Why does Json.NET DeserializeObject change the timezone to local time?

Question

I'm using json.net to deserialize a DateTimeOffset, but it is ignoring the specified timezone and converting the datetime to the local offset. For example, given

var content = @"{""startDateTime"":""2012-07-19T14:30:00+09:30""}";

When deserialised using:

var jsonSerializerSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings() { DateFormatHandling = DateFormatHandling.IsoDateFormat, DateParseHandling = DateParseHandling.DateTimeOffset, DateTimeZoneHandling = DateTimeZoneHandling.RoundtripKind };
var obj = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(content, jsonSerializerSettings);

The obj will contain a property containing a DateTimeOffset but the value will be 2012-07-19T15:30:00+10:30 i.e. converted to the local timezone instead of preserving the original timezone.

Is there a way to get the value to be parsed as expected so that the resulting DateTimeOffset property will match the supplied value?

Anesthetize

Funny thing is that the date/time is actually correct, 14:30 in +9:30 must be 15:30 in +10:30. – Brader

Not sure if there's any relation here, but it seems WCF serialization/deserialization does this trick by default as well. Perhaps the same solution could help you: daveonsoftware.blogspot.com/2008/07/… – Wills

Hint for other. Sometimes it's better to use DateParseHandling.None to output the date as a string and parse yourself. – Oeflein

Answer 1

It seems to be ignoring DateParseHandling.DateTimeOffset and is using DateParseHandling.DateTime. I would log an issue here: https://github.com/JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json

Unstop

I do not know if this bug has been fixed. – Unstop

@PeterRitchie any success resolving this issue? I am using 8.0.3 version but still getting the same issue – Aplasia

@JasmeetSingh Shows as being fixed on the Newtonsoft site. – Unstop

@PeterRitchie yeah I saw that. Problem in my case was there were 2 api's wrapped over one. I had to do the setting changes on the wrapped one. Thanks – Aplasia

Answer 2

Try using this:

microsoftDateFormatSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings
{
    DateFormatHandling = DateFormatHandling.MicrosoftDateFormat,
    DateTimeZoneHandling = DateTimeZoneHandling.Local
};
var items = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<lstObject>>(jsonString, microsoftDateFormatSettings);

I don't know if it will work in all cases but for me it did. You can try some other values for DateTimeZoneHandling or search for more options on Google.

Croom

Not worked - exception – Inearth

Not working , when parsing still recalculate to LocalTime and add local UTC offset – Ashbey

Answer 3

If you're using .NET WebApi you can add the following to the WebApiConfig.cs file to handle this globally in your application.

config.Formatters.JsonFormatter.SerializerSettings.DateTimeZoneHandling = 
    Newtonsoft.Json.DateTimeZoneHandling.Local;

This will specifically tell the JsonFormatter to include and understand the local time zone information when serializing and deserializing a date.

Cosy

Answer 4

I'm not sure regarding which version did you use, because at some point of time we had the same problem, then update fixed it...

Your code works wrong for me also, but if I create class like

public class A
{
    public DateTimeOffset startDateTime;
}

and call

var obj = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<A>(content, jsonSerializerSettings);

everything works as expected. Yes, it's bug for sure, yes, I don't know how to get result exactly as YOU want, but probably, it will help for someone else.

Ecclesia

Answer 5

This works for me, a timezone is preserved

var jss = new JsonSerializerSettings
    {
         DateFormatHandling = DateFormatHandling.IsoDateFormat,
         DateTimeZoneHandling = DateTimeZoneHandling.Local, 
         DateParseHandling = DateParseHandling.DateTimeOffset
    };
var responseObj = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<dynamic>(body, jss);
return responseObj.Select(s => new {
                    id = s["id"].Value<int>(),
                    date = s["date"].Value<DateTimeOffset>().DateTime,
                });

A JSON body is something like this

[
    {
        "id": 211,
        "date": "2017-10-22T12:00:00+03:00",
        "status": 1
    },
    {
        "id": 212,
        "date": "2017-10-28T12:00:00+03:00",
        "status": 1
    }
]

Kimkimball

Confirmed this works perfectly, and I just switched out all my DateTime to DateTimeOffset .NET Core, and works perfectly. This answer should be higher up! – Seal

Answer 6

To use the correct Local Date with custom JsonConverter, do:

var obj = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(json, type, new JsonSerializerSettings {
    DateFormatHandling = DateFormatHandling.MicrosoftDateFormat,
    DateTimeZoneHandling = DateTimeZoneHandling.Local,
    Converters = new JsonConverter[] { new MY_CUSTOM_CONVERTER() }
});

I search hard on the internet to combine them together, and eventually found JsonConverter can be feed into JsonSerializerSettings.

Appal

Answer 7

As a simple way, you can Convert Date to Ticks for serializing and convert it from Ticks to Date for deserializing:

Serializing:

DateTime date = new DateTime();
ticks = date.Ticks

Deserializing"

Datetime = new Datetime(ticks);

Gilbert

Answer 8

To use these settings in serializer, type:

var serializerSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings
            {
                DateFormatHandling = DateFormatHandling.MicrosoftDateFormat,
                DateTimeZoneHandling = DateTimeZoneHandling.Local
            };
            var serializer = JsonSerializer.Create(serializerSettings);

Marabout

Answer 9

This is the only thing which worked for me (it differs from other supplied answers which didn't work). The key is DateParseHandling.None.

Previously JsonConvert.DeserializeObject was converting UK dates to US dates, even in hyphenated form. e.g. 2023-06-08 to 2023-08-06.

var jsonSerializerSettings = new JsonSerializerSettings
        {
            DateFormatHandling = DateFormatHandling.IsoDateFormat,
            DateTimeZoneHandling = DateTimeZoneHandling.Local,
            DateParseHandling = DateParseHandling.None
        };

then:

JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<*class*>(response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result, jsonSerializerSettings);

Bare