How to create JSON String with nested array of values using JSON.NET?

Question

Thanks to @don-jayamanne and @dbc for mentioned that my JSON needed to be well-formed

Here is my rephrased question:

Our application at work is using JSON.NET to create JSON Strings.

Here is the JSON string that I'm trying to create:

{
    "RouteID": "123321213312",
    "DriverName": "JohnDoe",
    "Shift": "Night",
    "ItineraryCoordinates": [
        [
            9393,
            4443
        ],
        [
            8832,
            3322
        ],
        [
            223,
            3432
        ],
        [
            223,
            3432
        ]
    ]
}

Here is the faulty code that I wrote to create the aforementioned JSON String:

writer.WriteStartObject();
writer.WritePropertyName("RouteID");
serializer.Serialize(writer, routeID);

writer.WritePropertyName("DriverName");
serializer.Serialize(writer, driverName);

writer.WritePropertyName("Shift");
serializer.Serialize(writer, shift);

writer.WritePropertyName("ItineraryCoordinates");

ItineraryCoordinatesCollectionFactory tpCollFac = new ItineraryCoordinatesCollectionFactory();
ItineraryCoordinates anItineraryCoordinates;

StringBuilder coordSB = new StringBuilder();

IList<TimePeriod> ItineraryCoordinatesCollection = tpCollFac.createItineraryCoordinatesCollection();
for (int j = 0; j < ItineraryCoordinatesCollection.Count(); j++)
{
    anItineraryCoordinates = ItineraryCoordinatesCollection[j];

    writer.WriteStartObject();
    writer.WritePropertyName("nested");
    coordSB.Append(anItineraryCoordinates.StartTimePeriodCoordinate.X.ToString());
    coordSB.Append(" , ");
    coordSB.Append(anItineraryCoordinates.StartTimePeriodCoordinate.Y.ToString());

    serializer.Serialize(writer, coordSB.ToString());
    writer.WriteEndObject();

    coordSB.Clear();

    writer.WriteStartObject();
    writer.WritePropertyName("nested");
    coordSB.Append(aTimePeriod.EndTimePeriodCoordinate.X.ToString());
    coordSB.Append(" , ");
    coordSB.Append(aTimePeriod.EndTimePeriodCoordinate.Y.ToString());
    serializer.Serialize(writer, coordSB.ToString());

    coordSB.Clear();
    writer.WriteEndObject();

} // end of for (int j = 0; j < OrderedTimePeriodsCollection.Count(); j++)

writer.WriteEndObject(); // closing off Json Object LogEventsTimePeriods

I keep getting the following error whenever I change the location of writer.WriteStartObject() within the code:

Token StartObject in state Object would result in an invalid JSON object. Path ''.

Could someone please give a rough code draft as to how I can write out the JSON String I want using JSON.NET?

Your JSON string is not valid. Thats partly why you'd be having trouble generating such a string. Use the following to validate your JSON string jsonlint.com — Don
– Don, Commented Nov 14, 2015 at 6:51
Upload your JSON to jsonlint.com and you will see it is not valid. Probably you want "ItineraryCoordinates" to be an array not an object. — dbc
– dbc, Commented Nov 14, 2015 at 6:55

Jesús López · Accepted Answer · 2015-11-14 07:30:30Z

7

As said on comments your JSON is not valid, It probably should be:

{

    "RouteID": "123321213312",
    "DriverName": "JohnDoe",
    "Shift": "Night",
    "ItineraryCoordinates": [
        [ 9393, 4443 ],
        [ 8832, 3322 ],
        [ 223, 3432 ],
        [ 223, 3432 ]
    ]           
}

Here you have a sample that shows you two approaches to build the sample JSON:

public class Route
{
    public string RouteID { get; set; }
    public string DriverName { get; set; }
    public string Shift { get; set; }

    public int[][] ItineraryCoordinates;


    public static string GetSampleJson() {

        var sampleRoute = new Route
        {
            RouteID = "123321213312",
            DriverName = "JohnDoe",
            Shift = "Night",
            ItineraryCoordinates = new int[][] { 
                new int[] {9393, 4443 },
                new int[] { 8832, 3322 },
                new int[] {  223, 3432 },
                new int[] { 223, 3432 }
            }
        };

        return JsonConvert.SerializeObject(sampleRoute, Formatting.Indented);
    }

    public static string GetSampleJson2()
    {
        var route = new JObject(
            new JProperty("RouteID", "123321213312"),
            new JProperty("DriverName", "JhonDoe"),
            new JProperty("Shift", "Night"),
            new JProperty("ItineraryCoordinates", new JArray(
                    new JArray(9393, 4443),
                    new JArray(8832, 3322 ),
                    new JArray( 223, 3432 ),
                    new JArray( 223, 3432)
                )
            ));

        return route.ToString();
    }
}

edited Nov 14, 2015 at 7:30

answered Nov 14, 2015 at 7:07

Jesús López

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2 Comments

CS Lewis Over a year ago

Yes, I just corrected the JSON while you were making your post. Thx.

Jesús López Over a year ago

I think you are taking a very complex route to build the JSON.

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