Create JSON array from shell array with jq

Question

We are trying to get jqv1.5 64bit to parse an array then echo out the result.

Do we have the correct jq syntax?

#!/bin/bash
declare -a nameArr 
nameArr=("Leia" "Darth Vader" "Anakin" "Han Solo" "Yoda")
jq -c -n  "$nameArr"

gives error

jq: error: syntax error, unexpected $end (Unix shell quoting issues?) at <top-level>, line 1:
Leia,    
jq: 1 compile error

Note, btw, that jq -c -n "$nameArr" passes only the first element of the array, so it runs jq -c -n "Leia," with your original input. There isn't a good way to pass a shell array (which can contain any list of valid C strings) inside a single C string. — Charles Duffy
– Charles Duffy, Commented Jan 3, 2018 at 17:59
@CharlesDuffy, you are right with the comma. I did add that as a typo when creating the question. Thanks for the catch, I have updated to actual array — art vanderlay
– art vanderlay, Commented Jan 3, 2018 at 18:03

Charles Duffy · Accepted Answer · 2018-01-03 17:56:37Z

7

To use a sigil that can't possibly exist as a value in a shell array, NUL is an appropriate choice.

nameArr=( "Leia" "Darth Vader" "Anakin" "Han Solo" "Yoda" )
printf '%s\0' "${nameArr[@]}" | jq -csR 'split("\u0000")'

...properly emits:

["Leia","Darth Vader","Anakin","Han Solo","Yoda"]

answered Jan 3, 2018 at 17:56

Charles Duffy

299k43 gold badges441 silver badges496 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

1 Answer 1