GitBook: [#206] deep update example

usage/convert.md

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# Working with JSON
+
+## Yaml to Json
+
+To convert output to json, use the `--output-format=json` (or `-o=j`) flag. You can change the json output format by using the [indent](output-format.md#indent) flag. 
+
+Given a sample.yaml file of:
+
+```yaml
+b:
+  c: 2
+```
+
+then
+
+```bash
+yq eval -o=j sample.yaml
+```
+
+will output
+
+```javascript
+{
+  "b": {
+    "c": 2
+  }
+}
+```
+
+To format the json:
+
+```yaml
+yq eval -o=j -I=0 sample.yaml
+```
+
+will yield
+
+```yaml
+{"b":{"c":2}}
+```
+
+### Multiple matches
+
+Each matching yaml node will be converted to json and printed out as a separate json doc. You may want to set the [indent](output-format.md#indent) flags to 0 if you want a json doc per line.
+
+Given a sample.yaml file of:
+
+```yaml
+bob:
+  c: 2
+bab:
+  c: 5
+```
+
+then
+
+```bash
+yq eval -o=j '.b*' sample.yaml
+```
+
+will output
+
+```javascript
+{
+  "c": 2
+}
+{
+  "c": 5
+}
+```
+
+## Json to Yaml
+
+To read in json, just pass in a json file instead of yaml, it will just work - as json is a subset of yaml. However, you will probably want to use the [Style Operator](broken-reference) or `--prettyPrint/-P` flag to make look more like an idiomatic yaml document. This can be done by resetting the style of all elements.
+
+e.g given a json file
+
+```javascript
+{"a":"Easy! as one two three","b":{"c":2,"d":[3,4]}}
+```
+
+then
+
+```bash
+yq eval -P sample.json
+```
+
+will output
+
+```yaml
+a: Easy! as one two three
+b:
+  c: 2
+  d:
+  - 3
+  - 4
+```