What could be causing my supposedly correct-looking JSON to be invalid?

Question

What could be causing my supposedly correct-looking JSON to be invalid?

I've been trying to figure this out for a while now, but I just can't seem to understand why my JSON keeps showing as invalid...

When I run it through JSONLint, I get the following error

    Error: Parse error on line 107:
...pair?",      "answer": "Yes, as long as the
----------------------^
Expecting 'STRING', 'NUMBER', 'NULL', 'TRUE', 'FALSE', '{', '[', got 'undefined'

This is the specific part of the JSON that's causing issues

{
    "tags": "already transferred",
    "question": "Can we transfer customers who have already been transferred previously? what is the dispo? warm transfer or already contacted?",
    "answer": "Yes, mark as already contacted."
},

{
    "tags": "secured debt",
    "question": "If customer only has secured debts, can we still offer credit repair?",
    "answer": "Yes, as long as they have at least $100 in secured/unsecured debt.
    "},




    {
        "tags": "state",
        "question": "Is the program state sensitive?",
        "answer": "Yes, each partner has particular states that they service. The script engine will only offer services when the state is valid for partner who has that service."
    },

The issue seems to be with the text 'Yes, as long'

This JSON is generated dynamically using ColdFusion.

<cfscript>faqCounter=1;</cfscript>
    <CFLOOP query="getFAQs">
         <cfoutput>
            {"tags":"#getFAQs.tags#","question":"#getFAQs.question#","answer":"#getFAQs.answer#"}<cfif faqCounter<getFAQCount.getFAQPertinentCount>,</cfif>
         </cfoutput>
        <cfscript>faqCounter++;</cfscript>
    </CFLOOP>

javascript json coldfusion lucee

Answer 1

Answer №1

There is a CRLF within the double quotes ""

"response": "Yes, individuals can file for bankruptcy as long as they have a minimum of $100 in secured/unsecured debt.
"},

https://i.sstatic.net/1gkCv.png

Answer 2

There is a CRLF within the double quotes ""

"response": "Yes, individuals can file for bankruptcy as long as they have a minimum of $100 in secured/unsecured debt.
"},

https://i.sstatic.net/1gkCv.png

Answer 3

Answer №2

( It has been highlighted by previous answers that the issue lies with the un-escaped new line, causing the JSON to break. This emphasizes the importance of avoiding crafting your own JSON and instead utilizing the built-in function SerializeJSON(). )

Lucee 5.2.8.39+

Explore the new support for JSON serialization-related settings in the Application.cfc for Lucee version 5.2.8.39 and above. These new settings allow you to override ColdFusion's default method of serializing query objects:

// serialize queries as an array of structures AND
// preserves the column name case used in the sql
this.serialization.preserveCaseForStructKey = true;
this.serialization.serializeQueryAs = "struct";

This enhancement eliminates the need for painstaking query looping. Simply execute your query and utilize serializeJSON( yourQuery ) to produce a well-formatted string like the example below:

[
  {
    "answer": "Yes, mark as already contacted.",
    "tags": "already transferred",
    "question": "Can we transfer customers who have already been transferred previously? what is the dispo? warm transfer or already contacted?"
  },
  {
    "answer": "Yes, as long as they have at least $100 in secured/unsecured debt.  ",
    "tags": "secured debt",
    "question": "If customer only has secured debts, can we still offer credit repair?"
  }
]

Earlier Lucee versions

If you are using earlier versions of Lucee, follow the suggestion from @Barmar. Construct an array of structures and then employ serializeJSON to convert it into a correctly formatted JSON string.

Runnable Example

<cfset yourArray = []>

   <cfloop query="getFAQs">
      <cfset yourArray.append( { "tags" : getFAQs.tags
                               , "question" : getFAQs.question
                               , "answer": getFAQs.answer
                             } )>    
   </cfloop>

   <cfset jsonString = serializeJSON( yourArray )>

Removing unwanted new lines?

To eliminate unnecessary new lines in your JSON string, apply a replace() function and substitute \n with an empty string.

<cfset jsonString  = replace(jsonString , "\n", "", "all")>

If you wish to remove them permanently, locate the code inserting them into the database initially and modify it there. Additionally, update any existing database entries to eradicate the "\n" characters.

Answer 4

( It has been highlighted by previous answers that the issue lies with the un-escaped new line, causing the JSON to break. This emphasizes the importance of avoiding crafting your own JSON and instead utilizing the built-in function SerializeJSON(). )

Lucee 5.2.8.39+

Explore the new support for JSON serialization-related settings in the Application.cfc for Lucee version 5.2.8.39 and above. These new settings allow you to override ColdFusion's default method of serializing query objects:

// serialize queries as an array of structures AND
// preserves the column name case used in the sql
this.serialization.preserveCaseForStructKey = true;
this.serialization.serializeQueryAs = "struct";

This enhancement eliminates the need for painstaking query looping. Simply execute your query and utilize serializeJSON( yourQuery ) to produce a well-formatted string like the example below:

[
  {
    "answer": "Yes, mark as already contacted.",
    "tags": "already transferred",
    "question": "Can we transfer customers who have already been transferred previously? what is the dispo? warm transfer or already contacted?"
  },
  {
    "answer": "Yes, as long as they have at least $100 in secured/unsecured debt.  ",
    "tags": "secured debt",
    "question": "If customer only has secured debts, can we still offer credit repair?"
  }
]

Earlier Lucee versions

If you are using earlier versions of Lucee, follow the suggestion from @Barmar. Construct an array of structures and then employ serializeJSON to convert it into a correctly formatted JSON string.

Runnable Example

<cfset yourArray = []>

   <cfloop query="getFAQs">
      <cfset yourArray.append( { "tags" : getFAQs.tags
                               , "question" : getFAQs.question
                               , "answer": getFAQs.answer
                             } )>    
   </cfloop>

   <cfset jsonString = serializeJSON( yourArray )>

Removing unwanted new lines?

To eliminate unnecessary new lines in your JSON string, apply a replace() function and substitute \n with an empty string.

<cfset jsonString  = replace(jsonString , "\n", "", "all")>

If you wish to remove them permanently, locate the code inserting them into the database initially and modify it there. Additionally, update any existing database entries to eradicate the "\n" characters.

Answer 5

Answer №3

An issue arises when the string includes a newline character as a literal, which should be represented as \n. Most programming languages offer ways to filter or serialize data into JSON format, automatically handling these conversions.

Take a look at the code examples provided in the documentation at

The following script uses the serializeJSON() function to convert data into JSON:

<cfscript>
       example = structnew();
       example.firstname = "Yes";
       example.lastname = "Man";
       // customizing the serialization process by defining the type of "firstname" as string
       metadata = {firstname: {type:"string"}};
       example.setMetadata(metadata);
       writeoutput(SerializeJSON(example));
</cfscript>

{"LASTNAME":"Man","FIRSTNAME":"Yes"}

Answer 6

An issue arises when the string includes a newline character as a literal, which should be represented as \n. Most programming languages offer ways to filter or serialize data into JSON format, automatically handling these conversions.

Take a look at the code examples provided in the documentation at

The following script uses the serializeJSON() function to convert data into JSON:

<cfscript>
       example = structnew();
       example.firstname = "Yes";
       example.lastname = "Man";
       // customizing the serialization process by defining the type of "firstname" as string
       metadata = {firstname: {type:"string"}};
       example.setMetadata(metadata);
       writeoutput(SerializeJSON(example));
</cfscript>

{"LASTNAME":"Man","FIRSTNAME":"Yes"}

What could be causing my supposedly correct-looking JSON to be invalid?

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Similar questions

Enlarging an image on canvas and creating a repeating pattern

Creating curved triangles in React Native is a fun and easy way to add stylish

Do I have to include 'document.ready()' for this JavaScript code snippet?

Displaying files based on time signatures using NodeJS with a delay

Leverage the power of gRPC with Node.js and TypeScript for seamless

Using jQuery to select a nested element in HTML

What is the best way to implement an input spinner with changing values?

Encountering an issue with a loop in my jQuery function - any solutions?

Accessing the content of a list using a specific parameter in JSON format

Creating a properly formatted PHP array to be passed to JavaScript

Retrieve the ID of the button that was chosen

Is there any benefit to fetching data in `{#await}` or `onMount` instead of `load` in SvelteKit, especially considering the impact on `+server`?

Struggling to locate the element value in Puppeteer? Reach out for assistance with await page.waitForSelector() or await page.waitForXPath()

Use HTML to showcase an image that dynamically changes based on the outcome of a query function

Detect if the content loaded in the web view is a PDF file and provide a downloadable option

What is the proper way to utilize props.theme.breakpoints in conjunction with the makeStyles hooks?

Is there a way to convert an Xml raw string into Xml or Json Output Format?

Retrieve precise information from a JSON dataset

I am looking for a way to generate unique dynamic IDs for each input textbox created within a PHP while loop. Can

Can .NET MVC be used to host vue.js static files?