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Type Mismatch When Deserializing JSON with Nullable and Non-Nullable Properties in C#

👀 Views: 90 đŸ’Ŧ Answers: 1 📅 Created: 2025-06-11
json c# deserialization newtonsoft-json C#

I'm getting frustrated with I'm building a feature where I've encountered a strange issue with I'm writing unit tests and I'm not sure how to approach I've been researching this but I've been banging my head against this for hours... After trying multiple solutions online, I still can't figure this out... I'm working with an scenario while deserializing a JSON string into a C# class that has both nullable and non-nullable properties. The JSON I'm trying to deserialize looks like this: ```json { "name": "John Doe", "age": null, "email": "john.doe@example.com" } ``` And my C# class is defined as follows: ```csharp public class User { public string Name { get; set; } public int Age { get; set; } public string Email { get; set; } } ``` When I try to deserialize this JSON using Newtonsoft.Json (Json.NET) version 13.0.1 with the following code: ```csharp var json = "{\"name\": \"John Doe\", \"age\": null, \"email\": \"john.doe@example.com\"}"; var user = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<User>(json); ``` I receive the following exception: ``` Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializationException: behavior converting value {null} to type 'System.Int32'. Path 'age', line 1, position 33. ``` I understand that the `age` property is defined as a non-nullable `int`, which is causing the deserialization to unexpected result when it encounters a `null` value in the JSON. I tried changing the `Age` property to `int?` (nullable int), but it seems like I need to ensure that the rest of my code can handle this change as well. What is the best way to handle this scenario? Should I refactor my model to make `Age` nullable, or is there a way to deserialize it while keeping `int`? Are there any configurations in Json.NET that might help? I'm looking for a solution that would maintain the integrity of the data model while gracefully handling null values in JSON. Thanks in advance! Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'd be grateful for any help. Thanks for your help in advance! Any suggestions would be helpful. For context: I'm using C# on macOS. Is there a simpler solution I'm overlooking? I'm working on a REST API that needs to handle this. Is this even possible?