How to prettyprint a JSON file?

Cover Image for How to prettyprint a JSON file?
Matheus Mello
Matheus Mello
published a few days ago. updated a few hours ago

How to 🎨 prettyprint a JSON file? 💅

Are you tired of looking at messy and unreadable JSON files? Don't worry, we've got you covered! In this guide, we'll show you some easy ways to prettyprint your JSON files in Python, so you can make them look as beautiful as your favorite artwork 🖼️. Let's dive right in!

The Problem: Messy JSON files 😫

JSON files are great for storing and exchanging data, but they can quickly become a nightmare to read and understand when they're not properly formatted. Take a look at this example:

{"name":"John","age":30,"city":"New York"}

Trying to make sense of this jumble of characters can be exhausting, especially when dealing with larger JSON files. Thankfully, there's a simple solution to this problem.

The Solution: Prettyprinting with Python 🐍

Python comes with a built-in module called json that makes prettyprinting a breeze. Let's take a look at two popular methods you can use:

Method 1: Using json.dumps() with the indent parameter

The json.dumps() function allows us to serialize a Python object into a JSON formatted string. By specifying the indent parameter, we can control the number of spaces used for indentation. Check out the code snippet below:

import json

data = {"name":"John","age":30,"city":"New York"}
pretty_json = json.dumps(data, indent=4)

print(pretty_json)

Running this code will give you the following output:

{
    "name": "John",
    "age": 30,
    "city": "New York"
}

Voilà! 🎉 You now have a beautifully formatted JSON file that is much easier to read and understand.

Method 2: Using the json.dump() function with indent and sort_keys

If you want to prettyprint a JSON file directly to a file, you can use the json.dump() function instead. This function writes the JSON data to a file-like object.

import json

data = {"name":"John","age":30,"city":"New York"}

with open("pretty.json", "w") as outfile:
    json.dump(data, outfile, indent=4, sort_keys=True)

This code will create a file named "pretty.json" in the current directory, containing the prettified JSON data:

{
    "age": 30,
    "city": "New York",
    "name": "John"
}

The Call-to-Action: Share your prettified JSON files 📤

Now that you know how to prettyprint your JSON files, why not share them with the world? We'd love to see your beautifully formatted JSON masterpieces, so don't hesitate to post them in the comments section below. Let's spread the joy of readable JSON far and wide!

If you found this guide helpful, consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues who might be struggling with messy JSON files. Together, we can make the world a prettier place, one JSON file at a time.

Happy prettyprinting! 🌈🖌️


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