Class StringFlagsEnumConverter

Namespace

Codebelt.Extensions.Newtonsoft.Json.Converters

Assembly

Codebelt.Extensions.Newtonsoft.Json.dll

Converts a FlagsEnum to its name string value.

public class StringFlagsEnumConverter : StringEnumConverter

Inheritance

object

JsonConverter

StringEnumConverter

StringFlagsEnumConverter

Inherited Members

StringEnumConverter.CamelCaseText

StringEnumConverter.NamingStrategy

StringEnumConverter.AllowIntegerValues

JsonConverter.CanRead

JsonConverter.CanWrite

Examples

Flag enumerations represent combinations of independent boolean options (read, write, execute, delete), but JSON.NET serializes them as numeric values that aren't human-readable and don't reflect the semantic intent of multi-value flags. REST APIs and configuration systems need to represent flags as arrays or comma-separated strings that document which options are actually enabled. The StringFlagsEnumConverter handles this by detecting [Flags] attributes and serializing flag combinations as JSON arrays while keeping single flags as strings, producing readable, semantic output. You can customize the naming strategy (camelCase, PascalCase, etc.) by passing a NamingStrategy to the constructor. This example demonstrates how to use the StringFlagsEnumConverter with a flags enumeration:

using Codebelt.Extensions.Newtonsoft.Json.Converters;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using System;

namespace MyApplication
{
    [Flags]
    public enum FilePermissions
    {
        None = 0,
        Read = 1,
        Write = 2,
        Execute = 4,
        Delete = 8
    }

    public class FileAccessConfig
    {
        public string FileName { get; set; }
        public FilePermissions Permissions { get; set; }
    }

    public class FlagsEnumProgram
    {
        public static void Main()
        {
            // Create settings with StringFlagsEnumConverter
            var settings = new JsonSerializerSettings();
            settings.Converters.Add(new StringFlagsEnumConverter());

            // Serialize multiple flags combined
            var config = new FileAccessConfig
            {
                FileName = "document.txt",
                Permissions = FilePermissions.Read | FilePermissions.Write | FilePermissions.Delete
            };

            var json = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(config, settings);
            Console.WriteLine("Serialized with Flags as Array:");
            Console.WriteLine(json);
            Console.WriteLine();

            // Serialize single flag
            var readOnly = new FileAccessConfig
            {
                FileName = "readonly.txt",
                Permissions = FilePermissions.Read
            };

            var jsonSingle = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(readOnly, settings);
            Console.WriteLine("Serialized with Single Flag:");
            Console.WriteLine(jsonSingle);
        }
    }
}

The converter produces the following JSON output:

{
  "fileName": "document.txt",
  "permissions": ["read", "write", "delete"]
}

For a single flag:

{
  "fileName": "readonly.txt",
  "permissions": "read"
}

The converter automatically detects [Flags] attributed enumerations and serializes combinations as JSON arrays, while non-flags enumerations and single flag values are serialized as string values.

Constructors

StringFlagsEnumConverter()

Initializes a new instance of the StringFlagsEnumConverter class.

public StringFlagsEnumConverter()

StringFlagsEnumConverter(NamingStrategy)

Initializes a new instance of the StringFlagsEnumConverter class.

public StringFlagsEnumConverter(NamingStrategy namingStrategy)

Parameters

namingStrategy NamingStrategy

The naming strategy used to resolve how enum text is written.

Methods

CanConvert(Type)

Determines whether this instance can convert the specified object type.

public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)

Parameters

objectType Type

Type of the object.

Returns

bool

true if this instance can convert the specified object type; otherwise, false.

ReadJson(JsonReader, Type, object, JsonSerializer)

Reads the JSON representation of the object.

public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)

Parameters

reader JsonReader

The Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReader to read from.

objectType Type

Type of the object.

existingValue object

The existing value of object being read.

serializer JsonSerializer

The calling serializer.

Returns

object

The object value.

WriteJson(JsonWriter, object, JsonSerializer)

Writes the JSON representation of the object.

public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)

Parameters

writer JsonWriter

The Newtonsoft.Json.JsonWriter to write to.

value object

The value.

serializer JsonSerializer

The calling serializer.

See Also

StringEnumConverter