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Re: [Json] I-JSON Tpic #2: Top-Level

"Manger, James" <James.H.Manger@team.telstra.com> Wed, 30 April 2014 03:01 UTC

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From: "Manger, James" <James.H.Manger@team.telstra.com>
To: IETF JSON WG <json@ietf.org>
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 13:01:43 +1000
Thread-Topic: [Json] I-JSON Tpic #2: Top-Level
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Subject: Re: [Json] I-JSON Tpic #2: Top-Level
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>> "draft-i-json-01 says the top level is an object (but doesn’t say
>> MUST, eek).  I have heard arguments for allowing arrays too."

> There is no need for any top-level restriction. The restriction doesn't help any capable receiver.

I agree.

"Almost always use objects for top-level messages" is good advice for designers of new protocols and messages.
"Only accept objects" is horrible advice for developers of JSON parsers and library functions.

JSON has primitives so an "object-only" rule can only work if there is a crystal clear divide between those subsets of a JSON data structure that might be "exchanged" and those subsets that are too low-level to ever need to be "exchanged". There is no such divide.

--
James Manger

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