using System;

using System.Linq;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using JsonFlatten; // https://www.nuget.org/packages/JsonFlatten

using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;

​

public class Program

{

    private static readonly string json = @"{ 'array': [ 1, 2, 3 ], 'property.with.period.in.path': true, 'number': 123, 'object': { 'a': 'b', 'c': 'd', 'e': 'f' }, 'date': '2014-01-01T23:28:56.782Z', 'string': 'Hello World', 'null': null, 'emptyString': '', 'emptyObject': {}, 'emptyArray': [] }";

​

    public static void Main()

    {

        JObject jObj = JObject.Parse(json);

        // Flatten a JObject to a dictionary. 

        // You can also use: Dictionary<string, object> flattened = new Dictionary<string, object>(jObj.Flatten());

        var flattened = jObj.Flatten();     

        WriteLine("Flattened JObject:\r\n" + ToDebugString(flattened));

        // Unflatten a Dictionary<string, object> to a JObject

        JObject unflattened = flattened.Unflatten();

        WriteLine("Unflattened JObject:\r\n" + ToDebugString(unflattened));

        WriteLine("JObject is equal to unflattened dictionary: " + JToken.DeepEquals(jObj, unflattened)); // True

        // Retrieve and cast an item from the dictionary

        var date = flattened.Get<DateTime>("date");

        WriteLine("\"date\" property: " + date);

        // Update an entry

        flattened.Set("date", date.AddDays(5));

        WriteLine("Updated \"date\" property: " + flattened.Get<DateTime>("date")); // 1/6/2014 11:28:56 PM

        // Flattened a JObject and remove any JSON properties that have null or empty values e.g. null, "", {}, or []

        var flattenedWithoutEmpty = jObj.Flatten(includeNullAndEmptyValues: false);

        WriteLine("Flattened JObject without empty properties:\r\n" + ToDebugString(flattenedWithoutEmpty));

        WriteLine("Unflattened JObject without empty properties:\r\n" + flattenedWithoutEmpty.Unflatten().ToString());

    }

    public static Action<object> WriteLine = (msg) => Console.WriteLine("\r\n" + msg.ToString() + "\r\n");

​

    public static string ToDebugString<TKey, TValue>(IDictionary<TKey, TValue> dictionary)

    {

        return "{\r\n\t" + string.Join(",\r\n\t", dictionary.Select(kv => kv.Key + " = " + kv.Value).ToArray()) + "\r\n}";

    }

}