# \[IGN-10886\] jsonEncode arrays with indentFactor

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** ignition81, scripting\
**Created:** [September 11, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866 "2024-09-11T17:38:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866/1 "2024-09-11T17:38:48Z")

</div>

Has anyone has run into a bug trying to "pretty print" JSON when the object is an array?

This:

```python
content = [{'someKey': 'someValue'}, {'anotherKey': 'anotherValue'}]
json = system.util.jsonEncode(content)
print json

```

Produces this:

```python
>>> 
[{"someKey":"someValue"},{"anotherKey":"anotherValue"}]
>>>

```

But if you replace line 2 with this:

```python
json = system.util.jsonEncode(content, 2)

```

You get this exception:

```python
>>> 
Java Traceback:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<input>", line 2, in <module>
	at org.json.JSONTokener.syntaxError(JSONTokener.java:430)
	at org.json.JSONObject.<init>(JSONObject.java:176)
	at org.json.JSONObject.<init>(JSONObject.java:294)
	at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.script.builtin.SystemUtilities.jsonEncode(SystemUtilities.java:441)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
org.json.JSONException: org.json.JSONException: A JSONObject text must begin with '{' at 1 [character 2 line 1]

	at org.python.core.Py.JavaError(Py.java:545)
	at org.python.core.Py.JavaError(Py.java:536)
	at org.python.core.PyReflectedFunction. __call__ (PyReflectedFunction.java:192)
	at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.script.ScriptManager$ReflectedInstanceFunction. __call__ (ScriptManager.java:553)
	at org.python.core.PyObject. __call__ (PyObject.java:477)
	at org.python.core.PyObject. __call__ (PyObject.java:481)
	at org.python.pycode._pyx42.f$0(<input>:3)
	at org.python.pycode._pyx42.call_function(<input>)
	at org.python.core.PyTableCode.call(PyTableCode.java:173)
	at org.python.core.PyCode.call(PyCode.java:18)
	at org.python.core.Py.runCode(Py.java:1703)
	at org.python.core.Py.exec(Py.java:1747)
	at org.python.util.PythonInterpreter.exec(PythonInterpreter.java:277)
	at org.python.util.InteractiveInterpreter.runcode(InteractiveInterpreter.java:130)
	at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.gui.tools.jythonconsole.JythonConsole$ConsoleWorker.doInBackground(JythonConsole.java:628)
	at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.gui.tools.jythonconsole.JythonConsole$ConsoleWorker.doInBackground(JythonConsole.java:616)
	at java.desktop/javax.swing.SwingWorker$1.call(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.desktop/javax.swing.SwingWorker.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Caused by: org.json.JSONException: A JSONObject text must begin with '{' at 1 [character 2 line 1]
	at org.json.JSONTokener.syntaxError(JSONTokener.java:430)
	at org.json.JSONObject.<init>(JSONObject.java:176)
	at org.json.JSONObject.<init>(JSONObject.java:294)
	at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.script.builtin.SystemUtilities.jsonEncode(SystemUtilities.java:441)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at org.python.core.PyReflectedFunction. __call__ (PyReflectedFunction.java:190)
	... 19 more
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<input>", line 2, in <module>
	at org.json.JSONTokener.syntaxError(JSONTokener.java:430)
	at org.json.JSONObject.<init>(JSONObject.java:176)
	at org.json.JSONObject.<init>(JSONObject.java:294)
	at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.script.builtin.SystemUtilities.jsonEncode(SystemUtilities.java:441)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
	at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
org.json.JSONException: org.json.JSONException: A JSONObject text must begin with '{' at 1 [character 2 line 1]
>>>

```

Also happens with arrays from document tags?

Using v8.1.39 at the moment.

I'm using this work-around at the moment, because I know I have an array:

```python
content = [{'someKey': 'someValue'}, {'anotherKey': 'anotherValue'}]
json = system.util.jsonEncode(dict(_=content), 2)
print json[6:-1]

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866/2 "2024-09-11T17:45:02Z")

</div>

I think this is just broken and always has been.

It's calling directly into a `org.json.JSONObject::toString` method that accepts an "indentFactor" that is by default 0, and otherwise expects the thing passed into to be an object, and looks for the opening/closing brackets.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866/3 "2024-09-11T17:51:00Z")

</div>

Hmmm. Why does it work without the indentFactor?

In other words, is it fixable? (The value editor for document tags doesn't choke like this, but is similarly "pretty".)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866/4 "2024-09-11T17:56:46Z")

</div>

Looking into it, I think it returns early.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866/5 "2024-09-11T18:00:26Z")

</div>

I just emailed support to open a ticket for me. (Cannot login to the support site--bouncing right back from the login page. ☹ )

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/ign-10886-jsonencode-arrays-with-indentfactor/95866/6 "2024-09-11T18:07:11Z")

</div>

Yeah, it needs a ticket, it's fixable.

It's basically doing this:

```python
        String json = "[1,2,3]";
        
        System.out.println(new JSONObject(json).toString(2));

```

When it should do this for arrays:

```python
        String json = "[1,2,3]";

        System.out.println(new JSONArray(json).toString(2));

```