powershell array sorting posting json vice-versa - arrays

Question

I have an issue with putting array elements into JSON.
Here is my script:
function UpdateJSON()
{
param (
[string] $ApplicationSettingUserValue,
[string] $ApplicationSettingPassValue
)
$JSON = Get-Content $File| Out-String | ConvertFrom-JSON
$arrayUsers = #{"username"=$ApplicationSettingUserValue; "password"=$ApplicationSettingPassValue}
$JSON.users | Add-Member -Type NoteProperty -Name 'test_user' -Value $arrayUsers
ConvertTo-Json $JSON | Set-Content "..\Desktop\json\users.json"
}
In Output I receive the following JSON:
{
"users": {
"test user": {
"password": "TestUser1pass",
"username": "username"
}
}
}
The thing is, that when I'm trying to add the third variable into an array the order becomes right in the output: username, password and . Otherwise, the password and username add in the wrong order.
I tried to put elements into array vice-versa however, nothing changes.
Does anyone know what did I miss?
The required output is:
{
"users": {
"test user": {
"username": "username",
"password": "TestUser1pass"
}
}
}

Answer 1

As commented by #JozefZ, the work arround for this issue is to use an ordered dictionary:
$arrayUsers = [ordered]#{"username"=$ApplicationSettingUserValue; "password"=$ApplicationSettingPassValue}
Background
The ConvertFrom-Json cmdlet returns objects ([PSCustomObject]) rather than hashtables by default (unless you use the -AsHashtable parameter):
$Json.users.'test user'.GetType()
IsPublic IsSerial Name BaseType
-------- -------- ---- --------
True False PSCustomObject System.Object
Or, if you want to reveal the whole PowerShell structure:
ConvertTo-Expression $Json # https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/ConvertTo-Expression
[pscustomobject]#{'users' = [pscustomobject]#{'test user' = [pscustomobject]#{
'username' = 'username'
'password' = 'TestUser1pass'
}}}
Note that the properties of a PSCustomObject are also ordered.
Meaning, you might use the [ordered] type to created additional users:
$arrayUsers = [Ordered]#{username = 'user2'; password = 'pwd2'}
$Json.users | Add-Member -Type NoteProperty -Name 'test user2' -Value $arrayUsers
But that will give you different user objects:
$Json.Users | ConvertTo-Expression
[pscustomobject]#{
'test user' = [pscustomobject]#{
'username' = 'username'
'password' = 'TestUser1pass'
}
'test user2' = [ordered]#{
'username' = 'user2'
'password' = 'pwd2'
}
}
But it is actually better to create additional user objects using the [pscustomobject] type:
$arrayUsers = [PSCustomObject]#{username = 'user2'; password = 'pwd2'}
$JSON.users | Add-Member -Type NoteProperty -Name 'test user2' -Value $arrayUsers
$Json.Users | ConvertTo-Expression
[pscustomobject]#{
'test user' = [pscustomobject]#{
'username' = 'username'
'password' = 'TestUser1pass'
}
'test user2' = [pscustomobject]#{
'username' = 'user2'
'password' = 'pwd2'
}
}
It doesn't matter for the end result (if you serialize the whole object using ConvertTo-Json) but it might, if you want manipulate the user list (e.g. sorting) prior serializing it.