A discussion came up elsewhere about converting between AppleScript/JSON/property lists, so I’ve written an ASObjC-based library for it. It requires Mavericks, and you can read about how to add a library elsewhere here.
use framework "Foundation"
-- pass a string, list, record or number, and either a path to save the result to, or missing value to have it returned as text
on convertASToJSON:someASThing saveTo:posixPath
--convert to JSON data
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSJSONSerialization's dataWithJSONObject:someASThing options:0 |error|:(reference)
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
if posixPath is missing value then -- return string
-- convert data to a UTF8 string
set someString to current application's NSString's alloc()'s initWithData:theData encoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
return someString as text
else
-- write data to file
theData's writeToFile:posixPath atomically:true
return result as boolean -- returns false if save failed
end if
end convertASToJSON:saveTo:
-- pass either a POSIX path to the JSON file, or a JSON string; isPath is a boolean value to tell which
on convertJSONToAS:jsonStringOrPath isPath:isPath
if isPath then -- read file as data
set theData to current application's NSData's dataWithContentsOfFile:jsonStringOrPath
else -- it's a string, convert to data
set aString to current application's NSString's stringWithString:jsonStringOrPath
set theData to aString's dataUsingEncoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
end if
-- convert to Cocoa object
set {theThing, theError} to current application's NSJSONSerialization's JSONObjectWithData:theData options:0 |error|:(reference)
if theThing is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
-- we don't know the class of theThing for coercion, so...
if (theThing's isKindOfClass:(current application's NSArray)) as integer = 1 then
return theThing as list
else
return item 1 of (theThing as list)
end if
end convertJSONToAS:isPath:
-- pass a string, list, record or number, and either a path to save the result to, or missing value to have it returned as text
on convertASToPlist:someASThing saveTo:posixPath
if posixPath is missing value then -- return string
-- convert to property list data
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSPropertyListSerialization's dataWithPropertyList:someASThing format:(current application's NSPropertyListXMLFormat_v1_0) options:0 |error|:(reference) -- don't use binary format
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
-- convert data to UTF8 string
set someString to current application's NSString's alloc()'s initWithData:theData encoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
return someString as text
else -- saving to file
-- convert to property list data
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSPropertyListSerialization's dataWithPropertyList:someASThing format:(current application's NSPropertyListBinaryFormat_v1_0) options:0 |error|:(reference) -- might as well use binary format
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
-- write data to file
theData's writeToFile:posixPath atomically:true
return result as boolean -- returns false if save failed
end if
end convertASToPlist:saveTo:
-- pass either a POSIX path to the .plist file, or a property list string; isPath is a boolean value to tell which
on convertPlistToAS:plistStringOrPath isPath:isPath
if isPath then -- read file as data
set theData to current application's NSData's dataWithContentsOfFile:plistStringOrPath
else -- it's a string, convert to data
set aString to current application's NSString's stringWithString:plistStringOrPath
set theData to aString's dataUsingEncoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
end if
-- convert to Cocoa object
set {theThing, theError} to current application's NSPropertyListSerialization's propertyListWithData:theData options:0 format:(missing value) |error|:(reference)
if theThing is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
-- we don't know the class of theThing for coercion, so...
if (theThing's isKindOfClass:(current application's NSArray)) as integer = 1 then
return theThing as list
else
return item 1 of (theThing as list)
end if
end convertPlistToAS:isPath:
-- pass either a POSIX path to the JSON file, or a JSON string; isPath is a boolean value to tell which. saveTo is either a path to save the result to, or missing value to have it returned as text
on convertJSONToPlist:jsonStringOrPath isPath:isPath saveTo:posixPath
if isPath then -- read file as data
set theData to current application's NSData's dataWithContentsOfFile:jsonStringOrPath
else -- it's a string, convert to data
set aString to current application's NSString's stringWithString:jsonStringOrPath
set theData to aString's dataUsingEncoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
end if
-- convert to Cocoa object
set {theThing, theError} to current application's NSJSONSerialization's JSONObjectWithData:theData options:0 |error|:(reference)
if theThing is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
if posixPath is missing value then -- return string
-- convert to property list data
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSPropertyListSerialization's dataWithPropertyList:theThing format:(current application's NSPropertyListXMLFormat_v1_0) options:0 |error|:(reference) -- don't use binary format
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
-- convert data to UTF8 string
set someString to current application's NSString's alloc()'s initWithData:theData encoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
return someString as text
else -- saving to file
-- convert to property list data
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSPropertyListSerialization's dataWithPropertyList:theThing format:(current application's NSPropertyListBinaryFormat_v1_0) options:0 |error|:(reference) -- might as well use binary format
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
-- write data to file
theData's writeToFile:posixPath atomically:true
return result as boolean -- returns false if save failed
end if
end convertJSONToPlist:isPath:saveTo:
-- pass either a POSIX path to the .plist file, or a property list string; isPath is a boolean value to tell which. saveTo is either a path to save the result to, or missing value to have it returned as text
on convertPlistToJSON:plistStringOrPath isPath:isPath saveTo:posixPath
if isPath then -- read file as data
set theData to current application's NSData's dataWithContentsOfFile:plistStringOrPath
else -- it's a string, convert to data
set aString to current application's NSString's stringWithString:plistStringOrPath
set theData to aString's dataUsingEncoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
end if
-- convert to Cocoa object
set {theThing, theError} to current application's NSPropertyListSerialization's propertyListWithData:theData options:0 format:(missing value) |error|:(reference)
if theThing is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
--convert to JSON data
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSJSONSerialization's dataWithJSONObject:theThing options:0 |error|:(reference)
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text) number -10000
if posixPath is missing value then -- return string
-- convert data to a UTF8 string
set someString to current application's NSString's alloc()'s initWithData:theData encoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
return someString as text
else
-- write data to file
theData's writeToFile:posixPath atomically:true
return result as boolean -- returns false if save failed
end if
end convertPlistToJSON:isPath:saveTo:
Here’s a simple example of calling the handlers:
set theValue to {x:2, y:3, z:{4, 5, "abc"}}
tell script "^"
set theJSON to its convertASToJSON:theValue saveTo:(missing value)
log theJSON
set theAS to its convertJSONToAS:theJSON isPath:false
log theAS
set thePlist to its convertASToPlist:theValue saveTo:(missing value)
log thePlist
set theAS to its convertPlistToAS:thePlist isPath:false
log theAS
set thePlist to its convertJSONToPlist:theJSON isPath:false saveTo:(missing value)
log thePlist
set theJSON to its convertPlistToJSON:thePlist isPath:false saveTo:(missing value)
log theJSON
end tell