I need to convert JSON data that I get from a REST API and convert them to CSV for some analytic. The problem is that the JSON data do not necessarily follow the same content, so I can't define a type for mapping. This has become a challenge that is taking too much of my time. I have already created some code, but of course it is not working as it throws exception on this line
var data = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<object>>(jsonData);
The error is:
Additional information: Cannot deserialize the current JSON object
(e.g. {"name":"value"}) into type
'System.Collections.Generic.List`1[System.Object]' because the type
requires a JSON array (e.g. [1,2,3]) to deserialize correctly.
To fix this error either change the JSON to a JSON array (e.g. [1,2,3]) or change the deserialized type so that it is a normal .NET type (e.g. not a primitive type like integer, not a collection type like an array or List) that can be deserialized from a JSON object. JsonObjectAttribute can also be added to the type to force it to deserialize from a JSON object.
Path 'data', line 2, position 10.
please let me know what I can do to get this going.
A sample of data would be like this, the fields of data can change very often, for example a new field can be added the next day, so I don't have the liberty to create a .Net class to map the data.
{
"data": [
{
"ID": "5367ab140026875f70677ab277501bfa",
"name": "Happiness Initiatives - Flow of Communication/Process & Efficiency",
"objCode": "PROJ",
"percentComplete": 100.0,
"plannedCompletionDate": "2014-08-22T17:00:00:000-0400",
"plannedStartDate": "2014-05-05T09:00:00:000-0400",
"priority": 1,
"projectedCompletionDate": "2014-12-05T08:10:21:555-0500",
"status": "CPL"
},
{
"ID": "555f452900c8b845238716dd033cf71b",
"name": "UX Personalization Think Tank and Product Strategy",
"objCode": "PROJ",
"percentComplete": 0.0,
"plannedCompletionDate": "2015-12-01T09:00:00:000-0500",
"plannedStartDate": "2015-05-22T09:00:00:000-0400",
"priority": 1,
"projectedCompletionDate": "2016-01-04T09:00:00:000-0500",
"status": "APR"
},
{
"ID": "528b92020051ab208aef09a4740b1fe9",
"name": "SCL Health System - full Sitecore implementation (Task groups with SOW totals in Planned hours - do not bill time here)",
"objCode": "PROJ",
"percentComplete": 100.0,
"plannedCompletionDate": "2016-04-08T17:00:00:000-0400",
"plannedStartDate": "2013-11-04T09:00:00:000-0500",
"priority": 1,
"projectedCompletionDate": "2013-12-12T22:30:00:000-0500",
"status": "CPL"
}
]
}
namespace BusinessLogic
{
public class JsonToCsv
{
public string ToCsv(string jsonData, string datasetName)
{
var data = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<object>>(jsonData);
DataTable table = ToDataTable(data);
StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder();
for (int i = 0; i < table.Columns.Count; i++)
{
result.Append(table.Columns[i].ColumnName);
result.Append(i == table.Columns.Count - 1 ? "
" : ",");
}
foreach (DataRow row in table.Rows)
{
for (int i = 0; i < table.Columns.Count; i++)
{
result.Append(row[i].ToString());
result.Append(i == table.Columns.Count - 1 ? "
" : ",");
}
}
return result.ToString().TrimEnd(new char[] {'
', '
'});
}
private DataTable ToDataTable<T>( IList<T> data )
{
PropertyDescriptorCollection props = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(typeof(T));
DataTable table = new DataTable();
for (int i = 0 ; i < props.Count ; i++)
{
PropertyDescriptor prop = props[i];
table.Columns.Add(prop.Name, prop.PropertyType);
}
object[] values = new object[props.Count];
foreach (T item in data)
{
for (int i = 0 ; i < values.Length ; i++)
{
values[i] = props[i].GetValue(item);
}
table.Rows.Add(values);
}
return table;
}
}
}
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