How Can I Pretty-Print JSON Data in PHP?

Presenting JSON Data Elegantly with PHP

When handling JSON data in PHP, you may encounter the need to format it in a structured and aesthetically pleasing manner. By default, json_encode() outputs data as a flat, single-line string. However, there's a solution that Facebook has implemented: JSON_PRETTY_PRINT.

Introduced in PHP 5.4, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT is an option that you can pass to json_encode() to transform your JSON data into a human-readable format. It indents and line-breaks the data, making it easier to view and comprehend.

To demonstrate, let's use the example from the question:

$data = array('a' => 'apple', 'b' => 'banana', 'c' => 'catnip');
header('Content-type: text/javascript');
echo json_encode($data, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);

Output:

{
    "a": "apple",
    "b": "banana",
    "c": "catnip"
}

As you can see, the output is now formatted, making it easier to read, especially for large data sets. While there may have been workarounds in the past, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT provides a simple and elegant solution to present JSON data in a visually appealing manner.

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