Convert coldfusion json to struct

Question

I have a JSON variable output from a jQuery application as so:

[{"id":1},
{"id":197,"children":[{"id":198},{"id":199},{"id":200}]},
{"id":2,"children":[{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":143},{"id":6},{"id":5},{"id":7},{"id":8},{"id":9},{"id":10},{"id":11},{"id":12}]},
{"id":15,"children":[{"id":17},{"id":190},{"id":191},{"id":131},{"id":16},{"id":142},{"id":124}]},
{"id":149,"children":[{"id":150},{"id":160},{"id":161},{"id":184}]},
{"id":20,"children":[{"id":132},{"id":127},{"id":152},{"id":107},{"id":108},{"id":109},{"id":110},{"id":125},{"id":128},{"id":130},{"id":129},{"id":112}]},
{"id":162,"children":[{"id":163},{"id":164},{"id":165},{"id":166},{"id":186},{"id":187}]},
{"id":167,"children":[{"id":173},{"id":168},{"id":170},{"id":169},{"id":192},{"id":194}]},
{"id":174,"children":[{"id":176},{"id":175},{"id":188}]},
{"id":153,"children":[{"id":178},{"id":179},{"id":195},{"id":154},{"id":157}]},
{"id":180,"children":[{"id":181},{"id":182},{"id":183},{"id":189}]},
{"id":122},
{"id":21},
{"id":13},
{"id":92},
{"id":22},
{"id":113},
{"id":114}]

I need to convert this variable to a struct and then loop the struct by the first id parameter to find the children for each id (if there is one). I have tried to convert it as a structure like so but I am getting an error:

<cfset jsonarray = deserializeJson(output)>
<cfloop collection="#jsonarray#" index="id">
<cfdump var="#jsonarray[id]#">
</cfloop>

It does not recognize the variable as a structure:

Invalid collection [{id={1}}, {children={[{id={198}}, {id={199}}, {id={200}}]},id={197}}, {children={[{id={3}}, {id={143}}, {id={4}}, {id={6}}, {id={5}}, {id={7}}, {id={8}}, {id={9}}, {id={10}}, {id={11}}, {id={12}}]},id={2}}, {children={[{id={17}}, {id={190}}, {id={191}}, {id={131}}, {id={16}}, {id={142}}, {id={124}}]},id={15}}, {children={[{id={150}}, {id={160}}, {id={161}}, {id={184}}]},id={149}}, {children={[{id={132}}, {id={127}}, {id={152}}, {id={107}}, {id={108}}, {id={109}}, {id={110}}, {id={125}}, {id={128}}, {id={130}}, {id={129}}, {id={112}}]},id={20}}, {children={[{id={163}}, {id={164}}, {id={165}}, {id={166}}, {id={186}}, {id={187}}]},id={162}}, {children={[{id={173}}, {id={168}}, {id={170}}, {id={169}}, {id={192}}, {id={194}}]},id={167}}, {children={[{id={176}}, {id={175}}, {id={188}}]},id={174}}, {children={[{id={178}}, {id={179}}, {id={195}}, {id={154}}, {id={157}}]},id={153}}, {children={[{id={181}}, {id={182}}, {id={183}}, {id={189}}]},id={180}}, {id={122}}, {id={21}}, {id={13}}, {id={92}}, {id={22}}, {id={113.... Must be a valid structure or COM object. 

Dartmouth

@Leigh has got you on the right track as far as a general solution goes. Also note that you're deserialising the JSON into a variable jsonarray then referencing it as session.jsonarray. Those are two different variables. – Siouan

Answer 1

In JSON, the [] denotes an array and {} a structure (or object). So your input is actually an array of structures. You need to use an array loop, not a collection loop:

<cfset arrayOfStructs = deserializeJson(output)>
<cfloop array="#arrayOfStructs#" index="parent">
      <cfset parentID = parent.id />
      ... 
</cfloop>

children is also an array of structures. Inside the outer loop, check for the existence of that key. If found, loop through the child array and do something with each of the id's:

  <cfif structKeyExists(parent, "children")>
      <cfloop array="#parent.children#" index="child">
          ...
      </cfloop>
  </cfif>

Habile

Answer 2

A tidy cfscript version. :)

<cfscript>
    structObj = deserializeJson(jsonString);

    for(i = 1; i LTE ArrayLen(structObj); i++){

        WriteOutput("parent id : " & structObj[i].id & "<br>"); 
        if(StructKeyExists(structObj[i], "children")){
            for(j = 1; j LTE ArrayLen(structObj[i].children); j++){
                WriteOutput("    -children id : " & structObj[i].children[j].id & "<br>");
            }
        }
    }
</cfscript>

Trustee

Answer 3

I created an Angular 1.4 ColdFusion 9 JSON Normalizer here

 var myURL = 'myCfc.cfc?method=getItemsFromDb';
 var app = angular.module('angularOutput',[]);
 app.controller("sectionController", function($scope, $http) {
      $http.get(myURL).
        success(function(data, status, headers, config) {
          var log = []; 
          var output = '';
          angular.forEach(data.DATA, function(value, key) {
                    this.push(output +='{"value": ');
                    this.push(output += '"'+value[0]+'"');
                    this.push(output +=',"text":');
                    this.push(output += '"'+value[1]+'"');
                    this.push(output +='}');
                    this.push(output +=',');
                }, log);
              output = output.replace(/,\s*$/, "");/*had to remove the final comma */
              output = '['+output+']'; /*had to add the [] to corectally form the output*/

          $scope.sections = angular.fromJson(output);
        }).
        error(function(data, status, headers, config) {
          console.log(data);
        });
    });

Centaurus