JSON

What is JSON?

• Stands for JavaScript Object Notation

• A way to store information in an organized, easy-to-access manner

• A popular way to send data from on web server (service) to another

• Resembles a normal Javascript Object (it contains properties and values) but does not contain methods

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Scoobie Doo",
  "favoriteFood": "Scoobie Snacks"
}

JSON Guidelines

• Property names must be double-quoted strings

• Use meaningful property names

• Access properties of a JSON object using dot notation

// json object that contains smurfs

var smurfs = {
    "papa" : {
        "name" : "Papa Smurf",
        "gender" : "male"
    },
    "smurfette" : {
        "name" : "Smurfette",
        "gender" : "female"
    }
}

console.log(smurfs.smurfette.name);
console.log(smurfs.smurfette.gender);

JSON.stringify()

• Since JSON is used to send data from one service to the next “over the wire” (i.e. via cloud) it is transmitted as a string which makes it lightweight and fast

• JSON.stringify() is a method that turns an JSON object into a string

• “Stringify-ing” JSON objects is a common step developers take before sending data to another service

  var smurfs = {
      "papa" : {
          "name" : "Papa Smurf",
          "gender" : "male"
      },
      "smurfette" : {
          "name" : "Smurfette",
          "gender" : "female"
      }
  }

  var stringJSON = JSON.stringify(smurfs));


  // result: "{"papa":{"name":"Papa Smurf","gender":"male"},"smurfette":{"name":"Smurfette","gender":"female"}}"

  console.log(typeof stringJSON); // result: string

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JSON.parse()

• When JSON is received from another service, it is in a string format

• In order to effectively work with JSON data in our code, we need to covert it so an object (or array)

• JSON.parse() is a method that converts an JSON object to an Javascript object or array

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