json-stringify-pretty-compact

What is json-stringify-pretty-compact?

The json-stringify-pretty-compact npm package is designed to provide a more compact and human-readable JSON stringification. It aims to strike a balance between readability and compactness by using a more intelligent formatting approach compared to the default JSON.stringify method.

What are json-stringify-pretty-compact's main functionalities?

Compact and Pretty JSON Stringification

This feature allows you to convert a JavaScript object into a JSON string that is both compact and easy to read. The output is more human-friendly compared to the default JSON.stringify method.

const stringify = require('json-stringify-pretty-compact');
const obj = { foo: 'bar', baz: [1, 2, 3], nested: { a: 1, b: 2 } };
console.log(stringify(obj));

Custom Indentation

This feature allows you to specify the number of spaces to use for indentation, giving you control over the readability of the output.

const stringify = require('json-stringify-pretty-compact');
const obj = { foo: 'bar', baz: [1, 2, 3], nested: { a: 1, b: 2 } };
console.log(stringify(obj, { indent: 4 }));

Maximum Line Length

This feature allows you to set a maximum line length for the output, ensuring that the JSON string does not exceed a specified width, which can be useful for maintaining readability in narrow spaces.

const stringify = require('json-stringify-pretty-compact');
const obj = { foo: 'bar', baz: [1, 2, 3], nested: { a: 1, b: 2 } };
console.log(stringify(obj, { maxLength: 80 }));

Other packages similar to json-stringify-pretty-compact

prettyjson

The prettyjson package is another alternative that focuses on making JSON data more readable. It offers more customization options for colors and indentation but may not be as compact as json-stringify-pretty-compact.

json-pretty-print

The json-pretty-print package provides basic pretty-printing capabilities for JSON data. It is simpler and may not offer the same level of compactness and customization as json-stringify-pretty-compact.

README

json-stringify-pretty-compact

The output of JSON.stringify comes in two flavors: compact and pretty. The former is usually too compact to be read by humans, while the latter sometimes is too spacious. This module trades performance for a compromise between the two. The result is a pretty compact string, where “pretty” means both “kind of” and “nice”.

{
  "bool": true,
  "short array": [1, 2, 3],
  "long array": [
    {"x": 1, "y": 2},
    {"x": 2, "y": 1},
    {"x": 1, "y": 1},
    {"x": 2, "y": 2}
  ]
}

While the “pretty” mode of JSON.stringify puts every item of arrays and objects on its own line, this module puts the whole array or object on a single line, unless the line becomes too long (the default maximum is 80 characters). Making arrays and objects multi-line is the only attempt made to enforce the maximum line length; if that doesn’t help then so be it.

Installation

npm install json-stringify-pretty-compact

import stringify from "json-stringify-pretty-compact";

Note: This is an ESM only package. (I haven’t written that gist, but it’s a great resource.)

If you need CommonJS, install version 3.0.0. You won’t be missing out on anything: This package is done. No more features will be added, and no bugs have been found in years.

stringify(obj, options = {})

It’s like JSON.stringify(obj, options.replacer, options.indent), except that objects and arrays are on one line if they fit (according to options.maxLength).

options:

• indent: Defaults to 2. Works exactly like the third parameter of JSON.stringify.
• maxLength: Defaults to 80. Lines will be tried to be kept at maximum this many characters long.
• replacer: Defaults to undefined. Works exactly like the second parameter of JSON.stringify.

stringify(obj, {maxLength: 0, indent: indent}) gives the exact same result as JSON.stringify(obj, null, indent). (However, if you use a replacer, integer keys might be moved first.)

stringify(obj, {maxLength: Infinity}) gives the exact same result as JSON.stringify(obj), except that there are spaces after colons and commas.

Want more options? Check out @aitodotai/json-stringify-pretty-compact!

License

MIT.

Changelog

Version 4.0.0 (2022-05-14)

• Changed: This is now an [ESM only package]. (I haven’t written that gist, but it’s a great resource.)

  If you need CommonJS, install version 3.0.0. You won’t be missing out on anything: This package is done. No more features will be added, and no bugs have been found in years.