JSON RTE Serializer

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The JSON RTE Serializer package assists in converting the content within your JSON Rich Text Editor field between JSON and HTML formats. This means you can easily change your data from JSON format to HTML format for display purposes, and vice versa, for data storage or processing. If you need to convert JSON to Markdown format, we offer the Markdown Serializer function. This function is specifically designed to transform your JSON data into Markdown, making it easier to handle text formatting for platforms that use Markdown.

Installation

To use JSON RTE Serializer with Node.js-based applications, you will need the following prerequisites:

• Node.js 10 or later

Install the json-rte-serializer package via npm using the following command:

  npm install @contentstack/json-rte-serializer

Use Cases for JSON RTE Serializer

Let's look at a few code samples that display how we can convert data present in JSON format to HTML and vice versa.

Standard Conversion

For standard conversion scenarios, JSON RTE Serializer supports only the standard tags available in the JSON Rich Text Editor field. To use custom tags of your own, you can follow the Custom Conversion examples provided below.

JSON to HTML Conversion Code

You can use the following JSON RTE Serializer code to convert your JSON RTE field data into HTML format.

import { jsonToHtml } from "@contentstack/json-rte-serializer";

const htmlValue = jsonToHtml({
    type: "doc",
    attrs: {},
    uid: "547a479c68824767ce1d9725852f042b",
    children: [
        {
            uid: "767a479c6882471d9725852f042b67ce",
            type: "p",
            attrs: {},
            children: [{ text: "This is HTML-formatted content." }],
        },
    ],
});

console.log(htmlValue);

Result of Conversion

The resulting HTML data will look as follows:

<p>This is HTML-formatted content.</p>

HTML to JSON Conversion Code

You can use the following JSON RTE Serializer code to convert HTML field data into JSON format.

import { htmlToJson } from "@contentstack/json-rte-serializer";
const htmlDomBody = new DOMParser().parseFromString(
    "<p>This is HTML-formatted content.</p>",
    "text/html"
).body;
const jsonValue = htmlToJson(htmlDomBody);

console.log(jsonValue);

Note: The above code snippet would work only for JavaScript-powered frontend websites.

For Node.js-based applications, you can use the following code:

const { htmlToJson } = require("@contentstack/json-rte-serializer")
const {JSDOM} = require('jsdom')

const dom = new JSDOM("<p>This is HTML-formatted content.</p>")
let htmlDoc = dom.window.document.querySelector('body')
const jsonValue = htmlToJson(htmlDoc)

console.log(jsonValue);

Result of Conversion

The resulting JSON-formatted data will look as follows:

{
    "type":"doc",
    "attrs":{},
    "uid":"547a479c68824767ce1d9725852f042b",
    "children":[{
        "uid":"767a479c6882471d9725852f042b67ce",
        "type": "p",
        "attrs":{},
        "children" : [{"text": "This is HTML-formatted content."}]
    }]
}

JSON to Markdown Conversion Code

You can use the following JSON RTE Serializer code to convert your JSON RTE field data into Markdown format.

import { jsonToMarkdown } from "@contentstack/json-rte-serializer";

const markdownValue = jsonToHtml({
    type: "doc",
    attrs: {},
    uid: "547a479c68824767ce1d9725852f042b",
    children: [
        {
            uid: "767a479c6882471d9725852f042b67ce",
            type: "p",
            attrs: {},
            children: [
              { text: "This is Markdown-formatted content which has some " },
              { text: "BOLD", bold: true },
              { text: " text and some "}, 
              { text: "Italic", italic: true },
              { text: " text."}
            ]
        },
    ],
});

console.log(markdownValue);

Result of Conversion

The resulting Markdown data will look as follows:

This is Markdown-formatted content which has some **BOLD** text and some *Italic* text.

Custom Conversion

For customized conversion scenarios, you can customize your JSON RTE Serializer code to allow the support for additional tags or element types in the JSON Rich Text Editor field. Pass an options field (optional) within the jsonToHtml or htmlToJson method to manipulate the working of the JSON RTE Serializer package as per your requirements.

Convert JSON to HTML

You can pass a custom parser method that will convert data for the mentioned JSON element type (e.g., social embed) to HTML format. Within the parsed options, the customElementTypes object parses block-level and inline elements (e.g., info panel), while the customTextWrapper object parses text formatting elements (e.g., bold, italics, font color, etc.). These options would take an object whose keys are types of elements and values are the parser functions that will be executed for that type.

The customElementTypes parser function provides the following arguments:

• attrs: The attributes that are passed against the node
• child: The nested elements of the current node
• jsonBlock: The entire JSON object that is currently being parsed

On the other hand, the customTextWrapper parser function provides the following arguments:

• child: The HTML string that specifies the child element
• value: The value passed against the child element

You can use the following customized JSON RTE Serializer code to convert your JSON RTE field data into HTML format.

import { jsonToHtml } from "@contentstack/json-rte-serializer";
const jsonValue = {
    type: "doc",
    uid: "cfe8176d1ca04cc0b42f60b3047f611d",
    attrs: {},
    children: [
        {
            type: "p",
            attrs: {},
            uid: "6eae3c5bd7624bf39966c855543d954b",
            children: [
                {
                    type: "social-embed",
                    attrs: {
                        url: "https://twitter.com/Contentstack/status/1508911909038436365?cxt=HHwWmsC9-d_Y3fApAAAA",
                        style: {},
                        "redactor-attributes": {
                            url: "https://twitter.com/Contentstack/status/1508911909038436365?cxt=HHwWmsC9-d_Y3fApAAAA",
                        },
                    },
                    uid: "8d8482d852b84822a9b66e55ffd0e57c",
                    children: [{ text: "" }],
                },
            ],
        },
        {
            type: "p",
            attrs: {},
            uid: "54a7340da87846dda28aaf622069559a",
            children: [
                { text: "This " },
                { text: "is", attrs: { style: {} }, color: "red" },
                { text: " text." },
            ],
        },
    ],
};
const htmlValue = jsonToHtml(
    jsonValue,
    // parser options
    {
        customElementTypes: {
            "social-embed": (attrs, child, jsonBlock) => {
                return `<social-embed${attrs}>${child}</social-embed>`;
            },
        },
        customTextWrapper: {
            "color": (child, value) => {
                return `<color data-color="${value}">${child}</color>`;
            },
        },
    }
);

console.log(htmlValue);

Note: The specified custom parser's key must exactly match the element type. This includes the casing of the text.

Result of Conversion

The resulting HTML data will look as follows:

<p><social-embed url="https://twitter.com/Contentstack/status/1508911909038436365?cxt=HHwWmsC9-d_Y3fApAAAA"></social-embed></p><p>This <color data-color="red">is</color> text.</p>

Convert HTML to JSON

You can pass a custom parser method that will convert data for the mentioned HTML element type (e.g., <social-embed>) to JSON format. Within the parsed options, the customElementTags object parses block-level and inline elements (e.g., info panel), while the customTextTags object parses text formatting elements (e.g., bold, italics, font color, etc.). These options would take an object whose keys are types of elements and values are the parser functions that will be executed for that type.

The parser function provides the el argument that references the element of the HTML node.

You can use the following customized JSON RTE Serializer code to convert your HTML RTE field data into JSON format.

import { htmlToJson } from "@contentstack/json-rte-serializer";
const htmlDomBody = new DOMParser().parseFromString(
    `<p><social-embed url="https://twitter.com/Contentstack/status/1508911909038436365?cxt=HHwWmsC9-d_Y3fApAAAA"></social-embed></p><p>This <color data-color="red">is</color> text.</p>`,
    "text/html"
).body;
const jsonValue = htmlToJson(htmlDomBody, {
    customElementTags: {
        "SOCIAL-EMBED": (el) => ({
            type: "social-embed",
            attrs: {
                url: el.getAttribute("url") || null,
            },
        }),
    },
    customTextTags: {
        "COLOR": (el) => {
            return {
                color: el.getAttribute("data-color"),
            };
        },
    },
});

console.log(jsonValue);

Note: The above code snippet would work only for JavaScript-powered frontend websites.

For Node.js-based applications, you can use the following code:

const { htmlToJson } = require("@contentstack/json-rte-serializer")
const {JSDOM} = require('jsdom')

const dom = new JSDOM(`<p><social-embed url="https://twitter.com/Contentstack/status/1508911909038436365?cxt=HHwWmsC9-d_Y3fApAAAA"></social-embed></p><p>This <color data-color="red">is</color> text.</p>`)
let htmlDoc = dom.window.document.querySelector('body')
const jsonValue = htmlToJson(htmlDoc, {
    customElementTags: {
        "SOCIAL-EMBED": (el) => ({
            type: "social-embed",
            attrs: {
                url: el.getAttribute("url") || null,
            },
        }),
    },
    customTextTags: {
        "COLOR": (el) => {
            return {
                color: el.getAttribute("data-color"),
            };
        },
    },
});

console.log(jsonValue);

Note: The custom parser's key must always be capitalized and exactly match the custom HTML tag.

Result of Conversion

The resulting JSON-formatted data will look as follows:

{
    "type": "doc",
    "uid": "cfe8176d1ca04cc0b42f60b3047f611d",
    "attrs": {},
    "children": [
        {
            "type": "p",
            "attrs": {},
            "uid": "6eae3c5bd7624bf39966c855543d954b",
            "children": [
                {
                    "type": "social-embed",
                    "attrs": {
                        "url": "https://twitter.com/Contentstack/status/1508911909038436365?cxt=HHwWmsC9-d_Y3fApAAAA",
                        "style": {},
                        "redactor-attributes": {
                            "url": "https://twitter.com/Contentstack/status/1508911909038436365?cxt=HHwWmsC9-d_Y3fApAAAA"
                        }
                    },
                    "uid": "8d8482d852b84822a9b66e55ffd0e57c",
                    "children": [
                        {
                            "text": ""
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "type": "p",
            "attrs": {},
            "uid": "54a7340da87846dda28aaf622069559a",
            "children": [
                {
                    "text": "This "
                },
                {
                    "text": "is",
                    "attrs": {
                        "style": {}
                    },
                    "color": "red"
                },
                {
                    "text": " text."
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Automatic Conversion

By default, the JSON Rich Text Editor field supports limited HTML tags within the editor. Due to this, the JSON RTE Serializer tool is not able to recognize each and every standard HTML tag.

To help the JSON RTE Serializer recognize and process additional tags that are commonly used across HTML, you can use the automatic conversion option. When using this option, you need to pass the allowNonStandardTags: true parameter within the jsonToHtml or htmlToJson method to manipulate the working of the JSON RTE Serializer package as per your requirements. When you pass this parameter, it customizes your JSON RTE Serializer code to allow the support for all standard HTML-recognized tags or element types in the JSON Rich Text Editor field.

Convert JSON to HTML

You can pass the allowNonStandardTags: true parameter within the jsonToHtml method to allow the JSON RTE Serializer tool to recognize standard HTML tags or element types and convert them into JSON format.

You can use the following customized JSON RTE Serializer code to convert your JSON RTE field data into HTML format.

import { jsonToHtml } from "@contentstack/json-rte-serializer";
const jsonValue = {
  "type": "doc",
  "uid": "cfe8176d1ca04cc0b42f60b3047f611d",
  "attrs": {},
  "children": [
    {
      "type": "hangout-module",
      "attrs": {},
      "children": [
        {
          "type": "hangout-chat",
          "attrs": {
            "from": "Paul, Addy"
          },
          "children": [
            {
              "type": "hangout-discussion",
              "attrs": {},
              "children": [
                {
                  "type": "hangout-message",
                  "attrs": {
                    "from": "Paul",
                    "profile": "profile.png",
                    "datetime": "2013-07-17T12:02"
                  },
                  "children": [
                    {
                      "type": "p",
                      "attrs": {},
                      "children": [
                        {
                          "text": "Feelin' this Web Components thing."
                        }
                      ]
                    },
                    {
                      "type": "p",
                      "attrs": {},
                      "children": [
                        {
                          "text": "Heard of it?"
                        }
                      ]
                    }
                  ]
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "hangout-chat",
          "attrs": {},
          "children": [
            {
              "text": "Hi There!"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
};
const htmlValue = jsonToHtml(
    jsonValue,
    // parser options
    {
       allowNonStandardTypes: true
    }
);

console.log(htmlValue);

Result of Conversion

The resulting HTML data will look as follows:

<hangout-module><hangout-chat from="Paul, Addy"><hangout-discussion><hangout-message from="Paul" profile="profile.png" datetime="2013-07-17T12:02"><p>Feelin' this Web Components thing.</p><p>Heard of it?</p></hangout-message></hangout-discussion></hangout-chat><hangout-chat>Hi There!</hangout-chat></hangout-module>

Convert HTML to JSON

You can pass the allowNonStandardTags: true parameter within the htmlToJson method to allow the JSON RTE Serializer tool to recognize standard HTML tags or element types while converting the JSON data into HTML format.

You can use the following customized JSON RTE Serializer code to convert your HTML RTE field data into JSON format.

import { htmlToJson } from "@contentstack/json-rte-serializer";
const htmlDomBody = new DOMParser().parseFromString(
    `<hangout-module><hangout-chat from="Paul, Addy"><hangout-discussion><hangout-message from="Paul" profile="profile.png" datetime="2013-07-17T12:02"><p>Feelin' this Web Components thing.</p><p>Heard of it?</p></hangout-message></hangout-discussion></hangout-chat><hangout-chat>Hi There!</hangout-chat></hangout-module>`,
    "text/html"
).body;
const jsonValue = htmlToJson(htmlDomBody, {
    allowNonStandardTags: true,
});

console.log(jsonValue);

Result of Conversion

The resulting JSON-formatted data will look as follows:

{
  "type": "doc",
  "uid": "cfe8176d1ca04cc0b42f60b3047f611d",
  "attrs": {},
  "children": [
    {
      "type": "hangout-module",
      "attrs": {},
      "children": [
        {
          "type": "hangout-chat",
          "attrs": {
            "from": "Paul, Addy"
          },
          "children": [
            {
              "type": "hangout-discussion",
              "attrs": {},
              "children": [
                {
                  "type": "hangout-message",
                  "attrs": {
                    "from": "Paul",
                    "profile": "profile.png",
                    "datetime": "2013-07-17T12:02"
                  },
                  "children": [
                    {
                      "type": "p",
                      "attrs": {},
                      "children": [
                        {
                          "text": "Feelin' this Web Components thing."
                        }
                      ]
                    },
                    {
                      "type": "p",
                      "attrs": {},
                      "children": [
                        {
                          "text": "Heard of it?"
                        }
                      ]
                    }
                  ]
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "hangout-chat",
          "attrs": {},
          "children": [
            {
              "text": "Hi There!"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Documentation

Refer to our JSON Rich Text Editor documentation for more information.

License

This project uses an MIT license. Refer to the LICENSE file for more information.