Get all values from property with LINQ from JSON? - vb.net

Question

I'm having trouble sorting out the exact syntax to properly query my JSON response.
My API endpoint returns some JSON as follows:
{
"status": "Succeeded",
"recognitionResults": [
{
"page": 1,
"clockwiseOrientation": 0.14,
"width": 2835,
"height": 2241,
"unit": "pixel",
"lines": [
{
"boundingBox": [
25,
11,
324,
15,
323,
51,
24,
46
],
"text": "Custom Report",
"words": [
{
"boundingBox": [
37,
11,
171,
14,
172,
49,
38,
48
],
"text": "Custom"
},
{
"boundingBox": [
193,
15,
322,
17,
323,
49,
194,
49
],
"text": "Report"
}
]
}...
What is important to note is that is that the root element will only contain 1 recognitionResults array. Inside this array it will contain many arrays of lines. Inside each line I have a property of text, I'll also have a property of words that also contains a property of text. I'm only concerned with the property text that is the direct child of lines.
I'm attempting to select all of the text properties into a list of strings.
vb.net code:
File.WriteAllText(Path.GetFileName(strFilePath) & ".json", JToken.Parse(strResult).ToString())
Dim c1 As JArray = CType(tmpObj("recognitionResults"), JArray)
Dim c2 = (From s In c1.Children() Select s("text")).ToList()
This throws an exception that the JArray has an invalid key; an int is expected.
I also thought I could just query it with LINQ directly:
Dim c3 = (From s In tmpObj Select s("text")).ToList()
This throws an exception that it cannot access a child value on Newtonsoft.Json.Linq.Jproperty
Lastly, I've also tried this:
Dim c2 = (From p In tmpObj("recognitionResults")("lines").Children() Select p("text"))
I'm really stuck at this point. I think I just have a syntax problem in how I am trying to select. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Answer 1

You can use SelectTokens with a wildcard to get the information you want from the JSON more easily:
Dim token As JToken = JToken.Parse(json)
Dim lines As List(Of String) = _
(From t In token.SelectTokens("..lines[*].text") Select CStr(t)).ToList()
Working demo: https://dotnetfiddle.net/Zlenga