⚠️ DEPRECATED

This project is no longer maintained. Its functionality has been moved to ktsu.RoundTripStringJsonConverter.

Please migrate to the new library for continued support and updates.

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ktsu.ToStringJsonConverter

A JSON converter factory that serializes objects using their ToString and FromString methods.

Introduction

ToStringJsonConverter is a JSON converter factory for System.Text.Json that simplifies serialization and deserialization of custom types by leveraging their ToString and FromString methods. This approach is particularly useful for value types, strong types, and any other types where a string representation makes logical sense.

Features

• Automatic Type Detection: Automatically identifies types with compatible FromString methods.
• String-Based Serialization: Converts objects to and from JSON using their string representation.
• Property Name Support: Works with both JSON values and property names.
• Reflection Optimization: Uses cached reflection for improved performance.
• Generic Method Support: Handles both generic and non-generic FromString methods.

Installation

Package Manager Console

Install-Package ktsu.ToStringJsonConverter

.NET CLI

dotnet add package ktsu.ToStringJsonConverter

Package Reference

<PackageReference Include="ktsu.ToStringJsonConverter" Version="x.y.z" />

Usage Examples

Basic Example

using System.Text.Json;
using ktsu.ToStringJsonConverter;

// Configure the converter in your JsonSerializerOptions
var options = new JsonSerializerOptions();
options.Converters.Add(new ToStringJsonConverterFactory());

// Example custom type with ToString and FromString
public class CustomId
{
    public string Value { get; set; }
    
    public static CustomId FromString(string value) => new() { Value = value };
    
    public override string ToString() => Value;
}

// Serialization
var id = new CustomId { Value = "12345" };
string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(id, options);
// json is now: "12345"

// Deserialization
CustomId deserialized = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<CustomId>(json, options);
// deserialized.Value is now: "12345"

Integration with Other Converters

using System.Text.Json;
using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
using ktsu.ToStringJsonConverter;

var options = new JsonSerializerOptions
{
    WriteIndented = true,
    PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase,
    Converters =
    {
        new ToStringJsonConverterFactory(),
        new JsonStringEnumConverter()
    }
};

// Now both enum values and custom types with FromString will be handled appropriately

Advanced Usage

Working with Collections of Custom Types

using System.Text.Json;
using ktsu.ToStringJsonConverter;

// Setup serializer options with the converter
var options = new JsonSerializerOptions();
options.Converters.Add(new ToStringJsonConverterFactory());

// A collection of custom types
List<CustomId> ids = new()
{
    new CustomId { Value = "A001" },
    new CustomId { Value = "B002" },
    new CustomId { Value = "C003" }
};

// Serialize the collection
string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(ids, options);
// json is now: ["A001","B002","C003"]

// Deserialize back to a collection
List<CustomId> deserializedIds = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<List<CustomId>>(json, options);

Using with Dictionaries as Keys

// Custom type can be used as dictionary keys
var dictionary = new Dictionary<CustomId, string>
{
    { new CustomId { Value = "key1" }, "value1" },
    { new CustomId { Value = "key2" }, "value2" }
};

string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(dictionary, options);
// Serializes as a dictionary with string keys

var deserialized = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Dictionary<CustomId, string>>(json, options);
// Keys are properly deserialized back to CustomId objects

API Reference

ToStringJsonConverterFactory

The primary class for integrating with System.Text.Json serialization.

Methods

Name	Return Type	Description
CanConvert(Type typeToConvert)	bool	Determines if a type can be converted by checking for a static FromString method
CreateConverter(Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)	JsonConverter	Creates a type-specific converter instance

Compatibility Requirements

For a type to work with ToStringJsonConverter, it must meet these requirements:

1. Have a public static FromString(string) method that returns an instance of the type
2. Override ToString() to provide a string representation that can be reversed by FromString

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Please make sure to update tests as appropriate.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.