ARTICLE
JSON - Short Overview
JSON ( JavaScript Object Notation ) is
a data exchange format whose syntax generally represents a subset of the
JavaScript syntax. JSON data is saved and transported as
character strings in a character format.
The syntax of JSON consists of the following components:
Syntax characters
Curly brackets { } define objects.
Square brackets [ ] define arrays.
A colon : divides the name and the value of an object
component.
A comma , divides the components inside arrays and
objects.
Representation of values
Character-like values are specified between double quotation
marks " " . The \ character is used as the escape character
for syntax characters.
Number values are represented in
mathematical notation or in
scientific notation .
Boolean values are represented by the key words true and
false .
Null values are represented by the key word null .
Data structures
An array is an ordered list of values, arrays, or objects
enclosed in square brackets [ ] and divided by commas , ,
which do not need to have the same type. An empty array, [ ] , is
also possible.
An object is an ordered list of components enclosed in curly
brackets { } and divided by commas , . A component is a
name enclosed in double quotation marks followed by a colon :
followed by a value, array, or object. An empty object, { } , is
also possible. Unique names for the components of an object are
recommended, but not mandatory.
Empty space (blanks, line breaks) can be used anywhere before and after
the syntax characters. At the top level, valid JSON data contains
a single value, an array, or an object. Arrays and objects can contain
further values, arrays, or objects.
Note
In JavaScript , JSON data can be transformed to
JavaScript objects directly using a predefined function, eval ,
due to its compatibility. In other programming languages, JSON
data is read using parsers, which is also recommended for
JavaScript
for reasons of performance and security.
Examples
The program DEMO_JSON_EXAMPLES
shows examples of valid JSON data.
The program DEMO_JSON_SYNTAX_CHECK
enables JSON data to be entered and its syntax checked.
Documentation extract taken from SAP system, � Copyright SAP AG. All rights reserved
