Strongly typed json results from ajax call

[MattP]

In the success section of my ajax call I'm able to set variables based on the index of the raw json that's returned from my WCF RIA service like this:

                var results = data.GetCorrespondenceByIDResult;
                var correspondence = results.RootResults[0];
                var contact = results.IncludedResults[0];
                var letter = results.IncludedResults[1];

The problem I run into is that sometimes I have additional objects returned (The organization for the contact via a go between table called contactorganization) that throws off the index of the letter variable.

When looking at the results returned from the service I'm able to see that each of the items has is denoted as a stongly typed object in the form of

"__type":"Letter:#CRM.Data.Models"

Rather than get the results by index how can I look for the type and assign the variables based on that?

[szlamany]

If they are not JS arrays but are javascript objects - which you can access by "name" like this

var letter = results.IncludedResults["somename"];

I do things like this

if (typeof objInto["acs-reader-" + strSC] == "undefined") {
    objInto["acs-reader-" + strSC] = {};
}

Do you have FIREBUG installed in the browser (I am assuming you use Firefox)??

[MattP]

Here's my WCF RIA service query:

        public Correspondence GetCorrespondenceByID(int correspondenceID)
        {
            return this.ObjectContext
                .Correspondences
                .Include("PhoneCalls")
                .Include("InPersonVisits")
                .Include("Letters")
                .Include("Letters.Files")
                .Include("Emails")
                .Include("InvitationDetails2")
                .Include("Contact")
                .Include("Contact.ContactOrganizations.Organization")
                .Where(c => c.ID == correspondenceID).FirstOrDefault();
        }

All of the ugly includes are necessary when returning JSON but not when using the DomainDataSource which is weird.

Here's an example of the

{"GetCorrespondenceByIDResult":{"TotalCount":-1,"IncludedResults":[{"__type":"Contact:#CRM.Data.Models","CreatedBy":"user@domain.com","CreatedDate":"\/Date(1330989421240-0700)\/","FirstName":"Joe","ID":7062,"IsActive":true,"JobTitle":null,"LastName":"Smith","PeopleID":7757,"St ateAgencyID":null,"StateAgencyRoutingID":null},{"__type":"Letter:#CRM.Data.Models","CorrespondenceID ":114,"Details":"Some details about the incident","ID":6937},{"__type":"ContactOrganization:#CRM.Data.Models","ContactID":7062,"CreatedBy":" user@domain.com","CreatedDate":"\/Date(1330989427377-0700)\/","OrganizationID":558},{"__type":"Organization:#CRM.Data.Models","CreatedBy":"user@domain.com","Cre atedDate":"\/Date(1330989419727-0700)\/","IsActive":true,"OrganizationID":558,"OrganizationName":"Some organization name","StateAgencyID":null}],"RootResults":[{"ContactID":7062,"CreatedBy":"user@domain.com","CreatedDate":"\/Date(1328079600000-0700)\/","ID":114,"SituationID":4118}]}}

I'm not a master at JSON but it looks like both RootResults and IncludedResults are both arrays.

Firebug seems to confirm this saying GetCorrespondenceByIDResult is an object with TotalCount -1 IncludedResults[4] and RootResults[1]

[szlamany]

First - I like your use of the term "strongly typed" - json and javascript couldn't be further from that paradigm

Second - nice site to both validate and "re-align" JSON for visual view is this

http://jsonlint.com/

And it shows your JSON string as the image below.

The OBJECT GetCorrespondenceByIDResult has many object pairs in it - like

"TotalCount": -1

and

"IncludedResults": [

and as you see - "IncludedResults" is an array. And it's an array of OBJECT's with object pairs within...

JS does not have a native way to find an "array element" by some value in it's content - you will need to write a loop on that array - something like

var contact = "";
for (var i = 0; i < results.IncludedResults.length; i++) {
     if (results.IncludedResults[i]["__type"] == "Contact:#CRM.Data.Models") {
          contact = results.IncludedResults[i].LastName + ' ' + results.IncludedResults[i].FirstName;
          // do whatever else with this array element
     }
}

[MattP]

First - I like your use of the term "strongly typed" - json and javascript couldn't be further from that paradigm

Oops, was working with knockoutjs modeling on another project before posting the question.

var contact = "";
for (var i = 0; i < results.IncludedResults.length; i++) {
     if (results.IncludedResults[i]["__type"] == "Contact:#CRM.Data.Models") {
          contact = results.IncludedResults[i].LastName + ' ' + results.IncludedResults[i].FirstName;
          // do whatever else with this array element
     }
}

Ah, was missing ["__type"] when trying to loop through the results. Knew it was something simple.

Refactored it to:

    function getIncludedResultsByType(results, type) {
        for (var i = 0; i < results.IncludedResults.length; i++) {
            if (results.IncludedResults[i]["__type"] === type) {
                return results.IncludedResults[i];
            }
        }
    }

So it can be called like:

var contact = getIncludedResultsByType(results, "Contact:#CRM.Data.Models");
var letter = getIncludedResultsByType(results, "Letter:#CRM.Data.Models");

[szlamany]

I didn't realize you wanted to "process" the "whole object"...

Nice function...

[btw] I have to remember to use the === operator instead of == ... to many languages too little time...[/btw]

[MattP]

Yeah, I need the whole object. Now I've got a nice little function I can reuse though. Handy since I've got a couple hundred places in the application I can apply it.

Thanks.

too many languages too little time...

Tell me about it. Got a project coming where they require a Java and then another proof of concept one using Go.