How to use the JSON_PRETTY_PRINT option in the json_encode() call to generate a pretty looking JSON text string?

If you want a pretty looking JSON text string, you can call json_encode() with the JSON_PRETTY_PRINT option. It will add line breaks and insert 4 space characters to indent level of sub structures in the output.

Here is a PHP example that shows you how to use the JSON_PRETTY_PRINT when calling json_decode():

<?php
"dev.fyicenter.com",
      "1"=>array("0"=>"PHP","1"=>"JSON")
      );

   print("\nInput: ");
   var_dump($var);
   print("Output: ".json_encode($var,JSON_PRETTY_PRINT)."\n");

   $var = array(
      "site"=>"dev.fyicenter.com",
      "topics"=>array("PHP"=>"Y","JSON"=>"Y")
      );

   print("\nInput: ");
   var_dump($var);
   print("Output: ".json_encode($var,JSON_PRETTY_PRINT)."\n");
?>

If you run the above PHP code through the PHP engine, you get the following output:

>\fyicenter\php\php.exe json_encode_pretty.php

Input: array(2) {
  [0]=>
  string(17) "dev.fyicenter.com"
  [1]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(3) "PHP"
    [1]=>
    string(4) "JSON"
  }
}
Output: [
    "dev.fyicenter.com",
    [
        "PHP",
        "JSON"
    ]
]

Input: array(2) {
  ["site"]=>
  string(17) "dev.fyicenter.com"
  ["topics"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["PHP"]=>
    string(1) "Y"
    ["JSON"]=>
    string(1) "Y"
  }
}
Output: {
    "site": "dev.fyicenter.com",
    "topics": {
        "PHP": "Y",
        "JSON": "Y"
    }
}

⇒ JSON to XML Conversion

⇐ json_encode() - PHP Associative Array to JSON Object

⇑ Using JSON in PHP

⇑⇑ JSON Tutorials