JSON Manipulation in Python: A Comprehensive Guide with Code Samples

**Title: JSON Manipulation in Python: A Comprehensive Guide with Code Samples**

**Introduction**

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) has become the lingua franca of data exchange, and Python offers a wealth of tools to work with JSON seamlessly. In this guide, we'll dive deep into JSON manipulation using Python, with practical code samples to illustrate each concept. By the end, you'll be equipped to harness the power of JSON in your Python projects.

**Understanding JSON in Python**

Let's start with the basics of loading and parsing JSON data using Python's `json` module.

```python

import json

# Sample JSON data

json_data = '{"name": "Alice", "age": 28, "is_student": false}'

# Loading JSON data into a Python dictionary

data = json.loads(json_data)

print(data["name"])  # Output: Alice

```

**Generating JSON Data**

Converting Python data into JSON format is straightforward using the `json.dumps()` function.

```python

import json

# Python dictionary

data = {"name": "Bob", "age": 35, "is_student": True}

# Converting Python data to JSON format

json_data = json.dumps(data)

print(json_data)

```

**Working with Nested Structures**

JSON often contains nested objects and arrays. Here's how you can navigate through them.

```python

import json

# Nested JSON data

nested_json = '{"person": {"name": "Charlie", "age": 30}}'

# Loading and accessing nested data

data = json.loads(nested_json)

print(data["person"]["name"])  # Output: Charlie

```

**Reading and Writing JSON Files**

Python makes it easy to work with JSON files.

```python

import json

# Writing JSON data to a file

data = {"fruit": "apple", "color": "red"}

with open("data.json", "w") as json_file:

    json.dump(data, json_file)

# Reading JSON data from a file

with open("data.json", "r") as json_file:

    loaded_data = json.load(json_file)

    print(loaded_data["color"])  # Output: red

```

**Handling Errors**

Error handling is crucial when dealing with JSON data.

```python

import json

json_string = '{"name": "Invalid JSON", "age":}'

try:

    data = json.loads(json_string)

except json.JSONDecodeError as e:

    print("Error:", e)

```

**Modifying JSON Data**

You can easily modify JSON data and write it back to a file.

```python

import json

with open("data.json", "r") as json_file:

    data = json.load(json_file)

    data["color"] = "green"

with open("data.json", "w") as json_file:

    json.dump(data, json_file)

```

**Real-World Applications**

Interacting with web APIs using JSON:

```python

import requests

import json

response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/data")

data = response.json()

```

Storing and loading configuration settings:

```python

import json

config = {"debug": True, "threshold": 10}

with open("config.json", "w") as config_file:

    json.dump(config, config_file)

with open("config.json", "r") as config_file:

    loaded_config = json.load(config_file)

```

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