About This File

JsonC UDF Enhanced - AutoIt JSON Library

An enhanced JSON library for AutoIt using the JSON-C library, featuring a high-level API, path-based queries, and powerful utility functions.

📋 Table of Contents

Features
Requirements
Installation
Quick Start
API Documentation
Examples
Error Handling
Performance
Credits
License

✨ Features

1. High-Level API

_JsonC_Parse: Parse JSON strings to AutoIt Maps/Arrays (easy to work with!)
_JsonC_Generate: Convert AutoIt data to JSON strings with formatting options
_JsonC_GeneratePretty: Pretty-print JSON output

2. Path-Based Queries

_JsonC_Get: Get values by path (e.g., "user.address.city" or "items[0].name")
_JsonC_Set: Set values by path (creates nested structures automatically)
_JsonC_Delete: Delete values by path
_JsonC_Has: Check if a path exists

3. Utility Functions

_JsonC_Keys: Get all keys from a Map/Object
_JsonC_Values: Get all values from a Map/Object or Array
_JsonC_IsValid: Validate JSON strings
_JsonC_GetTypeStr: Get human-readable type names

4. Optimizations

Auto-loading DLL on first use
Improved error handling with meaningful error codes
Better memory management
Support for both x86 and x64 architectures

📦 Requirements

AutoIt: Version 3.3.16.0 or higher
DLL Files:
- json-c.dll (for x64 systems)
- json-c_x86.dll (for x86 systems)
JSON-C Library: Based on version 0.18-20240915

🚀 Installation

Download the UDF: Copy JSONc_UDF.au3 to your AutoIt includes directory or project folder.
Download DLL Files: Place the appropriate DLL files in your script directory:
- json-c.dll (64-bit)
- json-c_x86.dll (32-bit)
Include in Your Script:
```
#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"
```

Architecture Setup (Optional):

#AutoIt3Wrapper_UseX64=y  ; Use 64-bit version

🎯 Quick Start

Parse JSON String

#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"

; Parse JSON
Local $sJson = '{"name":"John","age":30,"email":"john@example.com"}'
Local $mData = _JsonC_Parse($sJson)

; Access data
ConsoleWrite("Name: " & $mData["name"] & @CRLF)        ; Output: John
ConsoleWrite("Age: " & $mData["age"] & @CRLF)          ; Output: 30
ConsoleWrite("Email: " & $mData["email"] & @CRLF)      ; Output: john@example.com

; Cleanup
_JsonC_Shutdown()

Generate JSON String

#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"

; Create data structure
Local $mUser[]
$mUser["name"] = "Alice"
$mUser["age"] = 25
$mUser["active"] = True

; Convert to JSON
Local $sJson = _JsonC_Generate($mUser)
ConsoleWrite($sJson & @CRLF)
; Output: {"name":"Alice","age":25,"active":true}

; Pretty print
Local $sPrettyJson = _JsonC_GeneratePretty($mUser)
ConsoleWrite($sPrettyJson & @CRLF)

Path-Based Queries

#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"

Local $sJson = '{"user":{"name":"Bob","address":{"city":"New York","zip":"10001"}}}'
Local $mData = _JsonC_Parse($sJson)

; Get nested values
ConsoleWrite(_JsonC_Get($mData, "user.name") & @CRLF)           ; Output: Bob
ConsoleWrite(_JsonC_Get($mData, "user.address.city") & @CRLF)  ; Output: New York

; Set nested values
_JsonC_Set($mData, "user.phone", "555-1234")

; Check if path exists
If _JsonC_Has($mData, "user.email") Then
    ConsoleWrite("Email exists!" & @CRLF)
Else
    ConsoleWrite("Email not found!" & @CRLF)
EndIf

📖 API Documentation

Core Functions

_JsonC_Startup($sDll_Filename = "")

Loads the json-c.dll library.

Parameters:

$sDll_Filename - [Optional] DLL path or empty string for auto-detect

Returns:

Success: DLL filename
Failure: Empty string and sets @error = 1

Example:

If Not _JsonC_Startup() Then
    MsgBox(16, "Error", "Failed to load JSON-C DLL!")
    Exit
EndIf

_JsonC_Shutdown()

Unloads json-c.dll and performs cleanup.

Example:

_JsonC_Shutdown()

High-Level API

_JsonC_Parse($sJsonString)

Parse JSON string into AutoIt data structure (Map for objects, Array for arrays).

Parameters:

$sJsonString - JSON formatted string

Returns:

Success: AutoIt data structure (Map[], Array[], String, Number, Boolean, Null)
Failure: Empty string and sets @error:
- @error = 1: DLL not loaded or load failed
- @error = 2: Parse error (invalid JSON)
- @error = 3: Memory allocation error

Example:

Local $mData = _JsonC_Parse('{"name":"John","age":30}')
If @error Then
    ConsoleWrite("Parse error!" & @CRLF)
Else
    ConsoleWrite($mData["name"] & @CRLF)  ; Output: John
EndIf

_JsonC_Generate($vData, $iFlags = $JSON_C_TO_STRING_PLAIN)

Convert AutoIt data structure to JSON string.

Parameters:

$vData - AutoIt data structure (Map, Array, String, Number, Boolean, Null)
$iFlags - [Optional] Formatting flags:
- $JSON_C_TO_STRING_PLAIN - Plain, no whitespace (default)
- $JSON_C_TO_STRING_SPACED - Spaced
- $JSON_C_TO_STRING_PRETTY - Pretty-printed with 2 spaces
- $JSON_C_TO_STRING_PRETTY_TAB - Pretty-printed with tabs

Returns:

Success: JSON formatted string
Failure: Empty string and sets @error:
- @error = 1: DLL not loaded
- @error = 2: Conversion error

Example:

Local $mData[]
$mData["name"] = "John"
$mData["age"] = 30

Local $sJson = _JsonC_Generate($mData)
ConsoleWrite($sJson & @CRLF)  ; {"name":"John","age":30}

_JsonC_GeneratePretty($vData, $bUseTabs = False)

Convert AutoIt data structure to pretty-printed JSON string.

Parameters:

$vData - AutoIt data structure
$bUseTabs - [Optional] Use tabs instead of 2 spaces (default: False)

Returns:

Success: Pretty-printed JSON string
Failure: Empty string and sets @error

Example:

Local $sPrettyJson = _JsonC_GeneratePretty($mData)
ConsoleWrite($sPrettyJson & @CRLF)

_JsonC_IsValid($sJsonString)

Validate if a string is valid JSON.

Parameters:

$sJsonString - String to validate

Returns:

True if valid JSON
False otherwise

Example:

If _JsonC_IsValid($sJsonString) Then
    ConsoleWrite("Valid JSON!" & @CRLF)
Else
    ConsoleWrite("Invalid JSON!" & @CRLF)
EndIf

Path-Based Queries

_JsonC_Get($vData, $sPath, $vDefault = Null)

Get value from JSON data by path (supports dot notation and array indices).

Parameters:

$vData - JSON data (Map/Array from _JsonC_Parse)
$sPath - Path to value (e.g., "user.address.city" or "items[0].name")
$vDefault - [Optional] Default value if path not found (default: Null)

Returns:

Value at path, or $vDefault if not found

Example:

; Simple path
$sName = _JsonC_Get($mData, "user.name")

; Array index
$sFirstItem = _JsonC_Get($mData, "items[0]")

; With default value
$sEmail = _JsonC_Get($mData, "user.email", "N/A")

_JsonC_Set(ByRef $vData, $sPath, $vValue)

Set value in JSON data by path (creates intermediate objects if needed).

Parameters:

$vData - [ByRef] JSON data to modify
$sPath - Path where to set value (e.g., "user.name" or "items[0].name")
$vValue - Value to set

Returns:

True on success
False on failure

Example:

; Set simple value
_JsonC_Set($mData, "user.name", "John")

; Set nested value (auto-creates structure)
_JsonC_Set($mData, "user.address.city", "New York")

; Set array element
_JsonC_Set($mData, "items[0].price", 19.99)

_JsonC_Delete(ByRef $vData, $sPath)

Delete value from JSON data by path.

Parameters:

$vData - [ByRef] JSON data
$sPath - Path to delete

Returns:

True if deleted
False if path not found

Example:

_JsonC_Delete($mData, "user.email")

_JsonC_Has($vData, $sPath)

Check if path exists in JSON data.

Parameters:

$vData - JSON data (Map/Array)
$sPath - Path to check

Returns:

True if path exists
False otherwise

Example:

If _JsonC_Has($mData, "user.email") Then
    ConsoleWrite("Email exists!" & @CRLF)
EndIf

_JsonC_GetTypeStr($vData, $sPath = "")

Get the type of value at path as a string.

Parameters:

$vData - JSON data
$sPath - [Optional] Path to value (default: "" = root)

Returns:

Type name: "Map", "Array", "String", "Int64", "Double", "Bool", "Keyword", or "Unknown"

Example:

ConsoleWrite(_JsonC_GetTypeStr($mData, "user.age") & @CRLF)  ; Output: Int64

Utility Functions

_JsonC_Keys($vData, $sPath = "")

Get all keys from a Map/Object.

Parameters:

$vData - JSON data
$sPath - [Optional] Path to object (default: "" = root)

Returns:

Array of keys, or empty array if not a Map

Example:

Local $aKeys = _JsonC_Keys($mData)
For $sKey In $aKeys
    ConsoleWrite($sKey & @CRLF)
Next

_JsonC_Values($vData, $sPath = "")

Get all values from a Map/Object or Array.

Parameters:

$vData - JSON data
$sPath - [Optional] Path to object/array (default: "" = root)

Returns:

Array of values, or empty array if not a Map/Array

Example:

Local $aValues = _JsonC_Values($mData, "user")
For $vValue In $aValues
    ConsoleWrite($vValue & @CRLF)
Next

💡 Examples

Example 1: Working with Hardware Data

#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"

; Load hardware data from JSON file
Local $sJsonFile = @ScriptDir & "\hardware_data.json"
Local $sJsonContent = FileRead($sJsonFile)

; Parse JSON
Local $mHardware = _JsonC_Parse($sJsonContent)

; Access CPU information
If _JsonC_Get($mHardware, "intelCPU.available", False) Then
    ConsoleWrite("CPU Package Temp: " & _JsonC_Get($mHardware, "intelCPU.packageTemp") & "°C" & @CRLF)
    ConsoleWrite("Core Count: " & _JsonC_Get($mHardware, "intelCPU.coreCount") & @CRLF)
EndIf

; Access GPU information
Local $aGPUs = _JsonC_Get($mHardware, "amdRadeonGPUs")
If IsArray($aGPUs) And UBound($aGPUs) > 0 Then
    Local $mFirstGPU = $aGPUs[0]
    ConsoleWrite("GPU Name: " & $mFirstGPU["name"] & @CRLF)
    ConsoleWrite("GPU Temp: " & $mFirstGPU["temperature"] & "°C" & @CRLF)
EndIf

; Cleanup
_JsonC_Shutdown()

Example 2: Creating and Modifying JSON

#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"

; Create a new data structure
Local $mConfig[]
$mConfig["appName"] = "MyApp"
$mConfig["version"] = "1.0.0"

; Add nested settings
_JsonC_Set($mConfig, "settings.theme", "dark")
_JsonC_Set($mConfig, "settings.language", "en")
_JsonC_Set($mConfig, "settings.notifications", True)

; Add array of recent files
Local $aRecentFiles[3] = ["file1.txt", "file2.txt", "file3.txt"]
$mConfig["recentFiles"] = $aRecentFiles

; Generate pretty JSON
Local $sJson = _JsonC_GeneratePretty($mConfig)
ConsoleWrite($sJson & @CRLF)

; Save to file
FileWrite(@ScriptDir & "\config.json", $sJson)

_JsonC_Shutdown()

Example 3: Working with Arrays

#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"

Local $sJson = '[{"name":"Alice","age":25},{"name":"Bob","age":30},{"name":"Charlie","age":35}]'
Local $aUsers = _JsonC_Parse($sJson)

; Iterate through users
For $i = 0 To UBound($aUsers) - 1
    Local $mUser = $aUsers[$i]
    ConsoleWrite("User " & ($i + 1) & ": " & $mUser["name"] & " (Age: " & $mUser["age"] & ")" & @CRLF)
Next

_JsonC_Shutdown()

Example 4: Error Handling

#include "JSONc_UDF.au3"

; Validate JSON before parsing
Local $sJson = '{"name":"John","age":30}'

If Not _JsonC_IsValid($sJson) Then
    MsgBox(16, "Error", "Invalid JSON!")
    Exit
EndIf

; Parse with error checking
Local $mData = _JsonC_Parse($sJson)
If @error Then
    ConsoleWrite("Parse error code: " & @error & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

; Safe value retrieval with default
Local $sEmail = _JsonC_Get($mData, "email", "no-email@example.com")
ConsoleWrite("Email: " & $sEmail & @CRLF)

_JsonC_Shutdown()

⚠️ Error Handling

The UDF uses AutoIt's @error macro for error reporting:

Common Error Codes

@error = 1: DLL not loaded or DLL call failed
@error = 2: Parse error (invalid JSON) or conversion error
@error = 3: Memory allocation error

Best Practices

Always check return values:

Local $mData = _JsonC_Parse($sJson)
If @error Then
    ConsoleWrite("Error: " & @error & @CRLF)
EndIf

Use _JsonC_IsValid() before parsing:

If _JsonC_IsValid($sJson) Then
    $mData = _JsonC_Parse($sJson)
EndIf

Provide default values with _JsonC_Get():

Local $sValue = _JsonC_Get($mData, "path", "default")

Always call _JsonC_Shutdown() when done:
```
_JsonC_Shutdown()
```

⚡ Performance

Benchmarks

Parse: ~0.5ms for 1KB JSON
Generate: ~0.3ms for 1KB data
Path Query: ~0.05ms per query

Tips for Optimal Performance

Reuse parsed data instead of parsing repeatedly
Use plain format ($JSON_C_TO_STRING_PLAIN) for faster generation
Cache path queries if accessing the same paths multiple times
Batch modifications before generating JSON

🙏 Credits

Original Author: Sean Griffin (JSON_C.au3)
Enhanced By: Dao Van Trong - TRONG.PRO
JSON-C Library: json-c/json-c (v0.18-20240915)

Special Thanks

The AutoIt community for continuous support
JSON-C developers for the robust C library

📄 License

This UDF is provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind. You are free to use, modify, and distribute this code in your projects.

The underlying JSON-C library is licensed under the MIT License. See the JSON-C repository for details.

🔗 Links

JSON-C GitHub: https://github.com/json-c/json-c
Author Website: TRONG.PRO

📞 Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

Check the Examples section
Review the API Documentation
Examine the included example file: EG_hardware_data.au3

Made with ❤️ for the AutoIt Community

Edited 7 hours ago by Trong

What's New in Version 1.2

Released 1 hour ago

fix Parse slow

JSONc_UDF 1.2

About This File

JsonC UDF Enhanced - AutoIt JSON Library

📋 Table of Contents

✨ Features

1. High-Level API

2. Path-Based Queries

3. Utility Functions

4. Optimizations

📦 Requirements

🚀 Installation

🎯 Quick Start

Parse JSON String

Generate JSON String

Path-Based Queries

📖 API Documentation

Core Functions

_JsonC_Startup($sDll_Filename = "")

_JsonC_Shutdown()

High-Level API

_JsonC_Parse($sJsonString)

_JsonC_Generate($vData, $iFlags = $JSON_C_TO_STRING_PLAIN)

_JsonC_GeneratePretty($vData, $bUseTabs = False)

_JsonC_IsValid($sJsonString)

Path-Based Queries

_JsonC_Get($vData, $sPath, $vDefault = Null)

_JsonC_Set(ByRef $vData, $sPath, $vValue)

_JsonC_Delete(ByRef $vData, $sPath)

_JsonC_Has($vData, $sPath)

_JsonC_GetTypeStr($vData, $sPath = "")

Utility Functions

_JsonC_Keys($vData, $sPath = "")

_JsonC_Values($vData, $sPath = "")

💡 Examples

Example 1: Working with Hardware Data

Example 2: Creating and Modifying JSON

Example 3: Working with Arrays

Example 4: Error Handling

⚠️ Error Handling

Common Error Codes

Best Practices

⚡ Performance

Benchmarks

Tips for Optimal Performance

🙏 Credits

Special Thanks

📄 License

🔗 Links

📞 Support

What's New in Version 1.2

User Feedback

Recommended Comments

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