Json with comments

published:   12/01/23 (dd/mm/yy)
updated:     nope

I just read https://ruudvanasseldonk.com/2023/01/11/the-yaml-document-from-hell, and it made me think about
something.

> Json documents double as valid Python literals with minimal adaptation, and Python supports trailing
> commas and comments.

Yes you can add comments in a Python dict that you'll export as json!

So I tested something, and voilà!


Here's my code for having a json file with comments:

```
import json;print(json.dumps({
  "key": "val",
  "another key": 42,  # this is a valid comment
  "this is a list": [
    {
      "key in list": 1,
      "another":     2,  # can this improve readability of the document?
      "third":       3
    },
    {}  # an empty dict? no problem it's valid json
  ],  # LOOK MA NO ERROR ON TRAILING COMMA UNLIKE REGULAR JSON
}))
```

You just need to replace the first "{" by "import json;print(json.dumps({" and the last "}" by "}))", and
maybe to rename the file to something like config.json.py in order to remember that the file is actually
some really simple Python script.

Run it like this:

```
$ python3 config.json.py
{"key": "val", "another key": 42, "this is a list": [{"key in list": 1, "another": 2, "third": 3}, {}]}
```

----

Want to indent your json? Add "indent=X" in your file, near the end!


```
import json;print(json.dumps({
  "key": "val",
  "another key": 42,  # this is a valid comment
  "this is a list": [
    {
      "key in list": 1,
      "another":     2,  # can this improve readability of the document?
      "third":       3
    },
    {}  # an empty dict? no problem it's valid json
  ],  # LOOK MA NO ERROR ON TRAILING COMMA UNLIKE REGULAR JSON
}, indent=2))

```


```
$ python3 config.json.py
{
  "key": "val",
  "another key": 42,
  "this is a list": [
    {
      "key in list": 1,
      "another": 2,
      "third": 3
    },
    {}
  ]
}
```