JSON response from WCF escapes name values -

i trying return dictionary wcf rest service json object. want format {"key": "value"} have created own class described here , here.

the service method works, sort of. problem key names escaped. example, if dictionary contains "hello world": 100, {"hello_x0020_world":100}. escapes other characters %, etc.

is there way can tell serialization not escape names way? using xml rules don't (necessarily) apply json.

my serializable class:

[serializable] public class jsondictionary : iserializable {     private dictionary<string, object> _dictionary;     public jsondictionary()     {         _dictionary = new dictionary<string, object>();     }     public jsondictionary(serializationinfo info, streamingcontext context)     {         _dictionary = new dictionary<string, object>();         serializationinfoenumerator enumerator = info.getenumerator();         while (enumerator.movenext())         {             _dictionary.add(enumerator.name, enumerator.value);         }     }     public object this[string key]     {         { return _dictionary[key]; }         set { _dictionary[key] = value; }     }     public void add(string key, object value)     {         _dictionary.add(key, value);     }     public bool containskey(string key)     {         return _dictionary.containskey(key);     }     public void getobjectdata(serializationinfo info, streamingcontext context)     {         foreach (string key in _dictionary.keys)             info.addvalue(key, _dictionary[key], _dictionary[key] == null ? typeof(object) : _dictionary[key].gettype());       } } 

my service function definition:

[webget(uritemplate = "", responseformat = webmessageformat.json)]     public jsondictionary getcollection()     {         jsondictionary dict = new jsondictionary();          dict.add("hello world", 100);         return dict;     } 

the datacontractjsonserializer used default in wcf uses xml-to-json mapping causes issues, 1 see in iserializable types. can, however, use custom formatter change how response serialized. in example below, i'm using json.net deals iserializable objects "correctly".

public class stackoverflow_16674152 {     [serializable]     public class jsondictionary : iserializable     {         private dictionary<string, object> _dictionary;         public jsondictionary()         {             _dictionary = new dictionary<string, object>();         }         public jsondictionary(serializationinfo info, streamingcontext context)         {             _dictionary = new dictionary<string, object>();             serializationinfoenumerator enumerator = info.getenumerator();             while (enumerator.movenext())             {                 _dictionary.add(enumerator.name, enumerator.value);             }         }         public object this[string key]         {             { return _dictionary[key]; }             set { _dictionary[key] = value; }         }         public void add(string key, object value)         {             _dictionary.add(key, value);         }         public bool containskey(string key)         {             return _dictionary.containskey(key);         }         public void getobjectdata(serializationinfo info, streamingcontext context)         {             foreach (string key in _dictionary.keys)                 info.addvalue(key, _dictionary[key], _dictionary[key] == null ? typeof(object) : _dictionary[key].gettype());         }     }     [servicecontract]     public class service     {         [webget(uritemplate = "", responseformat = webmessageformat.json)]         [myiserializableresponsejsonbehavior]         public jsondictionary getcollection()         {             jsondictionary dict = new jsondictionary();              dict.add("hello world", 100);             return dict;         }     }     public class myformatter : idispatchmessageformatter     {         idispatchmessageformatter original;         string replyaction;         public myformatter(idispatchmessageformatter original, string replyaction)         {             this.original = original;             this.replyaction = replyaction;         }          public void deserializerequest(message message, object[] parameters)         {             this.original.deserializerequest(message, parameters);         }          public message serializereply(messageversion messageversion, object[] parameters, object result)         {             iserializable serializable = result iserializable;             if (serializable != null)             {                 string json = jsonconvert.serializeobject(serializable);                 byte[] bytes = encoding.utf8.getbytes(json);                 var writer = new myrawwriter(bytes);                 message reply = message.createmessage(messageversion, replyaction, writer);                 reply.properties.add(webbodyformatmessageproperty.name, new webbodyformatmessageproperty(webcontentformat.raw));                 return reply;             }             else             {                 return this.original.serializereply(messageversion, parameters, result);             }         }          class myrawwriter : bodywriter         {             byte[] data;             public myrawwriter(byte[] data)                 : base(true)             {                 this.data = data;             }              protected override void onwritebodycontents(xmldictionarywriter writer)             {                 writer.writestartelement("binary");                 writer.writebase64(data, 0, data.length);                 writer.writeendelement();             }         }     }     public class myiserializableresponsejsonbehaviorattribute : attribute, ioperationbehavior     {         public void addbindingparameters(operationdescription operationdescription, bindingparametercollection bindingparameters)         {         }          public void applyclientbehavior(operationdescription operationdescription, clientoperation clientoperation)         {         }          public void applydispatchbehavior(operationdescription operationdescription, dispatchoperation dispatchoperation)         {             if (operationdescription.messages.count > 1)             {                 dispatchoperation.formatter = new myformatter(dispatchoperation.formatter, operationdescription.messages[1].action);             }         }          public void validate(operationdescription operationdescription)         {             if (operationdescription.messages.count > 1)             {                 var respmessage = operationdescription.messages[1];                 if (respmessage.body.parts.count > 0)                 {                     throw new invalidoperationexception("cannot used out/ref parameters");                 }             }              var wga = operationdescription.behaviors.find<webgetattribute>();             var wia = operationdescription.behaviors.find<webinvokeattribute>();             webmessagebodystyle bodystyle = webmessagebodystyle.bare; // default             if (wga != null && wga.isbodystylesetexplicitly) {                 bodystyle = wga.bodystyle;             }              if (wia != null && wia.isbodystylesetexplicitly) {                 bodystyle = wia.bodystyle;             }              if (bodystyle == webmessagebodystyle.wrapped || bodystyle == webmessagebodystyle.wrappedresponse)             {                 throw new invalidoperationexception("this behavior can used bare response style");             }         }     }     public static void test()     {         string baseaddress = "http://" + environment.machinename + ":8000/service";         servicehost host = new servicehost(typeof(service), new uri(baseaddress));         host.addserviceendpoint(typeof(service), new webhttpbinding(), "").behaviors.add(new webhttpbehavior());         host.open();         console.writeline("host opened");          webclient c = new webclient();         console.writeline(c.downloadstring(baseaddress + "/"));     } }