Why is JSON.NET Double Serializing My Objects?

JSON.NET double serialization problem

When using JSON.NET to serialize objects, you may encounter a strange problem: the object is double-serialized. This causes the JSON data in the response to be wrapped in double quotes, and embedded quotes to be escaped.

Root Cause

The root of the problem lies in the serialization method. If you use JsonConvert.SerializeObject(instance) like in the example, the object will be serialized twice. This is because you serialize it to a string first, and then the API controller further serializes it to a JavaScript string literal.

Solution

To fix this, just return the object directly:

<code class="language-csharp">public IEnumerable<foobar> GetFoobars()
{
    var foobars = ...;
    return foobars;
}</code>

Alternative methods

Alternatively, you can choose to add a custom converter directly to the Web API's default HttpConfiguration:

<code class="language-csharp">config.Formatters.JsonFormatter.SerializerSettings.Converters.Add(new FooConverter());
config.Formatters.JsonFormatter.SerializerSettings.Converters.Add(new BarConverter());</code>

Other Tips

• Make sure custom converters are implemented correctly.
• Consider using a custom JSON formatter instead of modifying the default settings.
• Please refer to "JSON and XML Serialization in ASP.NET Web API" for more guidance.

The above is the detailed content of Why is JSON.NET Double Serializing My Objects?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!