# Always count property as array (JSON convert failure)

**URL:** <https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014>\
**Category:** PowerShell Help\
**Created:** [April 12, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014 "2015-04-12T20:11:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stig-sornsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@stig-sornsen](https://forums.powershell.org/u/stig-sornsen)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014/1 "2015-04-12T20:11:55Z")

</div>

Hi,

I have a problem converting some data to JSON because some objects have array properties while other only have a single property.

Let me try illustrate the problem:

```
# Object with object-array property inside
$customProp = @()
$customProp += New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Test1"; Size="100"}
$customProp += New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Test2"; Size="100"}

$object1 = New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Object1"; Something="Weird"}
$final1 = $object1 | Select-Object Name, Something, @{n="Custom";e={$customProp}}

# Object with object property inside
$customProp = @()
$customProp += New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Test10"; Size="200"}

$object2 = New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Object2"; Something="Strange"}
$final2 = $object2 | Select-Object Name, Something, @{n="Custom";e={$customProp}}

$list = @()
$list += $final1
$list += $final2
$list
```

The output of the above should be:

```
Name Something Custom                                            
---- --------- ------                                            
Object1 Weird {@{Name=Test1; Size=100}, @{Name=Test2; Size=100}}
Object2 Strange @{Name=Test10; Size=200}
```

And the problem is showing already here. Object1’s Custom property has and extra set of {} around its content while Object2 is lacking those.  
Resulting converting it to JSON:

$list | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

```
[
    {
        "Name": "Object1",
        "Something": "Weird",
        "Custom": {
                       "value": [
                                     {
                                         "Name": "Test1",
                                         "Size": "100"
                                     },
                                     {
                                         "Name": "Test2",
                                         "Size": "100"
                                     }
                                 ],
                       "Count": 2
                   }
    },
    {
        "Name": "Object2",
        "Something": "Strange",
        "Custom": {
                       "Name": "Test10",
                       "Size": "200"
                   }
    }
]
```

I really need to have it to be same like this:

```
[
    {
        "Name": "Object1",
        "Something": "Weird",
        "Custom": [
                                     {
                                         "Name": "Test1",
                                         "Size": "100"
                                     },
                                     {
                                         "Name": "Test2",
                                         "Size": "100"
                                     }
                                 ]

                   
    },
    {
        "Name": "Object2",
        "Something": "Strange",
        "Custom": [
			{
                       		"Name": "Test10",
                       		"Size": "200"
                   	}
		]
    }
]
```

I need to generate a C# Class from it like this:

```
public class Custom
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Size { get; set; }
}

public class RootObject
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Something { get; set; }
    public List Custom { get; set; }
}
```

Right now [json2charp.com](http://json2charp.com) gives me classes like this, which I do not fancy 🙂

```
public class Value
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Size { get; set; }
}

public class Custom
{
    public List value { get; set; }
    public int Count { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Size { get; set; }
}

public class RootObject
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Something { get; set; }
    public Custom Custom { get; set; }
}
```

Any help?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stig-sornsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@stig-sornsen](https://forums.powershell.org/u/stig-sornsen)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014/2 "2015-04-12T20:55:23Z")

</div>

I have temporarily overcome this by initializing the $CustomProp array wtih $null ($CustomProp = @($null)) and then do what is necessary with regex afterwards:

-replace ‘“Custom”:{“value”:[null,’, ‘“Custom”:[’ -replace ‘],“Count”:\d},’, ‘],’

If anyone could tell how to do it properly I would still be very glad 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/powershell/original/1X/385e4f9fe133561ad30a814262fe0e0ae6bc3ef0.png) [@system](https://forums.powershell.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014/3 "2015-04-12T22:59:36Z")

</div>

There’s a lot going on in the code where you’re initializing your objects. When I changed it to this the JSON output matched what you’re looking for:

```
$list = @(
    [pscustomobject] @{
        Name = 'Object1'
        Something = 'Weird'
        Custom = @(
            [pscustomobject] @{
                Name = 'Test1'
                Size = '100'
            }

            [pscustomobject] @{
                Name = 'Test2'
                Size = '100'
            }
        )
    }

    [pscustomobject] @{
        Name = 'Object2'
        Something = 'Strange'
        Custom = @(
            [pscustomobject] @{
                Name = 'Test10'
                Size = '200'
            }
        )
    }
)

$list | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3
```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/powershell/original/1X/385e4f9fe133561ad30a814262fe0e0ae6bc3ef0.png) [@system](https://forums.powershell.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014/4 "2015-04-12T23:04:31Z")

</div>

Figuring out they ‘why’ of your original output is a little trickier. You used the @() operator to force your $customProp variables to be arrays, but then you put those variables into an Expression script block of Select-Object, which will unroll the single-element array. (Which is why you see it as a single object when looking at both $list and the JSON conversion in the original output.)

As for that Value and Count bit in your original output? I have no idea where those are coming from. Could be that you’ve found some bug in the JSON converter, but I’m not seeing it at the moment.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![martin-nielsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbce88/32.png) [@martin-nielsen](https://forums.powershell.org/u/martin-nielsen)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014/5 "2015-04-12T23:09:26Z")

</div>

Well I’m not sure why exactly you’re doing the Select-Object thing, but if you initialize the objects using the custom property, then it works.

```
$customProp = @()
$customProp += New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Test1"; Size="100"}
$customProp += New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Test2"; Size="100"}
$object1 = New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Object1"; Something="Weird"; Custom = $customProp }
 
# Object with object property inside
$customProp = @()
$customProp += New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Test10"; Size="200"}
$object2 = New-Object psobject -Property @{ Name="Object2"; Something="Strange"; Custom = $customProp }

PS C:\Users\mni> $object1

Custom Name Something                                                                            
------ ---- ---------                                                                            
{@{Name=Test1; Size=100}, @{Name=Test2; Size=100}} Object1 Weird                                                                                

PS C:\Users\mni> $object2

Custom Name Something                                                                            
------ ---- ---------                                                                            
{@{Name=Test10; Size=200}} Object2 Strange
```

Edit: And then Dave just ninja-solved the riddle.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dotnVo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@dotnVo](https://forums.powershell.org/u/dotnVo)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://forums.powershell.org/t/always-count-property-as-array-json-convert-failure/4014/6 "2024-05-16T20:45:29Z")

</div>