using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using Newtonsoft.Json;

using Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization;

public class Program

{

    public static void Main()

    {

        var json = @"

        [

          {

             ""$id"": ""Jane Doe"",

            ""Name"": ""Jane Doe"",

            ""Cat"": {

             ""$id"": ""Johny"",

              ""Name"": ""Johny"",

            },

            ""PhoneNumber"": ""(555)555-5555"",

            ""Partner"": {

              ""$id"": ""John Doe"",

              ""Name"": ""John Doe"",

              ""PhoneNumber"": ""(555)555-5555"",

              ""Partner"": {

                ""$ref"": ""Jane Doe""

              },

              ""Cat"": {

                 ""$ref"": ""Johny""

                }

            }

          },

          {

            ""$ref"": ""John Doe"",

          }

        ]";

        var jsonSerializerSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings()

        {

            ReferenceResolver = new ReferenceResolverWithNames()

        };

        var deserializedPersons = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Person>>(json, jsonSerializerSettings);

        Console.WriteLine(((Person)deserializedPersons[0]).Cat.Name);

    }

    public class Person

    {

      public string Name {get; set;}

      public string PhoneNumber {get; set;}

      public Person Partner {get; set;}

      public Cat Cat {get; set;}

    }

​

    public class Cat

    {

        public string Name {get; set;}

    }

    public class ReferenceResolverWithNames : IReferenceResolver

    {

        private readonly ReferenceCollection _collection = new ReferenceCollection();

​

        public object ResolveReference(object context, string reference)

        {

            return _collection.Get(reference);

        }

​

        public string GetReference(object context, object value)

        {

            if (_collection.Contains(value)) return _collection.GetReference(value);

            return _collection.Add(value);

        }

​

        public bool IsReferenced(object context, object value)

        {

            return _collection.Contains(value);

        }

​

        public void AddReference(object context, string reference, object value)

        {

            _collection.Add(value, reference);

        }

​

        class ReferenceCollection

        {

            private readonly Dictionary<Type, Dictionary<string, object>> _referenceDictionary = new Dictionary<Type, Dictionary<string, object>>();

​

            internal bool Contains(object obj)

            {

                var objType = obj.GetType();

                Dictionary<string, object> objDictionary;

                if (_referenceDictionary.TryGetValue(objType, out objDictionary))

                    return objDictionary.ContainsValue(obj);

                return false;

            }

​

            internal string Add(object obj, string key = null)

            {

                var objType = obj.GetType();

                Dictionary<string, object> objDictionary;

                if (!_referenceDictionary.TryGetValue(objType, out objDictionary))

                    _referenceDictionary.Add(objType, objDictionary = new Dictionary<string, object>());

                if (key == null)

                {

                    var objPropertyInfo = objType.GetProperty("Name");

                    if (objPropertyInfo != null) key = (string) objPropertyInfo.GetValue(obj);

                    else key = objDictionary.Count.ToString();

                }

​

                if (!objDictionary.ContainsKey(key)) objDictionary.Add(key, obj);

​

                return key;

            }

​

            internal object Get(string reference)

            {

                //this requires that names be unique within a json file

                var typeDictionary = _referenceDictionary.Values.SingleOrDefault(typeDict => typeDict.ContainsKey(reference));

                if (typeDictionary == null) throw new InvalidOperationException(string.Format(@"value with for $ref: ""{0}"" hasn't been deserialized yet.", reference));

                return typeDictionary[reference];

            }

​

            internal string GetReference(object obj)

            {

                var objType = obj.GetType();

                var objPropertyInfo = objType.GetProperty("Name");

                if (objPropertyInfo != null) return (string)objPropertyInfo.GetValue(obj);

​

                Dictionary<string, object> objDictionary;

                if (!_referenceDictionary.TryGetValue(objType, out objDictionary))

                    _referenceDictionary.Add(objType, objDictionary = new Dictionary<string, object>());

                return objDictionary.Count.ToString();

            }

        }

    }

}