Json Pretty Print Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require webignition/json-pretty-print
   

   No configuration is required—just autoload the package.

2. First Use Case:

   use Webignition\JsonPrettyPrint\JsonPrettyPrinter;
   
   $uglyJson = '{"name":"John","age":30,"city":"New York"}';
   $printer = new JsonPrettyPrinter();
   $prettyJson = $printer->prettyPrint($uglyJson);
   

   Output:

   {
       "name": "John",
       "age": 30,
       "city": "New York"
   }
   

3. Where to Look First:

   • Class: JsonPrettyPrinter (core functionality).
   • Tests: tests/ for edge cases (e.g., malformed JSON, empty strings).
   • README: Minimal but covers basic usage.

Implementation Patterns

Common Workflows

1. API Response Formatting:

   $response = $this->json(['data' => $uglyJson]);
   $prettyResponse = $response->setContent(
       (new JsonPrettyPrinter())->prettyPrint($response->getContent())
   );
   

   Useful for debugging API endpoints without modifying frontend logic.

2. Logging Pretty JSON:

   \Log::info('User data', [
       'pretty_json' => (new JsonPrettyPrinter())->prettyPrint($userDataJson)
   ]);
   

   Enhances readability in Laravel logs (e.g., single or daily channels).

3. Service Provider Binding (for reusable access):

   // app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
   public function register()
   {
       $this->app->singleton(JsonPrettyPrinter::class);
   }
   

   Then inject via constructor:

   public function __construct(private JsonPrettyPrinter $printer) {}
   

4. Middleware for Debug Routes:

   // app/Http/Middleware/PrettyJson.php
   public function handle($request, Closure $next)
   {
       $response = $next($request);
       if ($response->headers->get('Content-Type') === 'application/json') {
           $response->setContent(
               $this->printer->prettyPrint($response->getContent())
           );
       }
       return $response;
   }
   

   Apply to debug routes only (e.g., php artisan route:list --json).

Integration Tips

• Laravel Debugbar: Use with barryvdh/laravel-debugbar to display pretty-printed JSON in the debug panel.
• Telescope: Override TelescopeServiceProvider to pretty-print entries:

  Telescope::makeEntry($entry)->put('data', $this->printer->prettyPrint($entry->get('data')));
  

• Artisan Commands: Pretty-print command output:

  $this->info($this->printer->prettyPrint(json_encode($data)));
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Non-String Inputs: The method expects a string. Passing arrays/objects will throw:

   $printer->prettyPrint(['key' => 'value']); // TypeError
   

   Fix: Convert first:

   $printer->prettyPrint(json_encode($array));
   

2. Malformed JSON: Invalid JSON (e.g., '{key: "value"}') will throw JsonException. Handle gracefully:

   try {
       $pretty = $printer->prettyPrint($json);
   } catch (\JsonException $e) {
       return response($json, 500)->header('X-Error', 'Invalid JSON');
   }
   

3. Performance: Avoid prettifying large JSON in loops or high-traffic routes. Cache or lazy-load if needed.

Debugging Tips

• Verify Input: Use json_last_error() to check for syntax errors:

  json_decode($json); // Silently fails; use with `json_last_error()`
  

• Custom Indentation: The default is 4 spaces, but you can override:

  $printer = new JsonPrettyPrinter(2); // 2-space indent
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Formatting: Extend the class to add features (e.g., colorized output):

   class ColoredJsonPrinter extends JsonPrettyPrinter {
       public function prettyPrint(string $json): string {
           $pretty = parent::prettyPrint($json);
           return $this->addColors($pretty);
       }
       // ...
   }
   

2. Hook into Laravel Events: Listen to illuminate.query or eloquent.* events to auto-pretty-print SQL/queries:

   Event::listen('illuminate.query', function ($query) {
       \Log::debug($this->printer->prettyPrint($query->sql));
   });
   

3. Blade Directives: Create a custom Blade directive for views:

   Blade::directive('prettyJson', function ($expression) {
       return "<?php echo (new \\Webignition\\JsonPrettyPrint\\JsonPrettyPrinter())->prettyPrint({$expression}); ?>";
   });
   

   Usage:

   @prettyJson($jsonVariable)