Manage JSON (comments) with org literate programming and tangle

Question

I would like to manage a JSON config file with added comments on some key-value-pairs and explain options. Since it is not possible to comment in JSON, I thought about using org-mode literate programming and tangle to manage the file.

Questions are:

• there is no specific JSON code block, because JSON is not really a language. Which language block should I use instead?
• Can I tangle code parts to one single JSON file? Does tangleing insert characters like return between two blocks?
• is there a smarter way to manage / comment JSON files in a literate kind of way?

Answer 1

Here is a way to do this with literate programming in org.

#+BEGIN_SRC json :tangle config.json
{"key1": "value",
#+END_SRC

For key2 I prefer 0 instead of 1

#+BEGIN_SRC json  :tangle config.json
 "key2": 0}
#+END_SRC

Here we automate tangling, and then show it is valid json.

#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp  :var tangle=(org-babel-tangle)
(json-read-file "config.json")
#+END_SRC

#+RESULTS:
: ((key1 . value) (key2 . 0))

Is there a smarter way? I guess it depends on where you want your comments. You could use elisp to do it like this.

#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(let ((data '((key-1 . value)
          ;; I like another-value for key-2
          (key-2 . another-value))))
  (with-temp-file "config-2.json"
    (insert (json-encode data))))

(json-read-file "config-2.json")
#+END_SRC

You could also use noweb, and define your own execute function like this.

#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun org-babel-execute:config-json (body params)
  (message "%S" params)
  (let* ((vars (seq-filter (lambda (x) (eq (car x) :var)) params))
     (config (cl-loop for var in vars
              if (eq (car (cdr var)) 'config)
              return (cddr var))))
    (with-temp-file config (insert (org-babel-expand-body:generic body params)))))
#+END_SRC

#+RESULTS:
: org-babel-execute:config-json


#+name: key-value-1
#+BEGIN_SRC config-json
"key1": 0
#+END_SRC

#+name: key-value-2
#+BEGIN_SRC config-json
"key2": 1
#+END_SRC


When you "execute" this block it will write out config3.json.

#+name: config
#+BEGIN_SRC config-json :noweb yes :var config="config3.json" 
{<<key-value-1>>, <<key-value-2>>}
#+END_SRC

#+RESULTS: config

#+BEGIN_SRC sh :results raw
cat config3.json
#+END_SRC

#+RESULTS:
{"key1": 0, "key2": 1}