JSON With Python

This chapter covers how to encode and decode JSON objects using the use of Python programming language. Let's begin with preparing the environment to begin our programming with Python for JSON.

Environment

Before you begin with encoding and decoding JSON using Python, you want to install any of the JSON modules available. For this tutorial we've downloaded and installed Demjson as follows:

$tar xvfz demjson-1.6.tar.gz
$cd demjson-1.6
$python setup.py install

Encoding JSON in Python (encode)

Python encode() function encodes the Python object into a JSON string representation.

Syntax

demjson.encode(self, obj, nest_level=0)

Example

The below given example represents arrays under JSON with Python:

#!/usr/bin/python
import demjson

data = [ { 'a' : 1, 'b' : 2, 'c' : 3, 'd' : 4, 'e' : 5 } ]

json = demjson.encode(data)
print json

After applying, you will get the below given result:

[{"a":1,"b":2,"c":3,"d":4,"e":5}]

Decoding JSON in Python (decode)

Python can make use of the demjson.decode() function for decoding JSON. This function gives back the value decoded from json to an appropriate Python type.

Syntax

demjson.decode(self, txt)

Example

The below given example represents how Python can make use to decode JSON objects.

#!/usr/bin/python
import demjson

json = '{"a":1,"b":2,"c":3,"d":4,"e":5}';

text = demjson.decode(json)
print  text

On applying, you will generate the following result −

{u'a': 1, u'c': 3, u'b': 2, u'e': 5, u'd': 4}

When you transform from Python to JSON, Python objects are transformed into the JSON (JavaScript) equivalent: