# jid — JSON Incremental Digger for Interactive Exploration

> An interactive CLI tool for exploring and filtering JSON data with real-time feedback. Type queries and see results update instantly as you drill into nested structures.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# jid — JSON Incremental Digger for Interactive Exploration

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install via Homebrew
brew install jid

# Pipe JSON into jid for interactive exploration
cat data.json | jid

# Or fetch from an API
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/simeji/jid | jid
```

## Introduction
jid is a command-line JSON explorer that provides instant visual feedback as you type filter queries. It helps developers navigate complex JSON structures interactively, making it faster to find the right jq-style path.

## What jid Does
- Opens an interactive terminal UI for browsing JSON data
- Updates the displayed result in real-time as you type a filter expression
- Supports dot notation and bracket syntax for navigating nested objects and arrays
- Provides tab completion for object keys at each nesting level
- Outputs the final query result to stdout for piping to other tools

## Architecture Overview
jid is written in Go and uses a custom terminal UI built with the termbox library. It reads JSON input from stdin, parses it into an in-memory tree, and evaluates the user's query incrementally on each keystroke. The rendering engine displays both the query input and the filtered result in a split view.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via Homebrew, AUR, or `go install github.com/simeji/jid/cmd/jid@latest`
- No configuration file needed; works out of the box
- Accepts JSON input from stdin or from a file argument
- The final selected path is printed to stdout when you press Enter
- Works in any terminal that supports basic ANSI escape sequences

## Key Features
- Real-time query feedback showing matching results as you type
- Tab completion for JSON object keys at any depth
- Support for array indexing and filtering
- Lightweight single binary with no dependencies
- Pipe-friendly output for integration with jq and other tools

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **jq** — batch query tool; jid is interactive with live feedback for discovering paths
- **fx** — interactive JSON viewer; jid focuses on incremental query building
- **gron** — makes JSON greppable; jid provides a TUI for visual exploration
- **jless** — JSON pager; jid combines navigation with query construction
- **fq** — binary format querying; jid is specifically designed for JSON data

## FAQ
**Q: Can jid handle large JSON files?**
A: It loads the entire file into memory, so performance depends on available RAM. For very large files, consider pre-filtering with jq.

**Q: Does it support YAML?**
A: No. jid is designed specifically for JSON. Convert YAML to JSON first with a tool like yq.

**Q: Can I use jq syntax?**
A: jid uses a similar dot-notation syntax but does not support the full jq expression language.

**Q: How do I get the selected path as a jq filter?**
A: Press Enter to output the filtered result. The query you typed is a valid path expression.

## Sources
- https://github.com/simeji/jid


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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-188ef1c1
Author: Script Depot