using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Reflection;

using Newtonsoft.Json;

public class Program

{

    public static void Main()

    {

        Company company = new Company

        {

            CompanyName = "Initrode",

            Boss = new Person { FirstName = "Head", LastName = "Honcho" },

                Employees = new List<Person>

            {

                new Person { FirstName = "Joe", LastName = "Schmoe" },

                    new Person { FirstName = "John", LastName = "Doe" }

            }

        };

        string json = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(company, Formatting.Indented);

        Console.WriteLine(json);

        Console.WriteLine();

        Company c = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Company>(json);

        Console.WriteLine("Company name: " + c.CompanyName);

        Console.WriteLine("Boss first name: " + c.Boss.FirstName);

        Console.WriteLine("Boss last name: " + c.Boss.LastName);

        foreach (Person p in c.Employees)

        {

            Console.WriteLine("Employee first name: " + p.FirstName);

            Console.WriteLine("Employee last name: " + p.LastName);

        }

    }

}

​

​

class Company

{

    public string CompanyName { get; set; }

    public Person Boss { get; set; }

    public List<Person> Employees { get; set; }

}

​

[JsonConverter(typeof(ToStringJsonConverter))]

public class Person

{

    public string FirstName { get; set; }

    public string LastName { get; set; }

    public override string ToString()

    {

        return string.Format("{0} {1}", FirstName, LastName);

    }

    public static Person Parse(string s)

    {

        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(s))

            throw new ArgumentException("s cannot be null or empty", "s");

        string[] parts = s.Split(new char[] { ' ' }, 2);

        Person p = new Person { FirstName = parts[0] };

        if (parts.Length > 1)

            p.LastName = parts[1];

        return p;

    }

}

​

class ToStringJsonConverter : JsonConverter

{

    public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)

    {

        return true;

    }

    public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)

    {

        writer.WriteValue(value.ToString());

    }

    public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)

    {

        MethodInfo parse = objectType.GetMethod("Parse", new Type[] { typeof(string) });

        if (parse != null && parse.IsStatic && parse.ReturnType == objectType)

        {

            return parse.Invoke(null, new object[] { (string)reader.Value });

        }

        throw new JsonException(string.Format(

            "The {0} type does not have a public static Parse(string) method that returns a {0}.", 

            objectType.Name));

    }

}

​