JSON editor in a nutshell: Using JSON pretty-print

Maybe you often deal with JSON data which is not formatted as you like or has no whitespace at all. As an example, it is hard to edit this JSON text in the editor:

JSON data with no whitespace.

What you need is an editor that understands JSON syntax and can quickly format JSON data.

Format JSON data with no whitespace in the editor

In JSONBuddy, use the pretty-print feature to format the current text content at any time. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+P, and you can change it in the Options dialog. There is also a menu item at JSON | Pretty-print JSON. After formatting, the JSON data is much more readable and can be easily modified in the editor:

JSON data after running the pretty-print command

Short array content is aligned on a single line where appropriate. This makes JSON more compact and saves space in the editor window. This is also true for arrays with only primitive types and no long string values. In contrast, arrays with long string values are displayed with each item on a new line to increase readability. The editor applies adaptive JSON formatting based on the actual content.

Use pretty-print in combination with navigation history

The pretty-print functionality is even more powerful in combination with the navigation history of the JSON editor. If you format JSON data while adding new properties, objects, or arrays, the navigation history sets the text selection to the current property after the formatting operation.

You can also use the Navigate Backward Ctrl+Shift+, and Navigate Forward Ctrl+Shift+. commands to navigate through the selection history as needed.