jsonexport

What is jsonexport?

The jsonexport npm package is a utility that allows you to convert JSON data into CSV format. It is particularly useful for exporting data from JSON APIs or databases into a format that can be easily imported into spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

What are jsonexport's main functionalities?

Basic JSON to CSV Conversion

This feature allows you to convert a simple JSON array into CSV format. The code sample demonstrates how to convert an array of JSON objects into a CSV string.

const jsonexport = require('jsonexport');
const data = [{"name":"John","age":30},{"name":"Jane","age":25}];
jsonexport(data, function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.error(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

Nested JSON to CSV Conversion

This feature allows you to convert nested JSON objects into CSV format. The code sample demonstrates how to handle nested JSON structures and convert them into a flat CSV format.

const jsonexport = require('jsonexport');
const data = [{"name":"John","age":30,"address":{"city":"New York","state":"NY"}},{"name":"Jane","age":25,"address":{"city":"San Francisco","state":"CA"}}];
jsonexport(data, function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.error(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

Custom Delimiters

This feature allows you to specify custom delimiters for the CSV output. The code sample demonstrates how to use a semicolon as the delimiter instead of the default comma.

const jsonexport = require('jsonexport');
const data = [{"name":"John","age":30},{"name":"Jane","age":25}];
const options = {delimiter: ';'};
jsonexport(data, options, function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.error(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

Other packages similar to jsonexport

json2csv

The json2csv package is another popular library for converting JSON to CSV. It offers similar functionalities to jsonexport, including support for nested JSON objects and custom delimiters. However, json2csv provides more advanced features like field selection, field renaming, and data transformation.

csv-writer

The csv-writer package is a versatile library for writing CSV files. While it does not directly convert JSON to CSV, it allows you to write CSV files from JavaScript objects, making it a good alternative for more complex CSV writing needs. It offers features like custom headers, field transformations, and support for different CSV formats.

README

jsonexport

This module makes easy to convert JSON to CSV and its very customizable.

Project Page

Usage

Installation command is npm install jsonexport.

Run tests with npm test.

var jsonexport = require('jsonexport');

jsonexport({lang: 'Node.js',module: 'jsonexport'}, {rowDelimiter: '|'}, function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.log(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

CLI

Global installation command is npm install -g jsonexport.

Convert JSON to CSV using cat data.json | jsonexport or jsonexport data.json

Usage: jsonexport <JSON filename> <CSV filename>

Stream

var jsonexport = require('jsonexport');
var fs = require('fs');

var reader = fs.createReadStream('data.json');
var writer = fs.createWriteStream('out.csv');

reader.pipe(jsonexport()).pipe(writer);

JSON Array Example

Simple Array

Code

var jsonexport = require('jsonexport');

var contacts = [{
    name: 'Bob',
    lastname: 'Smith'
},{
    name: 'James',
    lastname: 'David'
},{
    name: 'Robert',
    lastname: 'Miller'
},{
    name: 'David',
    lastname: 'Martin'
}];

jsonexport(contacts,function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.log(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

Result

name,lastname
Bob,Smith
James,David
Robert,Miller
David,Martin

Complex Array

Code

var jsonexport = require('jsonexport');

var contacts = [{
   name: 'Bob',
   lastname: 'Smith',
   family: {
       name: 'Peter',
       type: 'Father'
   }
},{
   name: 'James',
   lastname: 'David',
   family:{
       name: 'Julie',
       type: 'Mother'
   }
},{
   name: 'Robert',
   lastname: 'Miller',
   family: null,
   location: [1231,3214,4214]
},{
   name: 'David',
   lastname: 'Martin',
   nickname: 'dmartin'
}];

jsonexport(contacts,function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.log(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

Result

lastname,name,family.type,family.name,nickname,location
Smith,Bob,Father,Peter,,
David,James,Mother,Julie,,
Miller,Robert,,,,1231,3214,4214
Martin,David,,,dmartin,

JSON Object Example

Simple Object

Code

var jsonexport = require('jsonexport');

var stats = {
    cars: 12,
    roads: 5,
    traffic: 'slow'
};

jsonexport(stats,function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.log(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

Result

cars,12
roads,5
traffic,slow

Complex Object

Code

var jsonexport = require('jsonexport');

var stats = {
    cars: 12,
    roads: 5,
    traffic: 'slow',
    speed: {
        max: 123,
        avg: 20,
        min: 5
    },
    size: [10,20]
};

jsonexport(stats,function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.log(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

Result

cars,12
roads,5
traffic,slow
speed.max,123
speed.avg,20
speed.min,5
size,10;20

Customization

In order to get the most of out of this module, you can customize many parameters and functions.

Options

• headerPathString - String Used to create the propriety path, defaults to . example contact: {name: 'example} = contact.name
• fillGaps - Boolean Set this option if don't want to have empty cells in case of an object with multiple nested items (array prop), defaults to false Issue #22
• headers - Array Used to set a custom header order, defaults to [] example ['lastname', 'name']
• rename - Array Used to set a custom header text, defaults to [] example ['Last Name', 'Name']
• rowDelimiter - String Change the file row delimiter
  • Defaults to , (cvs format).
  • Use \t for xls format.
  • Use ; for (windows excel .csv format).
• textDelimiter - String The character used to escape the text content if needed (default to ")
• endOfLine - String Replace the OS default EOL.
• mainPathItem - String Every header will have the mainPathItem as the base.
• arrayPathString - String This is used to output primitive arrays in a single column, defaults to ;
• booleanTrueString - String Will be used instead of true.
• booleanFalseString - String Will be used instead of false.
• includeHeaders - Boolean Set this option to false to hide the CSV headers.
• undefinedString - String If you want to display a custom value for undefined strings, use this option. Defaults to .
• verticalOutput - Boolean Set this option to false to create a horizontal output for JSON Objects, headers in the first row, values in the second.
• handleString - Function Use this to customize all Strings in the CSV file.
• handleNumber - Function Use this to customize all Numbers in the CSV file.
• handleBoolean - Function Use this to customize all Booleans in the CSV file.
• handleDate - Function Use this to customize all Dates in the CSV file. (default to date.toLocaleString)

Handle Function Option Example

Lets say you want to prepend a text to every string in your CSV file, how to do it?

var jsonexport = require('jsonexport');

var options = {
    handleString: function(string, name){
        return 'Hey - ' + string;
    }
};

jsonexport({lang: 'Node.js',module: 'jsonexport'}, options, function(err, csv){
    if(err) return console.log(err);
    console.log(csv);
});

The output would be:

lang,Hey - Node.js
module,Hey - jsonexport