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Jackson include a key that is empty string

I accept from a server a json like this:
{
"": "hello"
}
And in Jackson I did
#JsonProperty("")
private String string
When deserialising the object it ignores the property completely.
How can I make an empty string count as a key?
Thank you

I found a way to achieve what you want with custom deserializer by following steps.
Step 1: Create the POJO class you want to deserialize to
public class MyPojo {
private String emptyFieldName;
//constructor, getter, setter and toString
}
Step 2: Create your custom deserializer
public class MyDeserializer extends StdDeserializer<MyPojo> {
public MyDeserializer () {
this(null);
}
protected MyDeserializer (Class<?> vc) {
super(vc);
}
#Override
public MyObject deserialize(JsonParser jsonParser, DeserializationContext deserializationContext) throws IOException, JsonProcessingException {
JsonNode jsonNode = jsonParser.getCodec().readTree(jsonParser);
String emptyFieldName = jsonNode.get("").asText();
return new MyPojo(emptyFieldName);
}
}
Step 3: Register this custom deserializer
ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper();
SimpleModule module = new SimpleModule();
module.addDeserializer(MyPojo.class, new MyDeserializer());
objectMapper.registerModule(module);
MyPojo myPojo = objectMapper.readValue(jsonStr, MyPojo.class);
System.out.println(myPojo.getEmptyFieldName());
Console output:
hello
BTW, you could also directly register this custom deserializer on the class:
#JsonDeserialize(using = MyDeserializer.class)
public class MyPojo {
...
}
For more information, please refer to Getting Started with Custom Deserialization in Jackson.

Serialize objects to a map with the object class as the key?

I'm writing a application using Spring boot and jackson for JSON parsing. I need to handle another service which produces JSON like this:
{
"task-id": 5081,
"task-created-on": {
"java.util.Date": 1631022026000
}
}
Notably, certain fields like the date field here are serialized into a map with a single key-value pair, where the key is a java classname and the value is the actual value of the field.
I've been going through the jackson documentation and haven't found anything about this format. Is there a way to configure jackson to produce and parse fields in this format?
At a minimum, I need to handle dates formatted this way. But I believe the service also uses this format for other objects, where the map key will be the name of some arbitrary java class and the value will be a map of its own. So I'd be interested in a solution that handles more than just dates if possible.

It can be easily done with custom serializer in Jackson by following steps.
First, create objects for serialization as follows:
class MyDateObject {
private Date date;
//general getter/setter
}
class Task {
#JsonProperty("task-id")
private int taskId;
#JsonProperty("task-created-on")
private MyDateObject taskCreatedOn;
//general getters/setters
}
Second, define your custom serializer: (Please note that I used myDateObject.getDate().getClass().getName() to get the class name of date field.)
class DateSerializer extends StdSerializer<MyDateObject> {
public DateSerializer() {
this(null);
}
protected DateSerializer(Class<MyDateObject> t) {
super(t);
}
#Override
public void serialize(MyDateObject myDateObject, JsonGenerator jsonGenerator, SerializerProvider serializerProvider) throws IOException {
jsonGenerator.writeStartObject();
jsonGenerator.writeNumberField(myDateObject.getDate().getClass().getName(), myDateObject.getDate().getTime());
jsonGenerator.writeEndObject();
}
}
Finally, register the serializer with ObjectMapper for the MyDateObject class and perform the serialization:
MyDateObject myDateObject = new MyDateObject();
myDateObject.setDate(new Date());
Task task = new Task();
task.setTaskId(5081);
task.setTaskCreatedOn(myDateObject);
SimpleModule simpleModule = new SimpleModule();
simpleModule.addSerializer(MyDateObject.class, new DateSerializer());
ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper();
objectMapper.registerModule(simpleModule);
System.out.println(objectMapper.writeValueAsString(task));
The expected output is:
{"task-id":5081,"task-created-on":{"java.util.Date":1633402076254}}
Please refer to Jackson – Custom Serializer for more information.

It is possible to solve the issue with the use of a custom JsonSerializer and applying the JsonSerialize over the fields in the pojo you are interested like below :
public class Task {
#JsonProperty("task-id")
private int taskId;
#JsonProperty("task-created-on")
#JsonSerialize(using = ObjectSerializer.class)
Date taskCreatedOn;
}
The custom serializer will use the JsonGenerator.html#writeObjectField to serialize a generic object (Date or other java class) as propertyname : {"classname" : value} :
public class ObjectSerializer extends JsonSerializer<Object> {
#Override
public void serialize(Object t, JsonGenerator jg, SerializerProvider sp) throws IOException {
jg.writeStartObject();
jg.writeObjectField(t.getClass().getName(), t);
jg.writeEndObject();
}
}

custom and different json date format

I have found how to customize ObjectMapper date format in order to let Spring to help to auto serialize/deserialize (serialize when I want to return object to client, deserialize when the request body is json object), but I have lot of DTO with different date format, some might need yyyy-mm-dd, some is dd-mm-yyyy, one ObjectMapper will not work for different required date format, what is the best practice solution for this issue?
#Override
public void configureMessageConverters(List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters) {
super.configureMessageConverters(converters);
converters.add(mappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter());
}
MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter mappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter() {
MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter mappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter = new MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter();
ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper();
objectMapper.setDateFormat(new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy"));
objectMapper.setSerializationInclusion(JsonSerialize.Inclusion.NON_NULL);
mappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter.setObjectMapper(objectMapper);
mappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter.setPrettyPrint(true);
return mappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter;
}

You could use custom Serializers and handle the different formats within a single Serializer. Here are a few pages that have some info on how to create custom Serializer/Deserializers:
Create Custom Serializer
Create Custom Deserializer
-- Edit --
From the documentation for MappingJacksonHttpMessageConverter (some emphasis added):
setObjectMapper
public void setObjectMapper(org.codehaus.jackson.map.ObjectMapper objectMapper)
Set the ObjectMapper for this view. If not set, a default ObjectMapper is used.
Setting a custom-configured ObjectMapper is one way to take further control
of the JSON serialization process. For example, an extended SerializerFactory
can be configured that provides custom serializers for specific types.
The other option for refining the serialization process is to use Jackson's
provided annotations on the types to be serialized, in which case a
custom-configured ObjectMapper is unnecessary.
This means that you do not even need to call setObjectMapper if you have Serializers/Deserializers defined by annotations (as described in the links I posted above). For your benefit, here is an example:
For Serializing:
Create a StdSerializer object to handle the type you are interested in
public class ItemSerializer extends StdSerializer<Item> {
// ...
#Override
public void serialize(Item value, JsonGenerator jgen, SerializerProvider provider) {
// Write the Item data into the JsonGenerator
}
}
Define the Serializer for the object via annotations
#JsonSerialize(using = ItemSerializer.class)
public class Item {
// ...
}
For Deserialization
Create a StdDeserializer object to handle the type you are interested in
public class ItemDeserializer extends StdDeserializer<Item> {
// ...
#Override
public Item deserialize(JsonParser jp, DeserializationContext ctxt)
throws IOException, JsonProcessingException {
// Handle the different date formats here!
return new Item(/*parsed date object*/);
}
}
Define the Deserializer for the object via annotations
#JsonDeserialize(using = ItemDeserializer.class)
public class Item {
// ...
}

JSON to Java object deserialization with escaped properties

I need to convert the following JSON to Java object. The property providerResponse in the JSON contains map of properties but they are escaped and wrapped in doubleQuotes. As a result, it does not deserialize the property providerResponse into a Java object (it comes as String). I use objectMapper.readValue(msgStr, classType) to deserialize the JSON. The message is generated by AWS for SNS delivery status notifications and I don't have control to change the JSON message. Is it possible to configure ObjectMapper to unescape the property and deserialize into a Java object instead of String?
{
"delivery":{
"providerResponse":"{\"sqsRequestId\":\"308ee0c6-7d51-57b0-a472-af8e6c41be0b\",\"sqsMessageId\":\"88dd59eb-c34d-4e4d-bb27-7e0d226daa2a\"}"
}
}
#JsonProperty("providerResponse")
private String providerResponse;

There doesn't seem to be a way to configure ObjectMapper to handle this behavior by default. The solution is to create a custom JsonDeserializer:
public class Wrapper {
public Delivery delivery;
}
public class Delivery {
#JsonDeserialize(using = ProviderResponseDeserializer.class)
public ProviderResponse providerResponse;
}
public class ProviderResponse {
public String sqsRequestId;
public String sqsMessageId;
}
public class ProviderResponseDeserializer extends JsonDeserializer<ProviderResponse> {
private static final ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
#Override
public ProviderResponse deserialize(JsonParser jsonParser, DeserializationContext deserializationContext) throws IOException, JsonProcessingException {
return mapper.readValue(jsonParser.getText(), ProviderResponse.class);
}
}
Then you can deserialize the JSON by using your ObjectMapper:
ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
Wrapper wrapper = mapper.readValue(JSON, Wrapper.class);

I faced this similar issue. This gets resolved if we define a constructor in ProviderResponse which takes a single string argument (which is actually json) and then map the json in the constructor to the instance of ProviderResponse and use this temp instance to initialise the properties.
public class Wrapper {
public Delivery delivery;
}
public class Delivery {
public ProviderResponse providerResponse;
}
public class ProviderResponse {
public String sqsRequestId;
public String sqsMessageId;
private static ObjectMapper objMapper = new ObjectMapper();
public ProviderResponse(String json) {
ProviderResponse temp = objMapper.readValue(json, ProviderResponse.class);
this.sqsMessageId = temp.sqsMessageId;
this.sqsRequestId = temp.sqsRequestId;
}
}
The key is to keep the ObjectMapper instance and the its usage somewhere in your utility class and use it from there.

Do we have to have to post json object with exactly same fields as in pojo object in controller?

I am new to spring rest and am having problem to map JSON object from jquery to controller. My jquery JSON object have some field absent which are present in java object on controller. Do I have to create new class to map such object or is there any way to map these objects without creating new class?
Here are the code
Controller:
#RequestMapping(value = "/createTest", method = RequestMethod.POST,consumes="application/json")
#ResponseBody
public String createTest(#RequestBody TestJsonDTO testJson)
throws JsonProcessingException, IOException {
//....
TestJsonDTO:
public class TestJsonDTO {
private TestSet testSet;
private List<MainQuestion> questionsInTest;
//gettters and setters
TestSet:
public class TestSet implements Serializable {
public TestSet() {
}
#Id
#GeneratedValue
private int id;
private String name;
private int fullmark;
private int passmark;
String duration;
Date createDate = new Date();
Date testDate;
boolean isNegativeMarking;
boolean negativeMarkingValue;
MainQuestion:
public class MainQuestion implements Serializable {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
public MainQuestion() {
}
#Id
#GeneratedValue
private int id;
private String name;
and my jquery post method
function createTest() {
$.ajax({
type : 'POST',
url : "http://localhost:8085/annotationBased/admin/createTest",
dataType : "json",
contentType : "application/json",
data : testToJSON(),
success : function() {
alert("success")
},
error : function(msg) {
alert("error while saving test");
}
});
}
function testToJSON() {
listOfQuestionForTest = questionToAdd;//array of ids of questions
return JSON.stringify({
"testSet.name" : $('#testname').val(),
"testSet.fullmark" : parseInt($('#fullmark').val()),
"testSet.passmark" : parseInt($('#passmark').val()),
"questionsInTest" : listOfQuestionForTest
// "testDate":$('#testDate').value()
})
}
In JSON.stringify I am not sending all the fields in TestJsonDto. How can I map this?

You should configure Spring this way:
#Configuration
public class ServiceContext
extends WebMvcConfigurationSupport {
#Override
public void configureMessageConverters(List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters) {
MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter converter = this.getMappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter();
converters.add(converter);
}
#Bean
public MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter getMappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter() {
MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter mappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter = new MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter();
ObjectMapper objectMapper = this.getObjectMapper();
mappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter.setObjectMapper(objectMapper);
return mappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter;
}
#Bean
public ObjectMapper getObjectMapper() {
JsonFactory jsonFactory = new JsonFactory();
ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper(jsonFactory);
objectMapper.disable(DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES); // this is what you need
objectMapper.setSerializationInclusion(Include.NON_NULL); // this is to not serialize unset properties
return objectMapper;
}
}
Here Spring is configured with an ObjectMapper that doesn't serialize properties whose value is null and that doesn't fail on deserialization if some property is missing.
EDIT: (Added some background and explanations)
Spring converts what comes in HTTP request's body into a POJO (that's what #RequestBody actually tells Spring to do). This conversion is performed by a HttpMessageConverter, which is an abstraction. Spring provides default specific message converters for common media types, such as Strings, JSON, form fields, etc.
In your case, you need to tell Spring how to deserialize the incoming JSON, i.e. how to read the JSON that you're sending from jQuery and how to convert this JSON into the POJO you're expecting to receive in your #Controller (TestJsonDTO in your question).
Jackson 2 is a JSON serialization/deserialization library that is widely used. It's most important class is ObjectMapper, which is used to perform the actual serialization and deserialization. Spring has a specific HttpMessageConverter that uses Jackson in order to serialize and deserialize JSON. This is MappingJackson2HttpMessageConverter, which can receive a Jackson's ObjectMapper instance that you can configure if you want to override default behavior.
This ObjectMapper is configured to not serialize properties that are null in your POJO (i.e. your JSON won't contain these properties as fields), and more important, when deserializing, it is configured to not fail with an exception if there is a missing property in either your JSON or your POJO. This is what objectMapper.disable(DeserializationFeature.FAIL_ON_UNKNOWN_PROPERTIES); actually does.