format-json

Overview

format-json is a simple and efficient tool for formatting JSON files. It recursively scans directories for files with the .json extension and automatically re-formats them to be more readable with proper indentation.

This tool is built using Rust and leverages asynchronous processing through Tokio. It utilizes several Rust crates to accomplish its tasks:

• xio: Provides a convenient function to walk through directories.
• dset: Contains the core JSON formatting logic.
• serde_json: Used for parsing and printing JSON.
• walkdir: For recursively traversing directories.
• tokio: Provides the asynchronous runtime.
• anyhow: Simplifies error handling.
• tempfile (dev-dependency): Facilitates testing by handling temporary files.

Features

• Recursive Directory Traversal: Finds all JSON files in the specified directory and its subdirectories.
• Automatic JSON Formatting: Reformats JSON files to use a standardized, pretty-print style.
• Asynchronous Execution: Uses Tokio to handle file processing concurrently, improving performance.
• Command-Line Interface: Accepts an optional directory path. Defaults to the current working directory if none is provided.
• Built-in Testing: Contains tests to ensure functionality and correct formatting of JSON files.

Installation

To build format-json, ensure you have Rust and Cargo installed. Then, clone the repository and run:

cargo build --release

This will compile the project in release mode.

Usage

You can run format-json either via Cargo or by using the compiled binary.

Running with Cargo

To format JSON files in the current directory:

cargo run

To specify a different directory, provide the path as an argument:

cargo run -- /path/to/directory

Running the Compiled Binary

After building the project, the binary will be located in target/release. Run it using:

./target/release/format-json /path/to/directory

If no directory is provided, the tool will default to using the current working directory.

Testing

Run the tests with:

cargo test

The tests include a sample JSON file formatting test to ensure the tool produces the expected output.

Code Structure

• Cargo.toml: Contains package metadata and dependency information.
• src/main.rs: Implements the main logic, including recursive directory traversal and JSON formatting.

The project leverages helper crates (xio and dset) for core functionalities, ensuring modular and maintainable code.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to open issues or submit pull requests if you have suggestions or improvements.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Balazs Horvath

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the authors of the Rust crates that make this project possible!