Json serialization problem - Self referencing loop

[Jeremy Holt]

Hi - this is probably more to do with my lack of understanding about C# than anything else .....

I have the following classes:

public class Parent

    {

        public Parent()

        {

            Calculated = new Calculator(this);

        }

        public Child Child { get; set; }

        public Calculator Calculated { get; private set; }

    }

    public class Child

    {

        public string FirstName { get; set; }

        public string LastName { get; set; }

    }

    public class Calculator

    {

        public Calculator(Parent parent)

        {

            Parent = parent;

        }

        public Parent Parent { get; private set; }

        public string Name

        {

            get { return Parent.Child.FirstName + " " + Parent.Child.LastName; }

        }

    }

I can serialize and deserialize Parent correctly by making direct calls to JsonConvert.SerializeObject. 

I can also map Parent using Automapper.

However Raven will not SaveChanges, reporting that Parent.Calculated.Name is null. If I expose Calculator.Parent as a public property I get " Self referencing loop detected". If I make Parent (_parent) a private field of Calculator, it is not getting initialized at the moment that SaveChanges is called, but no Self referencing loop exception.

Failing test at https://gist.github.com/3955867

Is there some way of getting around this? I can force the initialization of Calculator by adding an Init method to both Parent and Calculator (which is what I'm doing at the moment) - but this is very smelly, i.e. in Calculator:

public void Init(Parent parent){

    this._parent = parent;

}

Many thanks in advance

Jeremy

[Oren Eini (Ayende Rahien)]

[JsonObject(IsReference=true)]

public class Parent

[Jeremy Holt]

Hi

I tried that, and it works when saving the record, but not when loading, i.e.

var parent = session.Load<Parent>("parents-1")

parent.Calculated is still null

[Oren Eini (Ayende Rahien)]

Can you create a failing test?

[Jeremy Holt]

https://gist.github.com/3964590

[Oren Eini (Ayende Rahien)]

The problem is that the Calculator is using a private field, which does NOT get serialized.

If you changed that to a property, it all works.

public Contract Contract { get; set; }

public Calculator(Contract contract)

{

Contract = contract;

[Jeremy Holt]

Great, thanks. I guess I should have thought of that.