---
title: "Customize the serialization of a Sitecore field"
slug: "customize-the-serialization-of-a-sitecore-field"
abstract: "Customize the data returned by the Layout Service by serializing a field."
---
# Customize the serialization of a Sitecore field

Customizing the serialization of a Sitecore field is one of the methods you can use to customize the data returned by the Layout Service.

To customize the serialization of a Sitecore field:

1. Create an implementation of `Sitecore.LayoutService.Serialization.FieldSerializers.BaseFieldSerializer`.
2. Override the `WriteValue` method and use the `JsonTextWriter` to create your custom JSON structure for the `Field`.
3. Create an implementation of `Sitecore.LayoutService.Serialization.Pipelines.GetFieldSerializer.BaseGetFieldSerializer`.
4. Override `SetResult` and set `args.Result` to an instance of your `BaseFieldSerializer` implementation.
5. Patch the `getFieldSerializer` pipeline within the `layoutService` pipeline group with your `BaseFieldSerializer` implementation. You must patch before the `GetDefaultFieldSerializer` processor, and populate the `FieldTypes` list with the Sitecore field type(s) that you want.