Trouble getting data from TheMovieDB API with Swift JSON - json

Question

I am brand new to using JSON and wanted to get started with a simple app to provide a movie overview when you type in a title. My below code returns everything in one big string. How do I get just one piece of information like the overview or year?
With my below attempt, print(obj["overview"] as Any)) prints "nil" and print(obj) looks like this:
{
page = 1;
results = (
{
adult = 0;
"backdrop_path" = "/A0aGxrCGRBuCrDltGYiKGeAUect.jpg";
"genre_ids" = (
53,
80
);
id = 680;
"original_language" = en;
"original_title" = "Pulp Fiction";
overview = "A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.";
Current Code:
let query = "Pulp+Fiction"
let urlString = "https://api.themoviedb.org/3/search/movie?api_key={MYAPIKEY}&query=\(query)"
let url = URL(string: urlString)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with:url!) { (data, response, error) in
if error != nil {
print(error as Any)
} else {
do {
let parsedData = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data!) as Any
if let obj = parsedData as? NSDictionary {
print(obj["overview"] as Any)
print(obj)
}
} catch {
print("error")
} }
}.resume()
}

Answer 1

// write this extension anywhere in your any swift file
extension String{
func toDictionary() -> NSDictionary {
let blankDict : NSDictionary = [:]
if let data = self.data(using: .utf8) {
do {
return try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data, options: []) as! NSDictionary
} catch {
print(error.localizedDescription)
}
}
return blankDict
}
}
//now in your code modify as
if data != nil {
let responseString = String(data: data!, encoding: .utf8)!
if(responseString != "")
{
//convert response string into dictionary using extended method
let responseValues = responseString.toDictionary()
//access value using keyPath using
let value = responseValues.value(forKeyPath: "key.key2")
//where key2 is the target key which is inside the value of key
}
}

Answer 2

First of all JSON results are never Any. As already mentioned in the comments the root object is a dictionary
if let parsedData = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data!) as? [String:Any],
The key overview is in array for key results
let results = parsedData["results"] as? [[String:Any]] {
You have to iterate over the array to get the values for key overview
for result in results {
print(result["overview"] as? String ?? "no value for key overview")
}
}
It's highly recommended to use the Codable protocol and custom structs in Swift 4.