How to dynamically create a JSON object in c# (from an ASP.NET resource file)?

I need to serialize the strings from a resource file (.resx) into a JSON object. The resource file's keys are in flux and thus I cannot just create a C# object that accepts the appropriate values. It needs to be a dynamic solution. I am able to loop through the key-value pairs for the file, but I need an easy way to serialize them to JSON.

I know I could do:

Object thing = new {stringOne = StringResource.stringOne; ...}

But, I'd rather have something like:

Object generic = {}
foreach (DictionaryEntry entry in StringResource) {
    generic.(entry.Key) = entry.Value
}

Or should I just create a custom JSON serializer that constructs the object piecemeal (i.e. foreach loop that appends part of the JSON st开发者_如何学Cring with each cycle)?

EDIT

I ended up writing a quick JSON serializer that constructs the string one field at a time. I didn't want to include a whole JSON library as this is the only use of JSON objects (for now at least). Ultimately, what I wanted is probably impractical and doesn't exist as it's function is better served by other data structures. Thanks for all the answers though!

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If you're using C# 4.0, you should look at the magical System.Dynamic.ExpandoObject. It's an object that allows you to dynamically add and remove properties at runtime, using the new DLR in .NET 4.0. Here is a good example use for the ExpandoObject.

Once you have your fully populated ExpandoObject, you can probably easily serialize that with any of the JSON libraries mentioned by the other excellent answers.

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This sounds like an accident waiting to happen (i.e. creating output prior to cementing the structure), but it happens.

The custom JSON serializer is a compelling option, as it allows you to easily move from your dictionary into a JSON format. I would look at open source libraries (JSON.NET, etc) to see if you can reduce the development time.

I also think setting up in a slightly more structured format, like XML, is a decent choice. It is quite easy to serialize from XML to JSON using existing libraries, so you avoid heavy customization/

The bigger question is what purposes will the data ultimately serve. If you solve this problem using either of these methods, are you creating bigger problems in the future.

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Probably I would use JSON.NET and the ability to create JSON from XML.

Then, you could create an XML in-memory and let JSON.NET convert it to JSON for you. Maybe if you dig deeper into the API, there are other options, too.

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Newtonsoft is a library that has all kinds of nifty JSON tools...among them, on-the-fly one-line serializer and deserializers...check it out, it's my favorite JSON library out there

http://james.newtonking.com/pages/json-net.aspx

If I remember correctly, it has a class that will convert JSON to a .NET object without having to create the .NET object first. Think it is in the Json.Convert class

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The way I do it is:

var serialiser = new System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer(); string json = serialiser.Serialize(data); context.Response.Write(json);