c# - JSON Serialisation - How to flatten nested object structures using JSON.net/Newtonsoft -

i have following json structure :

{        "name":"",        "children":[           {              "id":"1",              "metadata":[                 {                    "info":{                       "guid":"cdee360d-7ea9-477d-994f-12f492b9e1ed"                    },                    "data":{                       "text":"8"                    },                    "name":"dataid"                 }              ]           }        ]     } 

and want flatten metadata , nested info , data objects in array. want use name field field name text value becomes "dataid" : "8".

  {        "name":"",        "children":[           {              "id":"1",              "guid":"cdee360d-7ea9-477d-994f-12f492b9e1ed",              "dataid":"8"           }        ]     } 

so far i've used contract resolver me far:

private class dynamiccontractresolver : defaultcontractresolver         {             private readonly list<string> _propertiestoserialize;             private readonly list<string> _itemtypenames;              public dynamiccontractresolver(list<string> propertiestoserialize, list<string> itemtypenames)             {                 _propertiestoserialize = propertiestoserialize;                  _itemtypenames = itemtypenames;             }              protected override ilist<jsonproperty> createproperties(type type, memberserialization memberserialization)             {                 var properties = base.createproperties(type, memberserialization);                      properties = properties.where(p => _propertiestoserialize.contains(p.propertyname)).tolist();                 }                  return properties;             } } 

how go getting desired serialisation?

if don't want modify types @ all, can use linq json load , preprocess json, so:

        // load json intermediate jobject         var rootobj = jobject.parse(json);          // restructure jobject hierarchy         foreach (var obj in rootobj.selecttokens("children[*]").oftype<jobject>())         {             var metadata = obj.selecttoken("metadata[0]"); // first entry in "metadata" array.             if (metadata != null)             {                 // remove entire "metadata" property.                 metadata.parent.removefromlowestpossibleparent();                 // set name , value                 var name = metadata.selecttoken("name");                 var id = metadata.selecttoken("data.text");                 if (name != null && id != null)                     obj[(string)name] = (string)id;                 // move other atomic values.                 foreach (var value in metadata.selecttokens("..*").oftype<jvalue>().where(v => v != id && v != name).tolist())                     value.moveto(obj);             }         }         debug.writeline(rootobj);          // deserialize preprocessed jobject final class         var root = rootobj.toobject<rootobject>(); 

using couple of simple extension methods convenience:

public static class jsonextensions {     public static void removefromlowestpossibleparent(this jtoken node)     {         if (node == null)             throw new argumentnullexception();         var contained = node.ancestorsandself().where(t => t.parent jarray || t.parent jobject).firstordefault();         if (contained != null)             contained.remove();     }      public static void moveto(this jtoken token, jobject newparent)     {         if (newparent == null)             throw new argumentnullexception();         var tomove = token.ancestorsandself().oftype<jproperty>().first(); // throws exception if no parent property found.         tomove.remove();         newparent.add(tomove);     } }