json - file management

[osgood_]

Is there some kind of app software to manage json files like phpMyAdmin manages mysql data?

I mean how do you arrive at a finished formatted json file without doing it manually........surely there must be some user friendly app UI which inserts, updates and deletes info from a json file or exports as a json file right?

Cheers

Os

[pziecina]

You can use c# and mssql to autogenerate a json file, (including overwriting an old json file so the file name remains the same) on-request, hourly, daily, weekly, etc, to use in html pages, (does not have to use server side code).

I don't know for certain, but php/mysql probably has a similar feature.

[osgood_]

I dont know any c# or mssql.......so there's no simple user interface off the shelf app to create and manage json file data?

How is an API json file created and managed, 100s of entries. If a bit of information is outdated or needs to be updated youre not expected to open the json file and find the entry and delete it or update it so in what form does the original information exist and as for php/mysql why would you even need a json file you would surely use php/mysql if it was available in that format, right?

[pziecina]

The info for inclusion is taken from the database.

The main reason for using json, (for me) was when i did not want a page to include server side code, (better security). Entering/updating/deleting the info into the database was done via a cms, with a flag to indicate json and an expire date being set in the cms system, so the server would know when to include and when to archive.

[osgood_]

So you were just using a common work flow entering info into a mysql database or similar database and just exporting to a json file which somehow was created automatically on the server when changes were made to the database info?

lm curious about  json and just trying to find out where it fits into the pattern of things and where and for what it could be used.......obviously for small amounts of static dynamic  info which can be manually created it could be effective, now lm trying to uncover how it can be used to serve constantly changing information by an automated process rather than manually building the data file.

[pziecina]

Yes, json files were automatically generated by running the script on the server at pre defined times, (cron jobs).

If the site is not using a database, then I should think that json is being used for only a small amount of data, (otherwise I can imagine it being a real pain in the a&s).

I think json as static created files could be used, if the data was not going to change very often, or even in preference to using an off-line database providing some form of admin console was created, but in such cases if it was a static site one could use the in-browser editing api, (you did not really think that was an Adobe invention, anyone?).

[osgood_]

Ok l think its becoming a bit clearer now.......surprisingly there are no real tuts out there that address such issues. Plently which cover dealing with data in an already defined json file but they never exactly say how the information was formated like that in the first instance because yes you are correct....manually defining info in a json file, even small amounts, is a PITA and mistakes are easily made, so thats why l was wondering how larger json files were created and managed because they seem highly unmanagable unless the process is somehow automated

[pziecina]

I have, (or use to have maybe) a json file generator that I originally coded to use with the pdo extension. I also remember, (if you have CS4 - 6) that the spry data sets could be used to generate a json file, so it maybe worth looking how that worked.

They both required a database from which to generate the json file.

I don't see any reason for small static sites to use json, except to store very small amounts of content. Large or e-comm sites in my experiance only use json to generate the index or add to the menu, (outside of the security reasons) and then only if they are often adding or deleting categories or product types.

[BenPleysier · Accepted solution]

This may help Create dynamic JSON file in PHP Mysql - YouTube

[osgood_]

Cheers Ben,

I'll have a look at some point, see where I might be able to use this kind of workflow in future projects. Not needed to so far so can't really see me needing it in the immediate future but it's nice to know about alternative options, as they could come in useful.

Os

The other alternative the OP (in the other thread Linking (daily changing) data from one page to another (in Bootstrap) ) could use is of course jQuery load function in combination with a js switch statement. Might be a simpler approach for each weekday set of meetings to go into their own file, rather than trying to incorporate them into one js file and doing something a bit trendy, when it's most likely not really needed..........too many ways of getting to the same outcome these days.