toonify

Parse TOON format to JSON and JSON to TOON format - A Node.js library.

Installation

npm install @toonify/toonify

Usage

Decode TOON to JSON

import { decode } from "@toonify/toonify";

const toon = `users[2]{id,name,email}:
  1,Alice,[email protected]
  2,Bob,[email protected]`;

const json = decode(toon);
// Returns: {
//   users: [
//     { id: 1, name: 'Alice', email: '[email protected]' },
//     { id: 2, name: 'Bob', email: '[email protected]' }
//   ]
// }

Encode JSON to TOON

import { encode } from "@toonify/toonify";

const json = {
  users: [
    { id: 1, name: "Alice", email: "[email protected]" },
    { id: 2, name: "Bob", email: "[email protected]" },
  ],
};

const toon = encode(json);
// Returns: "users[2]{id,name,email}:\n  1,Alice,[email protected]\n  2,Bob,[email protected]"

TOON Format

TOON is a human-readable data format that uses indentation and special syntax for arrays and objects.

Basic Syntax

• Objects: Use key: value pairs with indentation for nesting
• Arrays: Use name[N]{fields}: for tabular arrays or name[N]: for list arrays
• Delimiters: Comma (default), tab (\t), or pipe (|)

Examples

Simple Object

name: Alice
age: 30
active: true

Nested Object

user:
  name: Alice
  profile:
    email: [email protected]
    role: admin

Tabular Array

users[2]{id,name,email}:
  1,Alice,[email protected]
  2,Bob,[email protected]

List Array

tags[3]:
  javascript
  nodejs
  toon

Mixed Data

config:
  name: My App
  version: 1.0.0
  users[2]{id,name}:
    1,Alice
    2,Bob
  tags[2]:
    frontend
    backend

API

decode(toonString, options?)

Decode a TOON format string to a JavaScript object.

Parameters:

• toonString (string): TOON formatted string
• options (object, optional):
  • strict (boolean, default: true): Validate structure strictly
  • expand_paths (string, default: 'off'): Path expansion mode ('off' | 'safe')
  • default_delimiter (string, default: ','): Default delimiter for arrays
  • indent (number): Indent size (auto-detected if not provided)

Returns: JavaScript object or array

encode(data, options?)

Encode a JavaScript object or array to TOON format.

Parameters:

• data (any): JavaScript object or array to encode
• options (object, optional):
  • indent (number, default: 2): Indentation size
  • delimiter (string, default: ','): Default delimiter for arrays
  • compact (boolean, default: false): Use compact format

Returns: TOON formatted string

detectIndent(toonString)

Detect the indentation size used in a TOON string.

Parameters:

• toonString (string): TOON formatted string

Returns: Detected indent size (default 2 if unable to detect)

Features

• ✅ Parse TOON format to JavaScript objects
• ✅ Convert JavaScript objects to TOON format
• ✅ Support for tabular and list arrays
• ✅ Support for nested objects and arrays
• ✅ Multiple delimiter support (comma, tab, pipe)
• ✅ Auto-detection of indentation
• ✅ Type-safe with JSDoc annotations
• ✅ ES Modules support

License

MIT