How to set formatting with JavaScriptSerializer when JSON serializing?

Question

I am using JavaScriptSerializer for serializing objects to the file to the JSON format. But the result file has no readable formatting. How can I allow formating to get a readable file?

Answer 1

You could use JSON.NET serializer, it supports JSON formatting

string body = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(message, Formatting.Indented); 

Yon can download this package via NuGet.

Answer 2

Here's my solution that does not require using JSON.NET and is simpler than the code linked by Alex Zhevzhik.

    using System.Web.Script.Serialization;      // add a reference to System.Web.Extensions       public void WriteToFile(string path)     {         var serializer     = new JavaScriptSerializer();         string json        = serializer.Serialize(this);         string json_pretty = JSON_PrettyPrinter.Process(json);         File.WriteAllText(path, json_pretty );     } 

and here is the formatter

class JSON_PrettyPrinter {     public static string Process(string inputText)     {         bool escaped = false;         bool inquotes = false;         int column = 0;         int indentation = 0;         Stack<int> indentations = new Stack<int>();         int TABBING = 8;         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();         foreach (char x in inputText)         {             sb.Append(x);             column++;             if (escaped)             {                 escaped = false;             }             else             {                 if (x == '\\')                 {                     escaped = true;                 }                 else if (x == '\"')                 {                     inquotes = !inquotes;                 }                 else if ( !inquotes)                 {                     if (x == ',')                     {                         // if we see a comma, go to next line, and indent to the same depth                         sb.Append("\r\n");                         column = 0;                         for (int i = 0; i < indentation; i++)                         {                             sb.Append(" ");                             column++;                         }                     } else if (x == '[' || x== '{') {                         // if we open a bracket or brace, indent further (push on stack)                         indentations.Push(indentation);                         indentation = column;                     }                     else if (x == ']' || x == '}')                     {                         // if we close a bracket or brace, undo one level of indent (pop)                         indentation = indentations.Pop();                     }                     else if (x == ':')                     {                         // if we see a colon, add spaces until we get to the next                         // tab stop, but without using tab characters!                         while ((column % TABBING) != 0)                         {                             sb.Append(' ');                             column++;                         }                     }                 }             }         }         return sb.ToString();     }  }