What is the fastest way to convert data into JSON format? - json

Question

I need to convert some data to JSON format so I can use the data in my React.js project.
The current format of data is as follows:
["'Your Cut'"] = {
["id"] = 3400,
["tier"] = 1,
["type"] = {"Distributed"},
["limit"] = "Only granted by {{cai|Death from Below|Pyke}}.",
["maps"] = {
["sr"] = true,
["ha"] = true,
["nb"] = true,
["tt"] = true,
["cs"] = false,
},
["effects"] = {
["consume"] = "Grants {{g|text=*none*}}{{pp|100;112;140;176;220;274;300|-7+x;0+|type=target's kill bounty|color=gold}}, increased by {{g|100}} for [[First Blood]]. '''Can be used while [[dead]].'''",
},
},
["Abyssal Mask"] = {
["id"] = 8020,
["tier"] = 3,
["maps"] = {
["sr"] = true,
["ha"] = true,
["nb"] = true,
},
["menu"] = {
["tank"] = true,
},
["stats"] = {
["ah"] = 10,
["hp"] = 450,
["mr"] = 35,
},
["effects"] = {
["pass"] = {
["name"] = "Unmake",
["unique"] = true,
["description"] = "Enemy champions within {{tt|550 units|center to edge}} of you become cursed, reducing their {{as|magic resistance by 5}} {{as|(+ {{fd|1.2}}% '''bonus''' health)}}, capped at a reduction of {{as|25 magic resistance}}. Gain {{as|9 '''bonus''' magic resistance}} per cursed enemy.",
},
},
["recipe"] = {"Kindlegem", "Spectre's Cowl"},
["buy"] = 2700,
},
["Aegis of the Legion"] = {
["id"] = 3105,
["tier"] = 2,
["maps"] = {
["sr"] = true,
["ha"] = true,
["nb"] = true,
},
["menu"] = {
["tank"] = true,
["support"] = true,
},
["stats"] = {
["ah"] = 10,
["armor"] = 30,
["mr"] = 30,
},
["recipe"] = {"Null-Magic Mantle", "Cloth Armor"},
["buy"] = 1400,
},
... and so on for another 6000 lines.
I've tried doing it with replace using REGEX inside Visual Studio Code but it stopped responding and crashed the program.
What is the correct way to approach this?
Should I make a script in some language to convert the data? If so should I use REGEX or is there a smarter approach?
Thank you

Answer 1

You would need to know the exact syntax rules for the input. For instance, if it is possible for string literals to include special characters like newline or double quote (the delimiter), and how that would be encoded.
But for the example given, I see the following transformations that need to be done to make it valid JSON:
The square brackets around the key names should be removed
The curly braces that terminate arrays should be turned into square brackets
The whole input should be wrapped in a pair of curly braces
Trailing commas (after the last key of an object literal) should be removed
Seeing the input structure, I made several assumptions, including:
Arrays open and close on a single line;
Arrays are not nested;
Object keys are always defined on separate lines;
Key names and string values are always double quoted.
No string interpolation is performed (the double braces remain untouched)
Here is a runnable implementation of that transformation in JavaScript, which produces a result for the sample input you provided:
function toJSON(input) {
return ("{\n"
+ input.replace(/^(\s*)\[("[^"]*")](\s*)=/gm, "$1$2$3:")
.replace(/\{(.*)}(,?)[ \t]*$/gm, "[$1]$2")
+ "\n}").replace(/,(\s*\})/g, "$1");
}
// Demo on the example:
let input = `["'Your Cut'"] = {
["id"] = 3400,
["tier"] = 1,
["type"] = {"Distributed"},
["limit"] = "Only granted by {{cai|Death from Below|Pyke}}.",
["maps"] = {
["sr"] = true,
["ha"] = true,
["nb"] = true,
["tt"] = true,
["cs"] = false,
},
["effects"] = {
["consume"] = "Grants {{g|text=*none*}}{{pp|100;112;140;176;220;274;300|-7+x;0+|type=target's kill bounty|color=gold}}, increased by {{g|100}} for [[First Blood]]. '''Can be used while [[dead]].'''",
},
},
["Abyssal Mask"] = {
["id"] = 8020,
["tier"] = 3,
["maps"] = {
["sr"] = true,
["ha"] = true,
["nb"] = true,
},
["menu"] = {
["tank"] = true,
},
["stats"] = {
["ah"] = 10,
["hp"] = 450,
["mr"] = 35,
},
["effects"] = {
["pass"] = {
["name"] = "Unmake",
["unique"] = true,
["description"] = "Enemy champions within {{tt|550 units|center to edge}} of you become cursed, reducing their {{as|magic resistance by 5}} {{as|(+ {{fd|1.2}}% '''bonus''' health)}}, capped at a reduction of {{as|25 magic resistance}}. Gain {{as|9 '''bonus''' magic resistance}} per cursed enemy.",
},
},
["recipe"] = {"Kindlegem", "Spectre's Cowl"},
["buy"] = 2700,
},
["Aegis of the Legion"] = {
["id"] = 3105,
["tier"] = 2,
["maps"] = {
["sr"] = true,
["ha"] = true,
["nb"] = true,
},
["menu"] = {
["tank"] = true,
["support"] = true,
},
["stats"] = {
["ah"] = 10,
["armor"] = 30,
["mr"] = 30,
},
["recipe"] = {"Null-Magic Mantle", "Cloth Armor"},
["buy"] = 1400,
},`;
const json = toJSON(input);
console.log(JSON.parse(json));