Parse JSON in C#

Answer 1

Your GoogleSearchResults type has fields and properties that have the same name. Try renaming your fields with leading underscores (anything that will disambiguate between the two).

Answer 2

[Update]
I've just realized why you weren't receiving results back... you have a missing line in your Deserialize method. You were forgetting to assign the results to your obj :

public static T Deserialise<T>(string json)
{
    T obj = Activator.CreateInstance<T>();
    using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream(Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(json)))
    {
        DataContractJsonSerializer serializer = new DataContractJsonSerializer(obj.GetType());
        obj = (T)serializer.ReadObject(ms); // <== Your missing line
        return obj;
    } 
}

Also, just for reference, here is the Serialize method :

public static string Serialize<T>(T obj)
{
    DataContractJsonSerializer serializer = new DataContractJsonSerializer(obj.GetType());
    using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream())
    {
        serializer.WriteObject(ms, obj);
        return Encoding.Default.GetString(ms.ToArray());
    }
}

---

Now, the reason you're getting a StackOverflow is because of your Properties.

Take for example this one :

[DataMember]
public string unescapedUrl
{
    get { return unescapedUrl; } // <= this line is causing a Stack Overflow
    set { this.unescapedUrl = value; }
}

Notice that in the getter, you are returning the actual property (ie the property's getter is calling itself over and over again), and thus you are creating an infinite recursion.

---

Properties (in 2.0) should be defined like such :

string _unescapedUrl; // <= private field

[DataMember]
public string unescapedUrl
{
    get { return _unescapedUrl; } 
    set { _unescapedUrl = value; }
}

You have a private field and then you return the value of that field in the getter, and set the value of that field in the setter.

---

Btw, if you're using the 3.5 Framework, you can just do this and avoid the backing fields, and let the compiler take care of that :

public string unescapedUrl { get; set;}

Answer 3

Your data class doesn't match the JSON object. Use this instead:

[DataContract]
public class GoogleSearchResults
{
    [DataMember]
    public ResponseData responseData { get; set; }
}

[DataContract]
public class ResponseData
{
    [DataMember]
    public IEnumerable<Results> results { get; set; }
}

[DataContract]
public class Results
{
    [DataMember]
    public string unescapedUrl { get; set; }

    [DataMember]
    public string url { get; set; }

    [DataMember]
    public string visibleUrl { get; set; }

    [DataMember]
    public string cacheUrl { get; set; }

    [DataMember]
    public string title { get; set; }

    [DataMember]
    public string titleNoFormatting { get; set; }

    [DataMember]
    public string content { get; set; }
}

Also, you don't have to instantiate the class to get its type for deserialization:

public static T Deserialise<T>(string json)
{
    using (var ms = new MemoryStream(Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(json)))
    {
        var serialiser = new DataContractJsonSerializer(typeof(T));
        return (T)serialiser.ReadObject(ms);
    }
}