CSON

CoffeeScript-Object-Notation. Same as JSON but for CoffeeScript objects.

Projects using CSON.

Projects using CSON Parser directly.

Since v2, this CSON package is a higher-level wrapper around the lower-level CSON Parser.

What is CSON?

Everyone knows JSON, it's the thing that looks like this:

{
  "greatDocumentaries": [
    "earthlings.com",
    "forksoverknives.com",
    "cowspiracy.com"
  ],
  "importantFacts": {
    "emissions": "Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.\nGoodland, R Anhang, J. “Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change were pigs, chickens and cows?”\nWorldWatch, November/December 2009. Worldwatch Institute, Washington, DC, USA. Pp. 10–19.\nhttp://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294",
    "landuse": "Livestock covers 45% of the earth’s total land.\nThornton, Phillip, Mario Herrero, and Polly Ericksen. “Livestock and Climate Change.” Livestock Exchange, no. 3 (2011).\nhttps://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/10601/IssueBrief3.pdf",
    "burger": "One hamburger requires 660 gallons of water to produce – the equivalent of 2 months’ worth of showers.\nCatanese, Christina. “Virtual Water, Real Impacts.” Greenversations: Official Blog of the U.S. EPA. 2012.\nhttp://blog.epa.gov/healthywaters/2012/03/virtual-water-real-impacts-world-water-day-2012/\n“50 Ways to Save Your River.” Friends of the River.\nhttp://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/PageServer?pagename=50ways",
    "milk": "1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.\n“Water trivia facts.” United States Environmental Protection Agency.\nhttp://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/water_trivia_facts.cfm#_edn11",
    "more": "http://cowspiracy.com/facts"
  }
}

Now let's write the same thing in CSON:

# Comments!!!

# An Array with no commas!
greatDocumentaries: [
	'earthlings.com'
	'forksoverknives.com'
	'cowspiracy.com'
]

# An Object without braces!
importantFacts:
	# Multi-Line Strings! Without Quote Escaping!
	emissions: '''
		Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, or 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
		Goodland, R Anhang, J. “Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change were pigs, chickens and cows?”
		WorldWatch, November/December 2009. Worldwatch Institute, Washington, DC, USA. Pp. 10–19.
		http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294
		'''

	landuse: '''
		Livestock covers 45% of the earth’s total land.
		Thornton, Phillip, Mario Herrero, and Polly Ericksen. “Livestock and Climate Change.” Livestock Exchange, no. 3 (2011).
		https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/10601/IssueBrief3.pdf
		'''

	burger: '''
		One hamburger requires 660 gallons of water to produce – the equivalent of 2 months’ worth of showers.
		Catanese, Christina. “Virtual Water, Real Impacts.” Greenversations: Official Blog of the U.S. EPA. 2012.
		http://blog.epa.gov/healthywaters/2012/03/virtual-water-real-impacts-world-water-day-2012/
		“50 Ways to Save Your River.” Friends of the River.
		http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/PageServer?pagename=50ways
		'''

	milk: '''
		1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.
		“Water trivia facts.” United States Environmental Protection Agency.
		http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/water_trivia_facts.cfm#_edn11
		'''

	more: 'http://cowspiracy.com/facts'

Which is far more lenient than JSON, way nicer to write and read, no need to quote and escape everything, has comments and readable multi-line strings, and won't fail if you forget a comma.

Using CSON

Via the Command Line

Use CSON with the command line with:

# Convert a JSON file into a CSON file
json2cson in.json > out.cson
# Same thing via piping
cat in.json | json2cson > out.cson

# Convert a CSON file into a JSON file
cson2json in.cson > out.json
# Same thing via piping
cat in.cson | cson2json > out.json

Requires a global CSON install: npm install -g cson

Via the API

Include CSON:

var CSON = require('cson')

Each method can be executed without a callback like so:

var result = CSON.createCSONString({a:{b:'c'}}, {/* optional options argument */})
if ( result instanceof Error ) {
	console.log(result.stack)
} else {
	console.log(result)
}

Or via a callback like so:

CSON.createCSONString({a:{b:'c'}}, {/* optional options argument */}, function(err,result){
	console.log(err, result)
})

Executing the method with a callback still executes the method synchronously.

Click the below function names to open more detailed documentation.

Create Strings

• String CSON.stringify(data, replacer?, indent?) Converts an Object into a CSON String

• String CSON.createCSONString(data, opts?, next?) Converts an Object into a CSON String

• String CSON.createJSONString(data, opts?, next?) Converts an Object into a JSON String

• String CSON.createString(data, opts?, next?) Converts an Object into a String of the desired format If the format option is not specified, we default to CSON

Parse Strings

• Object CSON.parse(data, opts?, next?) Parses a CSON String into an Object

• Object CSON.parseCSONString(data, opts?, next?) Parses a CSON String into an Object

• Object CSON.parseJSONString(data, opts?, next?) Parses a JSON String into an Object

• Object CSON.parseCSString(data, opts?, next?) Parses a CoffeeScript String into an Object

• Object CSON.parseJSString(data, opts?, next?) Parses a JavaScript String into an Object

• Object CSON.parseString(data, opts?, next?) Converts a String of the desired format into an Object If the format option is not specified, we default to CSON

Parse Files

• Object CSON.load(filePath, opts?, next?) Parses a CSON file into an Object

• Object CSON.parseCSONFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Parses a CSON file into an Object

• Object CSON.parseJSONFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Parses a JSON file into an Object

• Object CSON.parseCSFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Parses a CoffeeScript file into an Object

• Object CSON.parseJSFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Parses a JavaScript file into an Object

• Object CSON.parseFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Parses a file path of the desired format into an Object If the format option is not specified, we use the filename to detect what it should be, otherwise we default to CSON

Require Files

• Object CSON.requireCSFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Requires a CoffeeScript file and returns the result Object

• Object CSON.requireJSFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Requires a JavaScript file and returns the result Object

• Object CSON.requireFile(filePath, opts?, next?) Requires or parses a file path of the desired format into an Object If the format option is not specified, we use the filename to detect what it should be, otherwise we default to parsing CSON

Install

npm

Install Globally

• Install: npm install --global cson
• Executables: cson, cson2json, json2cson

Install Locally

• Install: npm install --save cson
• Executables: npx cson, npx cson2json, npx json2cson
• Import: import * as pkg from ('cson')
• Require: const pkg = require('cson')

Editions

This package is published with the following editions:

• cson/source/index.coffee is CoffeeScript source code with Require for modules
• cson aliases cson/edition-esnext/index.js
• cson/edition-esnext/index.js is CoffeeScript compiled for Node.js 6 || 8 || 10 || 12 || 14 || 16 || 18 || 20 || 21 with Require for modules

History

Discover the release history by heading on over to the HISTORY.md file.

Backers

Code

Discover how to contribute via the CONTRIBUTING.md file.

Authors

• Benjamin Lupton — Accelerating collaborative wisdom.

Maintainers

• Benjamin Lupton — Accelerating collaborative wisdom.

Contributors

• Attila Oláh — view contributions
• Attila Oláh
• Benjamin Lupton — view contributions
• Claudius Nicolae — view contributions
• evinugur — view contributions
• Jason Karns — view contributions
• Joël Perras — view contributions
• Linus G Thiel — view contributions
• Rob Loach — view contributions
• Ryan LeFevre — view contributions
• Tushar Kant — view contributions
• Zearin — view contributions
• ZHANG Cheng — view contributions

Finances

Sponsors

• Andrew Nesbitt — Software engineer and researcher
• Balsa — We're Balsa, and we're building tools for builders.
• Codecov — Empower developers with tools to improve code quality and testing.
• Poonacha Medappa
• Rob Morris
• Sentry — Real-time crash reporting for your web apps, mobile apps, and games.
• Syntax — Syntax Podcast

Donors

• Andrew Nesbitt
• Armen Mkrtchian
• Balsa
• Chad
• Codecov
• dr.dimitru
• Elliott Ditman
• entroniq
• GitHub
• Hunter Beast
• Jean-Luc Geering
• Michael Duane Mooring
• Michael Harry Scepaniak
• Mohammed Shah
• Mr. Henry
• Nermal
• Pleo
• Poonacha Medappa
• Rob Morris
• Robert de Forest
• Sentry
• ServieJS
• Skunk Team
• Syntax
• WriterJohnBuck

License

Unless stated otherwise all works are:

• Copyright © Benjamin Lupton

and licensed under:

• Artistic License 2.0