9.1. JSON Scripts¶

This page provides a basic overview of correct JSON syntax. Additionally it covers non-task specific modules that are valid in Release Engine playbooks.

See also

Components → Pre-Built Workers: For more information on the workers that ship with Release Engine

For the Release Engine, every JSON playbook must be a list at it’s root-most element. Each item in the list is a dictionary. These dictionaries represent all the options you can use to write a Release Engine playbooks.

Tip

With the exception of strings all types (arrays, booleans, integers, numbers, nulls and objects) in a JSON list or dictionary are not required to be surrounded by double quotes ("Foo"). If added, these types become strings. Also, all lines in a list or dictionary must end in a comma , except the final member in the list or dictionary, which must explicitly not end with a comma.

In JSON a list can be represented in two ways. In one way all members of a list are lines beginning at the same indentation level surrounded by square brackets.

[
 "Apple",
 "Orange",
 "Strawberry",
 "Mango"
]

In the second way a list is represented as comma separated elements surrounded by square brackets. Newlines are permitted between elements:

["apple", "orange", "strawberry", "mango"]

A dictionary is represented in a simple key: and value form:

{
  "skill": "Elite",
  "job": "Developer",
  "name": "John Eckersberg"
}

Like lists, dictionaries can be represented in an abbreviated form:

{"skill": "Elite", "job": "Developer", "name": "John Eckersberg"}

You can specify a boolean value (true/false) in several forms:

{
  "knows_oop": true,
  "likes_emacs": true,
  "uses_cvs": false
}

Finally, you can combine these data structures:

{
 "name": "John Eckersberg",
 "python": "Elite",
 "job": "Developer",
 "languages": {
   "ruby": "Elite"
 },
 "foods": [
  "Apple",
  "Orange",
  "Strawberry",
  "Mango"
 ],
 "dotnet": "Lame",
 "employed": true,
 "skill": "Elite"
}

That’s all you really need to know about JSON to get started writing Release Engine playbooks.