference Link: Newtonsoft: Convert DataTable to JSON object in ASP.Net C#

Using StringBuilder

public string DataTableToJsonObj(DataTable dt)
{
    DataSet ds = new DataSet();
    ds.Merge(dt);
    StringBuilder JsonString = new StringBuilder();
    if (ds != null && ds.Tables[0].Rows.Count > 0)
    {
        JsonString.Append("[");
        for (int i = 0; i < ds.Tables[0].Rows.Count; i++)
        {
            JsonString.Append("{");
            for (int j = 0; j < ds.Tables[0].Columns.Count; j++)
            {
                if (j < ds.Tables[0].Columns.Count - 1)
                {
                    JsonString.Append("\"" + ds.Tables[0].Columns[j].ColumnName.ToString() + "\":" + "\"" + ds.Tables[0].Rows[i][j].ToString() + "\",");
                }
                else if (j == ds.Tables[0].Columns.Count - 1)
                {
                    JsonString.Append("\"" + ds.Tables[0].Columns[j].ColumnName.ToString() + "\":" + "\"" + ds.Tables[0].Rows[i][j].ToString() + "\"");
                }
            }
            if (i == ds.Tables[0].Rows.Count - 1)
            {
                JsonString.Append("}");
            }
            else
            {
                JsonString.Append("},");
            }
        }
        JsonString.Append("]");
        return JsonString.ToString();
    }
    else
    {
        return null;
    }
}

Answer 2

//Common DLL client, server
public class transferDataTable
{
    public class myError
    {
        public string Message { get; set; }
        public int Code { get; set; }
    }

    public myError Error { get; set; }
    public List<string> ColumnNames { get; set; }
    public List<string> DataTypes { get; set; }
    public List<Object> Data { get; set; }
    public int Count { get; set; }
}

public static class ExtensionMethod
{
    public static transferDataTable LoadData(this transferDataTable transfer, DataTable dt)
    {
        if (dt != null)
        {
            transfer.DataTypes = new List<string>();
            transfer.ColumnNames = new List<string>();                
            foreach (DataColumn c in dt.Columns)
            {
                transfer.ColumnNames.Add(c.ColumnName);
                transfer.DataTypes.Add(c.DataType.ToString());
            }

            transfer.Data = new List<object>();
            foreach (DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
            {
                foreach (DataColumn col in dt.Columns)
                {
                    transfer.Data.Add(dr[col] == DBNull.Value ? null : dr[col]);
                }
            }
            transfer.Count = dt.Rows.Count;
        }            
        return transfer;
    }        

    public static DataTable GetDataTable(this transferDataTable transfer, bool ConvertToLocalTime = true)
    {
        if (transfer.Error != null || transfer.ColumnNames == null || transfer.DataTypes == null || transfer.Data == null)
            return null;

        int columnsCount = transfer.ColumnNames.Count;
        DataTable dt = new DataTable();
        for (int i = 0; i < columnsCount; i++ )
        {
            Type colType = Type.GetType(transfer.DataTypes[i]);
            dt.Columns.Add(new DataColumn(transfer.ColumnNames[i], colType));
        }

        int index = 0;
        DataRow row = dt.NewRow();
        foreach (object o in transfer.Data)
        {
            if (ConvertToLocalTime && o != null && o.GetType() == typeof(DateTime))
            {
                DateTime dat = Convert.ToDateTime(o);
                row[index] = dat.ToLocalTime();
            }
            else
                row[index] = o == null ? DBNull.Value : o;

            index++;

            if (columnsCount == index)
            {
                index = 0;
                dt.Rows.Add(row);
                row = dt.NewRow();
            }
        }
        return dt;
    }
}

//Server
    [OperationContract]
    [WebInvoke(Method = "GET", ResponseFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json, BodyStyle = WebMessageBodyStyle.WrappedRequest, UriTemplate = "json/data")]
    transferDataTable _Data();

    public transferDataTable _Data()
    {
        try
        {
            using (SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.AppSettings["myConnString"]))
            {
                con.Open();
                DataSet ds = new DataSet();
                SqlDataAdapter myAdapter = new SqlDataAdapter("SELECT * FROM tbGalleries", con);
                myAdapter.Fill(ds, "table");
                DataTable dt = ds.Tables["table"];
                return new transferDataTable().LoadData(dt);
            }
        }
        catch(Exception ex)
        {
            return new transferDataTable() { Error = new transferDataTable.myError() { Message = ex.Message, Code = ex.HResult } };
        }
    }

//Client
        Response = Vossa.getAPI(serviceUrl + "json/data");
        transferDataTable transfer = new JavaScriptSerializer().Deserialize<transferDataTable>(Response);
        if (transfer.Error == null)
        {
            DataTable dt = transfer.GetDataTable();
            dbGrid.ItemsSource = dt.DefaultView;
        }
        else
            MessageBox.Show(transfer.Error.Message, "Error", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Error);

Answer 3

I am using this function for describe table.
Use it after fill datatable

static public string DataTableToJSON(DataTable dataTable,bool readableformat=true)
        {
            string JSONString="[";
            string JSONRow;
            string colVal;
            foreach(DataRow dataRow in dataTable.Rows)
            {
                if(JSONString!="[") { JSONString += ","; }
                JSONRow = "";
                if (readableformat) { JSONRow += "\r\n"; }
                JSONRow += "{";

                foreach (DataColumn col in dataTable.Columns)
                {
                    colVal = dataRow[col].ToString();
                    colVal = colVal.Replace("\"", "\\\"");
                    colVal = colVal.Replace("'", "\\\'");
                    if(JSONRow!="{"&&JSONRow!="\r\n{") {

                        JSONRow += ",";

                    }
                    JSONRow += "\"" + col.ColumnName + "\":\"" + colVal + "\"";

                }
                JSONRow += "}";
                JSONString += JSONRow;
            }
            JSONString += "\r\n]";
            return JSONString;
        }

MySQL Query: "DESCRIBE TableName;"; DataTableToJSON(dataTable) Example Output:

[
{"Field":"id","Type":"int(5)","Null":"NO","Key":"PRI","Default":"","Extra":"auto_increment"},
{"Field":"ad","Type":"int(11) unsigned","Null":"NO","Key":"MUL","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"soyad","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"YES","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"ulke","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"YES","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"alan","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"YES","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"numara","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"NO","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""}
]

Tested With PHP:

$X='[
{"Field":"id","Type":"int(5)","Null":"NO","Key":"PRI","Default":"","Extra":"auto_increment"},
{"Field":"ad","Type":"int(11) unsigned","Null":"NO","Key":"MUL","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"soyad","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"YES","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"ulke","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"YES","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"alan","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"YES","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""},
{"Field":"numara","Type":"varchar(20)","Null":"NO","Key":"","Default":"","Extra":""}
]';
$Y=json_decode($X,true);
echo $Y[0]["Field"];
var_dump($Y);

Answer 4

This code snippet from Convert Datatable to JSON String in C#, VB.NET might help you. It uses System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer to serialize the contents to JSON format:

public string ConvertDataTabletoString()
{
    DataTable dt = new DataTable();
    using (SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection("Data Source=SureshDasari;Initial Catalog=master;Integrated Security=true"))
    {
        using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("select title=City,lat=latitude,lng=longitude,description from LocationDetails", con))
        {
            con.Open();
            SqlDataAdapter da = new SqlDataAdapter(cmd);
            da.Fill(dt);
            System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer();
            List<Dictionary<string, object>> rows = new List<Dictionary<string, object>>();
            Dictionary<string, object> row;
            foreach (DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
            {
                row = new Dictionary<string, object>();
                foreach (DataColumn col in dt.Columns)
                {
                    row.Add(col.ColumnName, dr[col]);
                }
                rows.Add(row);
            }
            return serializer.Serialize(rows);
        }
    }
}

Answer 5

I have simple function to convert datatable to json string.

I have used Newtonsoft to generate string. I don't use Newtonsoft to totaly serialize Datatable. Be careful about this.

Maybe this can be useful.

 private string DataTableToJson(DataTable dt) {
  if (dt == null) {
   return "[]";
  };
  if (dt.Rows.Count < 1) {
   return "[]";
  };

  JArray array = new JArray();
  foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows) {
   JObject item = new JObject();
   foreach(DataColumn col in dt.Columns) {
    item.Add(col.ColumnName, dr[col.ColumnName]?.ToString());
   }
   array.Add(item);
  }

  return array.ToString(Newtonsoft.Json.Formatting.Indented);
 }

Answer 6

public static string ConvertIntoJson(DataTable dt)
{
    var jsonString = new StringBuilder();
    if (dt.Rows.Count > 0)
    {
        jsonString.Append("[");
        for (int i = 0; i < dt.Rows.Count; i++)
        {
            jsonString.Append("{");
            for (int j = 0; j < dt.Columns.Count; j++)
                jsonString.Append("\"" + dt.Columns[j].ColumnName + "\":\"" 
                    + dt.Rows[i][j].ToString().Replace('"','\"') + (j < dt.Columns.Count - 1 ? "\"," : "\""));

            jsonString.Append(i < dt.Rows.Count - 1 ? "}," : "}");
        }
        return jsonString.Append("]").ToString();
    }
    else
    {
        return "[]";
    }
}
public static string ConvertIntoJson(DataSet ds)
{
    var jsonString = new StringBuilder();
    jsonString.Append("{");
    for (int i = 0; i < ds.Tables.Count; i++)
    {
        jsonString.Append("\"" + ds.Tables[i].TableName + "\":");
        jsonString.Append(ConvertIntoJson(ds.Tables[i]));
        if (i < ds.Tables.Count - 1)
            jsonString.Append(",");
    }
    jsonString.Append("}");
    return jsonString.ToString();
}