Invalid object error when sending json values with apostrophe to webservice

Question

I am trying to send a json object to a webservice, to be deserialized into a custom (LineItemWithDetails) object. When there are apstrophes anywhere in the json being passed to the webservice, I get the error below. In this case it is "BudgetJustification". I do not know what I am supposed to do here.

$.ajax({
    type: "POST",
    url: baseUrl + "/WebService/BudgetGrid.asmx/SaveLineItemDetails",
    data: "{details: '" + JSON.stringify(_lineItemObj) + "', categoryId: " + _lineItemObj.LineItem.CategoryID + ", lineItemId: " + _lineItemObj.LineItem.ID + " }",
    contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
    dataType: "json",
    success:
        function (response) {
        },
    error:
        function (response) {
            ShowError(response.responseText);
        }
});



[WebMethod(true)]
    public string SaveLineItemDetails(string details, int categoryId, int lineItemId)
    {
        PersistantData session = PersistantData.getInstance();
        BudgetBase budgetBase = BudgetFactory.Retrieve((BudgetTypes)categoryId, session.GranteeID, session.GrantID, session.BudgetYear, session.BatchVersion, session.SourceID, session.ApplicationID, session.OriginID, session.BudgetChangeRequestFundingType, session.BatchID, session.UserID);
        JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new JavaScriptSerializer();
        Gov.Grants.Budget.Business.LineItem.LineItemWithDetails d = serializer.Deserialize<Gov.Grants.Budget.Business.LineItem.LineItemWithDetails>(details);
        budgetBase.SaveDetails(d, lineItemId);
        return "";
    }

Error Message

"{"Message":"Invalid object passed in, \u0027:\u0027 or \u0027}\u0027 expected. (428): {details: \u0027{\"LineItem\":{\"ID\":18494,\"ParentID\":18487,\"ApplicationID\":0,\"GranteeID\":57,\"BudgetYear\":2011,\"LineItemTypeID\":3,\"CategoryID\":3,\"CategoryName\":\"Travel\",\"VersionID\":0,\"OriginID\":2,\"AmtChange\":0,\"LineItemGuid\":\"fab8d064-767b-4526-8762-81a849361551\",\"Description\":\"PHIN conference - 1 + Trip(s) + [Out of State]\",\"ExceptionText\":\"Other: Out of state travel costs ($1,970) are restricted to NIC, Hepatitis B Coordinators\u0027 Meeting, Program Managers/PHA Meeting, ACIP meetings, VFC and AFIX training, and other CDC-sponsored immunization program meetings. \",\"DiffGram\":\"FA Travel Line Item Needs More Information.\",\"UserID\":452,\"AllocID\":57695,\"AllocGuid\":\"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000\",\"IsReviewedLI\":true,\"NMIStatusID\":1,\"NMIStatus\":\"Not Addressed\"},\"Details\":{\"Location\":\"PHIN conference\",\"NumTrips\":1,\"NumPeople\":\"5\",\"NumDays\":5,\"AmtPerDi em\":56,\"NumNights\":4,\"AmtLodging\":150,\"AmtAir\":850,\"AmtOther\":240,\"NumMiles\":0,\"AmtMileage\":0.405,\"TravelTypeID\":2,\"TravelTypes\":[{\"LookupName\":\"TravelType\",\"Lookup_ID\":1,\"BudgetYear\":-1,\"LookupValue\":\"In State\",\"LookupKey\":\"\",\"LookupCode\":\"\",\"LookupText\":\"\"},{\"LookupName\":\"TravelType\",\"Lookup_ID\":2,\"BudgetYear\":-1,\"LookupValue\":\"Out of State\",\"LookupKey\":\"\",\"LookupCode\":\"\",\"LookupText\":\"\"}],\"DefaultNumOfMonth\":12,\"BudgetJustification\":\"This is the annual Public Health Information Network Conference. This is attended by the WVSIIS manager or designee to keep abreast with what\u0027s going on with PHIN, CRA and other public health applications and directions.\",\"Identifier\":\"PHIN\",\"CategoryConfig\":null}}\u0027, categoryId: 3, lineItemId: 18494 }","StackTrace":" at System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptObjectDeserializer.DeserializeDictionary(Int32 depth)\r\n at System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptObjectDeserializer.Deseria lizeInternal(Int32 depth)\r\n at System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptObjectDeserializer.BasicDeserialize(String input, Int32 depthLimit, JavaScriptSerializer serializer)\r\n at System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer.Deserialize(JavaScriptSerializer serializer, String input, Type type, Int32 depthLimit)\r\n at System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer.Deserialize[T](String input)\r\n at System.Web.Script.Services.RestHandler.GetRawParamsFromPostRequest(HttpContext context, JavaScriptSerializer serializer)\r\n at System.Web.Script.Services.RestHandler.GetRawParams(WebServiceMethodData methodData, HttpContext context)\r\n at System.Web.Script.Services.RestHandler.ExecuteWebServiceCall(HttpContext context, WebServiceMethodData methodData)","ExceptionType":"System.ArgumentException"}"

Answer 1

The problem is with how your JSON is being constructed. I created a simpler example based on your code, and this works with my test app (I'm using VS2010/C#). In JSON, you should wrap both your property name and value in quotes. Here's the output from my sample app (which is loosely based on your code):

{
"details":"{\"Name\":\"David\",\"Age\":\"199\",\"FavColor\":\"Blue\",\"FavFood\":\"Pizza\",
\"boo\":{\"Foo\":\"hoo\",\"Bar\":\"ray\"}}",
"categoryId":1,
"lineItemId":2
}

So my property names (i.e. details, categoryId, lineItemId) are wrapped in quotes, too. Yours don't seem to be -- so that could fail JSON validation.

You may be best using the JSON2.js file to stringify your objects into JSON notation. It was written by Crockford (who wrote the JSON spec), so it's pretty reliable.

Here's my JavaScript code to JSON-ify your object and make the call:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.6.3.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.cdnjs.com/ajax/libs/json2/20110223/json2.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
    $(document).ready(function () {
        var value = { Name: 'David',
            Age: '199',
            FavColor: 'Blue',
            FavFood: 'Pizza',
            boo: { Foo: 'hoo',
                Bar: 'ray'
            }
        };

        var valJson = JSON.stringify(value);
        var dataJson = { details: valJson, categoryId: 1, lineItemId: 2 };
        var dataJsonString = JSON.stringify(dataJson);
        alert(dataJsonString);

        $.ajax({
            type: "POST",
            url: "BudgetGrid.asmx/SaveLineItemDetails",
            contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
            data: dataJsonString,
            dataType: 'json',
            success: function (response) { alert('yay'); },
            error: function (response) { alert('boo'); }
        });

    });
</script>

And the BudgetGrid.asmx web service is simplified like this (I have a nested object like you do in your code)....

[Serializable]
class Stuff
{
    public string Foo { get; set; }
    public string Bar { get; set; }
}

[Serializable]
class Test1
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Age { get; set; }
    public string FavColor { get; set; }
    public string FavFood { get; set; }
    public Stuff boo { get; set; }
}

[WebService(Namespace = "http://tempuri.org/")]
[WebServiceBinding(ConformsTo = WsiProfiles.BasicProfile1_1)]
[System.ComponentModel.ToolboxItem(false)]
[System.Web.Script.Services.ScriptService]
public class BudgetGrid : System.Web.Services.WebService
{

    [WebMethod(true)]
    public string SaveLineItemDetails(string details, int categoryId, int lineItemId)
    {
        JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new JavaScriptSerializer();
        Test1 boo1 = serializer.Deserialize<Test1>(details);

        return "";
    }
}