Deserialize JSON named property to .Net Object

Question

The API I'm using provides a JSON payload. Part of the response has a property which contains an array of named objects. I think I want to deserialize this part into a .Net List, the problem is each object in the array is prepended with a name so I can't get it as a list.

Here's the payload:

{
  "ShipAction": "GetQuote",
  "Status": "Success",
  "RequestDate": "2012-02-08 21:18:19",
  "Username": "tpi",
  "QuoteID": "6M15AQOrCl059x",
  "QuoteExpires": "2012-02-22 21:18:20",
  "NoServices": 8,
  "DeliveryCountry": "France",
  "CheapestQuote": {
    "SubTotal": "15.96",
    "VatTotal": "3.19",
    "TotalPrice": "19.15"
  },
  "ServiceOptions": {
    "PF_INT": {
      "OptionID": "6183545",
      "Carrier": "PF_INT",
      "ServiceName": "Euro Priority",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "PF_INT",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "15.96",
      "VatTotal": "3.19",
      "TotalPrice": "19.15"
    },
    "FEDEX_ECON": {
      "OptionID": "6183549",
      "Carrier": "FEDEX",
      "ServiceName": "Economy Delivery",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "FEDEX_ECON",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "18.56",
      "VatTotal": "3.71",
      "TotalPrice": "22.27"
    },
    "FEDEX_PRI": {
      "OptionID": "6183548",
      "Carrier": "FEDEX",
      "ServiceName": "International Express",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "FEDEX_PRI",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "20.07",
      "VatTotal": "4.01",
      "TotalPrice": "24.08"
    },
    "TNT_EXPRESS": {
      "OptionID": "6183550",
      "Carrier": "TNT Export",
      "ServiceName": "TNT International Express",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "TNT_EXPRESS",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "20.73",
      "VatTotal": "4.15",
      "TotalPrice": "24.88"
    },
    "DHL_EURO": {
      "OptionID": "6183546",
      "Carrier": "DHL",
      "ServiceName": "DHL Euro Plus",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "DHL_EURO",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "23.10",
      "VatTotal": "4.62",
      "TotalPrice": "27.72"
    },
    "TNT_ECONOMY": {
      "OptionID": "6183551",
      "Carrier": "TNT Export",
      "ServiceName": "TNT International Economy Express",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "TNT_ECONOMY",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "24.14",
      "VatTotal": "4.83",
      "TotalPrice": "28.97"
    },
    "DHL_INT": {
      "OptionID": "6183547",
      "Carrier": "DHL TD",
      "ServiceName": "Time Definite",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "DHL_INT",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "30.79",
      "VatTotal": "6.16",
      "TotalPrice": "36.95"
    },
    "PALLETWAYS_EURO_QUAR": {
      "OptionID": "6183552",
      "Carrier": "PALLETWAYS_EURO",
      "ServiceName": "Quarter Pallet Delivery",
      "AlternateName": false,
      "ServiceID": "PALLETWAYS_EURO_QUAR",
      "SubjectToVat": "Y",
      "SubTotal": "152.67",
      "VatTotal": "30.53",
      "TotalPrice": "183.20"
    }
  }
}

I want a list of 'ServiceOptions'.. I would be happy to use Json.Net to do this, but again I'm stumped..

Answer 1

Such an "array of named objects" as you called it is a well-know data structure and is called dictionary or map. (For .NET see this doc.)

Just use Dictionary<string, YourServiceOptionObject> for ServiceOptions property.

Side note: in fact the structure of the property ServiceOptions, which you probably refer to, differs in no way from CheapestQuote property, apart from the fact that each key instead of primitive value posses the value which is another nested dictionary/object.