parse JSON array with json.NET and C#

Question

I have some data in the following JSON format that I need to parse:

{
"status":0,
"timestamp":"8:20pm",
"routes":[
    {
        "directions":[
            "E Towne",
            "ETP"
        ],
        "routeID":"30"
    },
    {
        "directions":[
            "Johnson",
            "Observatory"
        ],
        "routeID":"81"
    }
]
}

Using json.net, I have got want to get the following output:

30 E Towne – ETP

81 Johnson – Observatory

Using the code below, I get the following incorrect output:

30 E Towne – ETP

81 E Towne – ETP

How do I write out the directions array items to the corresponding routeID item? My code:

public class Route
        {
            public string routeID { get; set; }
            public string directions { get; set; }  
        }

private void routeClient_DownloadStringCompleted(object sender, DownloadStringCompletedEventArgs e) 
        {
            string jsonResults_routes = e.Result;
            JObject routeData = JObject.Parse(jsonResults_routes);

            JArray routeIdArray = (JArray)routeData["routes"];
            JArray routeDirections = (JArray)routeData["routes"][0]["directions"];

            List<Route> l = new List<Route>();

            for (int i = 0; i < routeIdArray.Count; i++)
            {
                Route BusRoutes = new Route();

                JObject routeIDarrayObject = (JObject)routeIdArray[i];
                BusRoutes.routeID = (string)routeIDarrayObject["routeID"];

                string sep = " - ";
                string bothDirections = String.Join(sep, routeDirections);

                List<string> sc = new List<string>();
                string[] direction = new string[]{bothDirections};
                sc.AddRange(direction);

                foreach (string direx in sc)
                {
                    BusRoutes.directions = direx; 
                }

                l.Add(BusRoutes);

            }
            var newList = l.OrderBy(x => x.routeID).ToList();
            lbRoutesData.ItemsSource = newList;
        }

Answer 1

@competent_tech is correct in is analysis. If I can propose, I think it'll feel more natural if you work with actual objects. For example:

public class RouteInfo
{
    public List<string> Directions { get; set; }
    public string RouteID { get; set; }
}

public class RouteData
{
    public int Status { get; set; }
    public string Timestamp { get; set; }
    public List<RouteInfo> Routes { get; set; }
}

And in your method:

var routeData = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<RouteData>(e.Result);
return routeData.Routes
                .Select(r => new Route
                    {
                        routeId = r.RouteID,
                        directions = String.Join(" - ", r.Directions)
                    })
                .OrderBy(r =­> r.routeId)
                .ToList();

Or manipulate your type object in other ways, more naturally.

Edit: For an easy way to generate classes based on a JSON string, go to json2csharp.