PowerShell Code Indentation Issue While Updating JSON in Git

Question

PowerShell Code Indentation Issue While Updating JSON in Git

Coder 0

The goal is to format the JSON output as { "google": "123" }, but the current output is showing as

{

"Google": "123" }.

What could be causing this indentation issue in the PowerShell code?

MotoX80 35,726 Reputation points

2025-04-04T18:55:23.6466667+00:00

What could be causing this indentation issue in the PowerShell code?

Please share the code that you are executing so that we can see what you are doing.

Some examples here.

https://shellgeek.com/powershell-json-guide-with-examples/
Rich Matheisen 47,786 Reputation points

2025-04-04T19:32:17.35+00:00
Just curious . . . what's wrong with the indentation? The output you posted doesn't look like the output I get (see below). But as long as it's using a correct and legitimate format why worry about its appearance? Are you trying to write code that parses that output? If your code can't parse that it's not doing a very good job.

$x =@{google = "123"} ConvertTo-Json -InputObject $x { "google": "123" }

Coder 0

This is my code, here everytime I get a new software, collection it has to be updated with the latest under software collection id.

Function update-jsonfile {

$InstallCollectionname = "firefox"

$InstallCollectionID = "zrv1"

$repourl = "https://alm-github.systems.uk.com/DC-SpecialMission-POD/GitUpdate.git"

$jsonfilepath = "https://alm-github.systems.uk.com/DC-SpecialMission-POD/GitUpdate/blob/main/JSONUpdateForDEV.json"

$commitmessage = "JSON file updated"

$filename = Get-Date -Format "dd_MM_mm_ss"

$repodir = "C:\temp\GITRepo_$filename"

$tempjsonfile = "$repodir\JSONUpdateForDEV.json"

git clone -q $repourl $repodir

Start-Sleep -Seconds 20

Set-Location $repodir

# Check if JSON file exists

if (-Not (Test-Path $tempjsonfile)) {

    Write-Host "Error: JSON file not found!"

    return

}

# Read JSON content and handle errors

try {

    $jsoncontent = Get-Content -Path $tempjsonfile -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json

} catch {

    Write-Host "Error: Failed to parse JSON. Check file formatting."

    return

}

# Check if InstallCollectionID already exists

$checkIfExists = $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId | Where-Object { $_ -match $InstallCollectionID }

if ($checkIfExists) {

    Write-Host "$InstallCollectionID already exists in JSON"

} else {

    $newentry = @{ $InstallCollectionname = $InstallCollectionID }

    $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId += $newentry

    

    # Convert back to JSON and format correctly

    $jsonstring = $jsoncontent | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10

    

    # Save the updated JSON

    $jsonstring | Set-Content -Path $tempjsonfile -Encoding UTF8

    git add $tempjsonfile

    git commit -m "Updated new software details"

    git push origin main

}

}

Rich Matheisen 47,786

I'm assuming that your problem is found in this part of your code?

$newentry = @{ $InstallCollectionname = $InstallCollectionID }
        $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId += $newentry
        # Convert back to JSON and format correctly
        $jsonstring = $jsoncontent | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10

If so, this simplified bit of code should mimic that:

# a = a single valued string
# b = an array of hashes
$coll = [PSCustomObject]@{
    a = "a string"
    b = @(@{google="abcd"},@{microsoft="efgh"})
}
$newentry = @{firefox="zrv1"}
$coll.b += $newentry
ConvertTo-Json -InputObject $coll

Here's what I get (which looks okay) when I run my code:

{
  "a": "a string",
  "b": [
    {
      "google": "abcd"
    },
    {
      "microsoft": "efgh"
    },
    {
      "firefox": "zrv1"
    }
  ]
}

Of course, I don't have your data to work with.

Coder 0 Reputation points

2025-04-05T18:32:03.4966667+00:00

I want my output in single line within {"firefox": "zrv1"}

But the output which I got from my code is

{

"firefox": "zrv1"

} Which is of 3 lines. I'm trying to format my code to get the output in 1 single line as shown in first line of this comment.

3 answers

Your answer

MotoX80 35,726 Reputation points

2025-04-04T18:55:23.6466667+00:00

What could be causing this indentation issue in the PowerShell code?

Please share the code that you are executing so that we can see what you are doing.

Some examples here.

https://shellgeek.com/powershell-json-guide-with-examples/
Rich Matheisen 47,786 Reputation points

2025-04-04T19:32:17.35+00:00

Just curious . . . what's wrong with the indentation? The output you posted doesn't look like the output I get (see below). But as long as it's using a correct and legitimate format why worry about its appearance? Are you trying to write code that parses that output? If your code can't parse that it's not doing a very good job.

$x =@{google = "123"} ConvertTo-Json -InputObject $x { "google": "123" }
Coder 0 Reputation points

2025-04-05T00:48:00.29+00:00

This is my code, here everytime I get a new software, collection it has to be updated with the latest under software collection id.

Function update-jsonfile {

$InstallCollectionname = "firefox" $InstallCollectionID = "zrv1" $repourl = "https://alm-github.systems.uk.com/DC-SpecialMission-POD/GitUpdate.git" $jsonfilepath = "https://alm-github.systems.uk.com/DC-SpecialMission-POD/GitUpdate/blob/main/JSONUpdateForDEV.json" $commitmessage = "JSON file updated" $filename = Get-Date -Format "dd_MM_mm_ss" $repodir = "C:\temp\GITRepo_$filename" $tempjsonfile = "$repodir\JSONUpdateForDEV.json" git clone -q $repourl $repodir Start-Sleep -Seconds 20 Set-Location $repodir # Check if JSON file exists if (-Not (Test-Path $tempjsonfile)) { Write-Host "Error: JSON file not found!" return } # Read JSON content and handle errors try { $jsoncontent = Get-Content -Path $tempjsonfile -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json } catch { Write-Host "Error: Failed to parse JSON. Check file formatting." return } # Check if InstallCollectionID already exists $checkIfExists = $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId | Where-Object { $_ -match $InstallCollectionID } if ($checkIfExists) { Write-Host "$InstallCollectionID already exists in JSON" } else { $newentry = @{ $InstallCollectionname = $InstallCollectionID } $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId += $newentry # Convert back to JSON and format correctly $jsonstring = $jsoncontent | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 # Save the updated JSON $jsonstring | Set-Content -Path $tempjsonfile -Encoding UTF8 git add $tempjsonfile git commit -m "Updated new software details" git push origin main }

}
Rich Matheisen 47,786 Reputation points

2025-04-05T15:34:20.52+00:00

I'm assuming that your problem is found in this part of your code?

$newentry = @{ $InstallCollectionname = $InstallCollectionID } $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId += $newentry # Convert back to JSON and format correctly $jsonstring = $jsoncontent | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10

If so, this simplified bit of code should mimic that:

# a = a single valued string # b = an array of hashes $coll = [PSCustomObject]@{ a = "a string" b = @(@{google="abcd"},@{microsoft="efgh"}) } $newentry = @{firefox="zrv1"} $coll.b += $newentry ConvertTo-Json -InputObject $coll

Here's what I get (which looks okay) when I run my code:

{ "a": "a string", "b": [ { "google": "abcd" }, { "microsoft": "efgh" }, { "firefox": "zrv1" } ] }

Of course, I don't have your data to work with.
Coder 0 Reputation points

2025-04-05T18:32:03.4966667+00:00

I want my output in single line within {"firefox": "zrv1"}

But the output which I got from my code is

{

"firefox": "zrv1"

} Which is of 3 lines. I'm trying to format my code to get the output in 1 single line as shown in first line of this comment.

Answer 1

MotoX80 35,726

I tried to recreate what you were doing. Here's what I came up with.

I used this test.json file as input.

{                                                                                                                      
  "softwareCollectionId": [ 
		{"Windows": "11"},
		{"Google": "123"}
	]
}

Here's my test script.

cls
$InstallCollectionname = "firefox"
$InstallCollectionID = "zrv1"
$jsoncontent = Get-Content -Path "c:\temp\test.json" -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
"Starting collection count: {0}" -f $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId.count
$jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId += [PSCustomObject]@{$InstallCollectionname=$InstallCollectionID}
"Collection count after add: {0}" -f $jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId.count
""
"Json content"
$jsoncontent | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 
""
"Json content (compressed)"
$jsoncontent | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress
# Convert back to JSON and format correctly
$jsonstring = $jsoncontent | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10
# Save the updated JSON
$jsonstring | Set-Content -Path "c:\temp\testout.json" -Encoding UTF8

User's image

That produces this output file.

User's image

So I guess that you would need to use the "-compress" switch to consolidate the entries.

If that's not what you want, then can you provide an input json file that recreates the problem?

Rich Matheisen 47,786 Reputation points

2025-04-06T02:38:03.89+00:00

@MotoX80 Well, that certainly puts the "output in 1 single line". :-)

I don't think that's what the OP is looking to do, though.
MotoX80 35,726 Reputation points

2025-04-06T02:50:08.3466667+00:00

Yeah, I know. But I couldn't get his $newentry to append to the array correctly. And even if I didn't change any data, the ConvertTo-Json would reformat it into a verbose output. I can't recreate the problem.
Coder 0 Reputation points

2025-04-08T03:59:09.1966667+00:00

When I used compress, I got the output into 1 single line
MotoX80 35,726 Reputation points

2025-04-08T12:29:46.3133333+00:00
When I used compress, I got the output into 1 single line

Yep, I get the same output.

The issue is that if you look at my input file, I have this.

{"Google": "123"}.

And when I write the data back out, the ConvertTo-Json cmdlet reformats it like this. And it's not just the one entry that got added, the entire json data gets reformatted.

{ "Google": "123" }

I don't know what you did to get it in this format. I am unable to recreate that. An extraneous new line character could do that, but in that case, I would expect the line break between the double quote and the G.

{ "Google": "123" }

What version of Powershell are you running? This is 5.1.

Is your entire output file getting reformatted?

Note how I had to use a PSCustomObject to append to the collection. Try that in your script.

$jsoncontent.softwareCollectionId += [PSCustomObject]@{$InstallCollectionname=$InstallCollectionID}
MotoX80 35,726 Reputation points

2025-04-08T13:26:31.3033333+00:00

I found that if I use a PSCustomObject and a depth of 1, then I get a compressed entry.

If I use the method that you use, then depth 10 works, but depth 1 gives me "Systems.Collection.Hashtable" text.

Answer 2

I suppose you could contrive some sort of editing of the output from ConvertFrom-JSON.

This isn't exactly what you want, but you could use it as a starting point:

# a = a single valued string
# b = an array of hashes
$coll = [PSCustomObject]@{
    a = "a string"
    b = @(@{google="abcd"},@{microsoft="efgh"})
}
$newentry = @{firefox="zrv1"}
$coll.b += $newentry
$j = ConvertTo-Json -InputObject $coll -Compress
$j = $j -replace '},{', "},`n{" -replace '\[', "[`n" -replace '\]', "`n]"

But you're really asking a question about aesthetics, not about how to produce well-formed JSON. You could try using YAML instead of JSON. That would give you data that looked like this:

a: a string
b:
- google: abcd
- microsoft: efgh
- firefox: zrv1

Answer 3

I expect that the ConvertFrom-JSON cmdlet is using the System.Text.Json C# class. If that class can't format the JSON in the way you want, you're going to have to look for another JSON "pretty printer".

There are several on-line sites that offer one, but I haven't tried any of them. Python and (I think) JavaScript also have JSON pretty print capabilities. So does Perl.

If none of those can satisfy your format needs, you're going to have to edit the converted JSON objects' stringified output. That's no small undertaking.

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PowerShell Code Indentation Issue While Updating JSON in Git

3 answers

Your answer