AFNetworking GET request - unable convert responseObject to NSDictionary - ios

Question

I have tried several option setting responseSerializer to JSON but i am unable to convert responseObject to NSDictionary. The problem is response i am getting is NSData
NSString *baseURLString = #"Your URL?";
NSString *str = #"adult=false&gender=male";
NSString *url = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"%#%#",baseURLString,str];
AFHTTPRequestOperationManager *manager = [AFHTTPRequestOperationManager manager];
manager.responseSerializer = [AFHTTPResponseSerializer serializer];
[manager GET:url parameters:nil success:^(AFHTTPRequestOperation *operation, id responseObject) {
// do whatever you'd like here; for example, if you want to convert
// it to a string and log it, you might do something like:
NSLog(#"responseObject %#",responseObject);
NSString *jsonString = [[NSString alloc] initWithData:responseObject encoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
NSLog(#"%#", jsonString);
NSError* error;
NSDictionary* json = [NSJSONSerialization
JSONObjectWithData:responseObject
options:NSJSONReadingMutableContainers
error:&error];
NSLog(#"json %#",json);
if (error) {
NSLog(#"%#",[error description]);
}
} failure:^(AFHTTPRequestOperation *operation, NSError *error) {
NSLog(#"Error: %#", error);
}];
This NSLog(#"%#",[error description]); gives error as follows:
Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=3840 "The operation couldn’t be completed.
(Cocoa error 3840.)" (Garbage at end.)
UserInfo=0xa7c5440 {NSDebugDescription=Garbage at end.}

Answer 1

Your JSON is coming back with garbage at the end.
You should fix your webservice to not embed timestamp and language at the end of your JSON. If you can not change your webservice, then use following to remove trailing garbage from your json before parsing it with NSJSONSerialization again.
NSRange range = [jsonString rangeOfString:#"}" options:NSBackwardsSearch];
jsonString = [jsonString substringToIndex:range.location + 1];
Then parse this cleaned up jsonString to NSDictionary:
NSData *newJSONData = [jsonString dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
NSDictionary* json = [NSJSONSerialization
JSONObjectWithData:newJSONData
options:NSJSONReadingMutableContainers
error:&error];
NSLog(#"json %#",json);
It should work just fine.

Answer 2

Your data is not a valid JSON you can check in this JSON Formatter provide the url or copy paste the JSON data and hit process you will see that its not a valid JSON.
The reason it not valid is it contains This page was created in 0.0048439502716064 seconds this message at the end of its response. If have control in the server side than try to stop sending this line in the end or try to remove this line and the convert it to NSDictionary. Hope this helps .. :)