Python JSON
JSON is a syntax for storing and exchanging data.
JSON is text, written with JavaScript object notation.
JSON in Python
Python has a built-in package called json, which can be used to work with JSON data.
Example
Import the json module:
Parse JSON - Convert from JSON to Python
If you have a JSON string, you can parse it by using the json.loads[] method.
The result will be a Python dictionary.
Example
Convert from JSON to Python:
# some JSON:
x = '{ "name":"John", "age":30, "city":"New York"}'
# parse x:
y = json.loads[x]
# the result is a Python dictionary:
print[y["age"]]
Convert from Python to JSON
If you have a Python object, you can convert it into a JSON string by using the json.dumps[] method.
Example
Convert from Python to JSON:
# a Python object [dict]:
x = {
"name": "John",
"age": 30,
"city": "New York"
}
# convert into JSON:
y = json.dumps[x]
# the result is a JSON string:
print[y]
You can convert Python objects of the following types, into JSON strings:
- dict
- list
- tuple
- string
- int
- float
- True
- False
- None
Example
Convert Python objects into JSON strings, and print the values:
print[json.dumps[{"name": "John", "age": 30}]]
print[json.dumps[["apple", "bananas"]]]
print[json.dumps[["apple", "bananas"]]]
print[json.dumps["hello"]]
print[json.dumps[42]]
print[json.dumps[31.76]]
print[json.dumps[True]]
print[json.dumps[False]]
print[json.dumps[None]]
When you convert from Python to JSON, Python objects are converted into the JSON [JavaScript] equivalent:
| dict | Object |
| list | Array |
| tuple | Array |
| str | String |
| int | Number |
| float | Number |
| True | true |
| False | false |
| None | null |
Example
Convert a Python object containing all the legal data types:
x = {
"name": "John",
"age": 30,
"married": True,
"divorced": False,
"children": ["Ann","Billy"],
"pets": None,
"cars": [
{"model": "BMW 230", "mpg": 27.5},
{"model": "Ford Edge", "mpg": 24.1}
]
}
print[json.dumps[x]]
Format the Result
The example above prints a JSON string, but it is not very easy to read, with no indentations and line breaks.
The json.dumps[] method has parameters to make it easier to read the result:
Example
Use the indent parameter to define the numbers of indents:
You can also define the separators, default value is [", ", ": "], which means using a comma and a space to separate each object, and a colon and a space to separate keys from values:
Example
Use the separators parameter to change the default separator:
Order the Result
The json.dumps[] method has parameters to order the keys in the result:
Example
Use the sort_keys parameter to specify if the result should be sorted or not: