Deserialize JSON recursively to IDictionary [duplicate]

Answer 1

In order to get Json.Net to deserialize a json string into an IDictionary including deserializing nested objects and arrays you will need to create a custom class that derives from the JsonConverter abstract class provided by Json.Net.

It is in your derived JsonConverter where you put the implementation of how an object should be written to and from json.

You can use your custom JsonConverter like this:

var o = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject>(json, new DictionaryConverter());

Here is a custom JsonConverter I have used with success in the past to achieve the same goals as you outline in your question:

public class DictionaryConverter : JsonConverter {
    public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer) { this.WriteValue(writer, value); }

    private void WriteValue(JsonWriter writer, object value) {
        var t = JToken.FromObject(value);
        switch (t.Type) {
            case JTokenType.Object:
                this.WriteObject(writer, value);
                break;
            case JTokenType.Array:
                this.WriteArray(writer, value);
                break;
            default:
                writer.WriteValue(value);
                break;
        }
    }

    private void WriteObject(JsonWriter writer, object value) {
        writer.WriteStartObject();
        var obj = value as IDictionary;
        foreach (var kvp in obj) {
            writer.WritePropertyName(kvp.Key);
            this.WriteValue(writer, kvp.Value);
        }
        writer.WriteEndObject();
    }

    private void WriteArray(JsonWriter writer, object value) {
        writer.WriteStartArray();
        var array = value as IEnumerable