From an API, I get a json with some escape character backslashes. Here is an example:

https://store.steampowered.com/api/appdetails?appids=294100

When I try to decode with a JSONDecoder(), I get NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=3840 "Unexpected character . . ." pointing to the character after the first backslash.

In a playground, I can get around this by padding with a “#” before and after the multiline literal string, which I believe makes it a raw string, and it then parses successfully! Wowee!

My problem is: I am not sure how to tell Mr. JSONDecoder() to treat the data as a raw string when I am not in direct control of the incoming api response.

Alternatively: I am not sure how to successfully pad/wrap an incoming api response with the “#” character, so the decoder will treat it as a raw string and my life can move forward.

I have been unsuccessfully trying to pad (e.g.: "#".data(using: .utf8)! around the API response with concatenation) before I .decode it.

I am not sure how to cast data to a string with something like .base64EncodedString(), which is at this moment moot, since I am unable to verify because the decoder doesn’t like the #, and now gives the Unexpected character for that character.

This puzzles me since, in the playground, I simply surround the mock multiline literal json (which is the above API response as a multiline literal string, appended with .data(using: .utf8)!) with “#”, and it parses into my objects, and life is once again full of joy and realized potential.

Obligatory “I have spent more than a few stubborn hours on this, reviewed all the suggestions as I write this question, and I am sure it is something simple, so I am sorry if it is a duplicate”

Cheers!