diff --git a/json.html.markdown b/json.html.markdown index cde7bc40..a612cffe 100644 --- a/json.html.markdown +++ b/json.html.markdown @@ -8,27 +8,24 @@ contributors: - ["Michael Neth", "https://github.com/infernocloud"] --- -As JSON is an extremely simple data-interchange format, this is most likely going to be the simplest Learn X in Y Minutes ever. +JSON is an extremely simple data-interchange format. As [json.org](http://json.org) says, it is easy for humans to read and write and for machines to parse and generate. + +A piece of JSON must represent either: +* A collection of name/value pairs (`{ }`). In various languages, this is realized as an object, record, struct, dictionary, hash table, keyed list, or associative array. +* An ordered list of values (`[ ]`). In various languages, this is realized as an array, vector, list, or sequence. + an array/list/sequence (`[ ]`) or a dictionary/object/associated array (`{ }`). JSON in its purest form has no actual comments, but most parsers will accept C-style (`//`, `/* */`) comments. Some parsers also tolerate a trailing comma (i.e. a comma after the last element of an array or the after the last property of an object), but they should be avoided for better compatibility. -For the purposes of this, however, everything is going to be 100% valid JSON. Luckily, it kind of speaks for itself. +For the purposes of this tutorial, everything is going to be 100% valid JSON. Luckily, it kind of speaks for itself. -A JSON value must be a number, a string, an array, an object, or one of the following 3 literal names: true, false, null. +Supported data types: -Supporting browsers are: Firefox 3.5+, Internet Explorer 8.0+, Chrome 1.0+, Opera 10.0+, and Safari 4.0+. - -File extension for JSON files is ".json" and the MIME type for JSON text is "application/json". - -Many programming languages have support for serializing (encoding) and unserializing (decoding) JSON data into native data structures. Javascript has implicit support for manipulating JSON text as data. - -More information can be found at http://www.json.org/ - -JSON is built on two structures: -* A collection of name/value pairs. In various languages, this is realized as an object, record, struct, dictionary, hash table, keyed list, or associative array. -* An ordered list of values. In most languages, this is realized as an array, vector, list, or sequence. - -An object with various name/value pairs. +* Strings: `"hello"`, `"\"A quote.\""`, `"\u0abe"`, `"Newline.\n"` +* Numbers: `23`, `0.11`, `12e10`, `3.141e-10`, `1.23e+4` +* Objects: `{ "key": "value" }` +* Arrays: `["Values"]` +* Miscellaneous: `true`, `false`, `null` ```json { @@ -66,20 +63,20 @@ An object with various name/value pairs. "alternative style": { "comment": "check this out!" - , "comma position": "doesn't matter - as long as it's before the next key, then it's valid" + , "comma position": "doesn't matter, if it's before the next key, it's valid" , "another comment": "how nice" - } + }, + + + + "whitespace": "Does not matter.", + + + + "that was short": "And done. You now know everything JSON has to offer." } ``` -A single array of values by itself is also valid JSON. +## Further Reading -```json -[1, 2, 3, "text", true] -``` - -Objects can be a part of the array as well. - -```json -[{"name": "Bob", "age": 25}, {"name": "Jane", "age": 29}, {"name": "Jack", "age": 31}] -``` +* [JSON.org](http://json.org) All of JSON beautifully explained using flowchart-like graphics.