[Json] [Errata Held for Document Update] RFC8259 (7650)

rfc-editor@rfc-editor.org Thu, 28 May 2026 18:39 UTC

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Date: Thu, 28 May 2026 18:39:27 -0000
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Subject: [Json] [Errata Held for Document Update] RFC8259 (7650)
Archived-At: <https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/json/_Vm7pCGHICuTI-lZzM2mTslfnyE>

The following errata report has been held for document update for RFC8259,
"The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format"

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You may review the report below and at:
https://errata.rfc-editor.org/eid7650/

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Status: Held for Document Update
Type: Technical
Reported by: Lucas Tesson <lucastesson@protonmail.com>
Date Reported: Sept. 20, 2023, 7 p.m.
Held by: Andy Newton (IESG)

Section 7 says:

Original Text
-------------
string = quotation-mark *char quotation-mark

      char = unescaped /
          escape (
              %x22 /          ; "    quotation mark  U+0022
              %x5C /          ; \    reverse solidus U+005C
              %x2F /          ; /    solidus         U+002F
              %x62 /          ; b    backspace       U+0008
              %x66 /          ; f    form feed       U+000C
              %x6E /          ; n    line feed       U+000A
              %x72 /          ; r    carriage return U+000D
              %x74 /          ; t    tab             U+0009
              %x75 4HEXDIG )  ; uXXXX                U+XXXX

Corrected Text
--------------
string = quotation-mark *json-char quotation-mark

      json-char = unescaped /
          escape (
              %x22 /          ; "    quotation mark  U+0022
              %x5C /          ; \    reverse solidus U+005C
              %x2F /          ; /    solidus         U+002F
              %x62 /          ; b    backspace       U+0008
              %x66 /          ; f    form feed       U+000C
              %x6E /          ; n    line feed       U+000A
              %x72 /          ; r    carriage return U+000D
              %x74 /          ; t    tab             U+0009
              %x75 4HEXDIG )  ; uXXXX                U+XXXX

Notes
-----
RFC 5234 Section 2.1 "Rule Naming" notes that "rule names are case insensitive". It is explained that literal text strings enclosed in quotation marks are case insensitive, and have later been clarified by RFC 7405.
In RFC 5234 Appendix B, Section B.1 "Core Rules", the rule "CHAR" is already defined such that it constitutes the core of ABNF, thus no grammar can use those names regarding the previous explanation.

The goal of this errata is to propose an alternative for the "char" rule such that RFC 8259 can provide a valid grammar regarding the ABNF RFCs.

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RFC8259 (draft-ietf-jsonbis-rfc7159bis)
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Title               : The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format
Publication Date    : December 2017
Author(s)           : T. Bray, Ed.
Category            : Internet Standard
Source              : jsonbis (art)
Stream              : IETF

[Json] [Errata Held for Document Update] RFC8259 … rfc-editor