# CSON
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CoffeeScript-Object-Notation Parser. Same as JSON but for CoffeeScript objects.
[Projects using CSON.](https://www.npmjs.org/browse/depended/cson)
## Install
### [NPM](http://npmjs.org/)
- Use: `require('cson')`
- Install: `npm install --save cson`
## What is CSON?
Everyone knows JSON, it's the thing that looks like this:
``` javascript
{
"abc": [
"a",
"b",
"c"
],
"a": {
"b": "c"
}
}
```
But with the invention of CoffeeScript you can also write the same thing in CSON which looks like this:
``` coffeescript
{
# an array
abc: [
'a'
'b'
'c'
]
# an object
a:
b: 'c'
}
```
Which is far more lenient than JSON, way nicer to write and read, no need to quote everything, has comments and readable multi-line strings, and won't fail if you forget a comma.
## Using CSON
- With Node.js in JavaScript
``` javascript
// Include CSON
CSON = require('cson');
// Parse a file path
CSON.parseFile('data.cson', function(err,obj){}); // async
result = CSON.parseFileSync('data.cson'); // sync
// Parse a String
CSON.parse(src, function(err,obj){}); // async
result = CSON.parseSync(src); // sync
// Stringify an object to CSON
CSON.stringify(obj, function(err,str){}); // async
result = CSON.stringifySync(obj); // sync
```
- With Node.js in CoffeeScript
``` coffeescript
# Include CSON
CSON = require('cson')
# Parse a file path
CSON.parseFile 'data.cson', (err,obj) -> # async
result = CSON.parseFileSync('data.cson') # sync
# Parse a string
CSON.parse src, (err,obj) -> # async
result = CSON.parseSync(src) # sync
# Stringify an object to CSON
CSON.stringify data, (err,str) -> # async
result = CSON.stringifySync(obj) # sync
- Via the command line (requires a global installation of CSON via `npm install -g cson`)
``` bash
# JSON file to CSON String
json2cson filePath > out.cson
# CSON file to JSON String
cson2json filePath > out.json
```
## Use Case
CSON is fantastic for developers writing their own configuration to be executed on their own machines, but bad for configuration you can't trust. This is because parsing CSON will execute the CSON input as CoffeeScript code (making it unsafe, so `while true` would work) but it does so inside a [node virtual machine](http://nodejs.org/api/vm.html) for isolation (making it secure, so `require('fs')` won't work) resulting in the evaluated JavaScript object. This is a non-issue for the only use case which CSON actually makes sense for (developers writing their own configuration to be executed on their own machines). [Issue #32 has more information.](https://github.com/bevry/cson/issues/32)
## History
[Discover the change history by heading on over to the `HISTORY.md` file.](https://github.com/bevry/cson/blob/master/HISTORY.md#files)
## Contribute
[Discover how you can contribute by heading on over to the `CONTRIBUTING.md` file.](https://github.com/bevry/cson/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#files)
## Backers
### Maintainers
These amazing people are maintaining this project:
- Benjamin Lupton (https://github.com/balupton)
### Sponsors
No sponsors yet! Will you be the first?
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### Contributors
These amazing people have contributed code to this project:
- [attilaolah](https://github.com/attilaolah) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=attilaolah)
- [Benjamin Lupton](https://github.com/balupton) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=balupton)
- [evinugur](https://github.com/evinugur) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=evinugur)
- [jasonkarns](https://github.com/jasonkarns) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=jasonkarns)
- [Joel Perras](https://github.com/jperras) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=jperras)
- [Linus G Thiel](https://github.com/linus) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=linus)
- [Nicolae Claudius](https://github.com/clyfe) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=clyfe)
- [RobLoach](https://github.com/RobLoach) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=RobLoach)
- [Ryan LeFevre](https://github.com/meltingice) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=meltingice)
- [Zearin](https://github.com/Zearin) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=Zearin)
- [Zhang Cheng](https://github.com/zhangcheng) — [view contributions](https://github.com/bevry/cson/commits?author=zhangcheng)
[Become a contributor!](https://github.com/bevry/cson/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#files)
## License
Licensed under the incredibly [permissive](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permissive_free_software_licence) [MIT license](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/MIT/)
Copyright © 2012+ Bevry Pty Ltd (http://bevry.me)
Copyright © 2011 Benjamin Lupton (http://balupton.com)