Converting any string to JSON format in C#

Question

I am using GET method (MCV4 / WEB-API/ VS 2010).

I want to return a response string in json format.

I have a string (any string) and want to convert it to json to be return as response).

How can I convert any string to JSON format:

string s = "{\"one\":\"a\", \"two\": \"2\"}";
Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, <what shall i put here in order to return json of string s>);

Can I do something like this? :

string s = "{\"one\":\"a\", \"two\": \"2\"}";
Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, s, "application/json");

I need to convert string, because I am using 3rd party tool, that send me string (and not json object). I don't understand what wrong, because json represented actually a long string - it just called json.

I don't know whether the response add " sign, because I am cheking that on advanced rest client plugin for chrome, and I see " sign before and after the string. Nevertheless, string I pass, shall be with " sign before and after.

Thanks :)

check out [this stackoverflow post][1]. [1]: stackoverflow.com/questions/2422983/… — Andres A.
– Andres A., Commented Sep 9, 2014 at 20:42

mason · Accepted Answer · 2014-09-09 20:49:55Z

2

Generally you don't convert the object you plan to return to a particular format with Web API. The server will return the data in the requested format if it knows how, based on content negotiation. So your function signature should return a string, and Web API will take care of converting to XML or JSON as appropriate.

See Web API Content Negotiation.

Update, example function:

public string GetString()
     {
     string s="Hello, world!";
     return s;
     }

or

public HttpResponseMessage GetString()
    {
    string s="Hello, world!";
    return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.Ok, s);
    }

If you want to return a dictionary, then something like this:

public Dictionary<string,string> GetDict()
    {
    var dict=new Dictionary<string,string>();
    dict.Add("one", "a");
    dict.Add("two", "2");
    return dict;
    }

or

public HttpResponseMessage GetDict()
    {
    var dict=new Dictionary<string,string>();
    dict.Add("one", "a");
    dict.Add("two", "2");
    return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.Ok, dict);
    }

edited Sep 9, 2014 at 20:49

answered Sep 9, 2014 at 20:38

mason

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10 Comments

Eitan Over a year ago

What you mean - I shall do: Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, s); with contents-type = application/json? What I see that response return null string.

Eitan Over a year ago

I am using mcv4 as web-api, inherit apicontroller class like this: public HttpResponseMessage Post([FromBody]string value) { s = " ... " return Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, s, "application/json"); but the above return a string (with " at start and at end, and not json). }

mason Over a year ago

@Eitan Try my updated code, particularly the last block. And no, do not specify the content type in your response. Let the framework handle that for you.

Eitan Over a year ago

See my clarifications on your post.

Eitan Over a year ago

I want to do something very generic (one code for all strings) - I just send json as string, and want to return as string (because the parser is elsewhere - not in C#).

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