JSON Viewer

The JSON Viewer provides a formatted, syntax-highlighted view of JSON files with helpful features for exploring data.

Features

Core Functionality

  • Syntax highlighting: Color-coded JSON elements
  • Pretty formatting: Automatic indentation and spacing
  • Error handling: Clear error messages for invalid JSON
  • Large file support: Handles files up to 10MB efficiently

Visual Features

  • Collapsible sections: Expand/collapse objects and arrays
  • Line numbers: Easy reference to specific lines
  • Type indicators: Visual distinction for different data types
  • Bracket matching: Highlight matching brackets

Data Type Support

Supported Types

  • Objects: {}
  • Arrays: []
  • Strings: "text"
  • Numbers: 123, 12.34
  • Booleans: true, false
  • Null: null

Special Handling

  • Long strings: Truncated with expand option
  • Large arrays: Pagination for arrays > 1000 items
  • Nested objects: Indentation up to 10 levels
  • Special characters: Proper escaping displayed

User Interface

Interactive Elements

  • Click to collapse: Click on objects/arrays to toggle
  • Copy button: Copy entire JSON or sections
  • Search: Find text within JSON (planned)
  • Path display: Show path to selected element (planned)

Theme Integration

Each theme provides optimized colors for:

  • Property names
  • String values
  • Number values
  • Boolean values
  • Null values
  • Brackets and punctuation

Performance Features

Optimizations

  • Virtual scrolling: For large files
  • Lazy parsing: Parse visible content first
  • Memoization: Cache formatted output
  • Web worker: Parse in background (planned)

File Size Guidelines

  • Instant: < 100KB
  • Fast: < 1MB
  • Acceptable: < 5MB
  • Slow: > 10MB

Usage Tips

  1. Navigate large files: Use collapse all/expand all
  2. Find specific data: Use Ctrl+F browser search
  3. Copy sections: Click on values to select
  4. Validate JSON: Errors show line and column

Error Messages

Common errors and their meanings:

  • Unexpected token: Syntax error in JSON
  • Unexpected end: Missing closing bracket
  • Invalid character: Non-JSON characters present
  • Duplicate key: Same key used twice in object

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl/Cmd + A: Select all
  • Ctrl/Cmd + C: Copy selected
  • +/-: Expand/collapse focused node (planned)
  • *: Expand all (planned)

Limitations

  • No JSON Schema validation
  • No editing capabilities
  • Limited to UTF-8 encoding
  • No JSONP support

Future Enhancements

  • JSON Schema validation
  • Edit mode with validation
  • Export formatted JSON
  • Diff view for comparing
  • JSONPath query support
  • Tree view alternative