# JSON Editor — Tips & Tricks > Tips for the JSON Editor: pick the right view, validation vs. schema, the limits of repair, local storage, and combining it with other JPKCom tools. Source: https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/tips/ Back to the overview: [JSON Editor](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/) · Open the tool live: [www.jpkc.com/tools/json/](https://www.jpkc.com/tools/json/) The [manual](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/manual/) explains every feature, the [examples](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/examples/) show the workflows. This page is about what both assume but rarely state: which view fits which task, what validation does *not* do, and where to be careful on a shared machine. The interface is in English, so the real button names appear as they do in the UI. ## The right view for the task The three views show the same document but are made for different jobs. Picking the right one consistently makes you noticeably faster: - **Tree** for **understanding and reshaping structure** — collapse and expand, reorder via drag-and-drop, edit individual values precisely. Also the entry point to the [Transform](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/manual/#transform-filter-sort-pick-fields) tool. - **Table** for **uniform lists** — an array of objects reads and edits far faster as a table than in the tree. Sort columns by clicking, add/remove rows. - **Text** for **the raw view and repair** — when you need to check the exact structure, fix broken JSON by hand, or use search & replace. Rule of thumb: lists → Table, broken or raw JSON → Text, everything else → Tree. ## Valid isn't the same as schema-checked The most common misconception: "The editor says the JSON is valid — so my data is correct." Only half true. Validation checks the **syntax** — whether the JSON is *well-formed* (correct brackets, quotes, commas). It does **not** check whether your data conforms to a **schema** or contract: whether an expected field is missing, a string appears where a number belongs, or a value falls outside the allowed range. A green "valid" means "readable as JSON" — not "correct in substance." For substantive checking you need schema validation outside this tool. ## Repair: what works, what doesn't The **Text** view's **auto-repair** (offered inline when JSON is invalid) is strong on the **common, unambiguous** mistakes — trailing commas, single instead of double quotes, unquoted keys, comments, single missing brackets. Exactly the cases that arise when copying from code, logs, or loose config formats. (The toolbar **Repair** button, by contrast, only checks whether the current content is valid and doesn't repair broken JSON itself.) Where the repair hits its limits: **ambiguous or structurally broken** input. When it's unclear *where* a bracket belongs, or whether two objects glued together should be an array, the heuristic can't guess either. Then the order is: accept the **auto-repair** in the Text view, and whatever remains, fix by hand using the error message. With truly broken sources it's worth obtaining a clean original again rather than patching for ages. ## Compact + Sort: reproducible output Two buttons combine into a useful trick: when you want to compare two JSON documents (e.g. in a diff), different key orders and indentation get in the way. On both, hit **Sort** first (sorts all keys recursively and alphabetically), then **Compact** (or **Format** for a line-by-line diff) — then the files differ only where something has **substantively** changed. Note: **Sort** only sorts object keys, not the order of array elements. ## Local storage: convenience and pitfall The editor saves your work **automatically** in the browser and restores it on your next visit — very convenient against accidental reloads. Two things to know: - **Shared or borrowed machine:** the content stays in the browser until you hit **Clear**. So after working with sensitive data on a device that isn't yours, don't forget **Clear**. - **No sync, no backup:** the state lives only in *this* browser's local storage. It doesn't travel between devices and is gone if you clear the browser's data. Whatever you want to keep, save as a file via **Download**. Reassuringly, the data **never** leaves the browser — there's no server and no upload. ## Keyboard and large documents - **Stay on the keyboard:** search & replace, undo/redo, and navigation work via shortcuts — especially in the text view (CodeMirror) this saves a lot of mouse travel. - **Fullscreen for large files:** the fullscreen button gives the editor the whole screen; **Esc** ends it again. - **Very large files are possible but memory-hungry:** the library is built for large documents, but the real ceiling is your browser's memory. If huge files get sluggish, the **Text** view helps (lighter than tree/table), as does closing other tabs. ## Combining with other JPKCom tools The JSON Editor is often just one stop — these tools follow on seamlessly: - **Wrong format?** **[Convertor PRO](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/convertor/)** turns JSON into YAML, TOML, XML, and back. Workflow: tidy up and validate in the JSON Editor, then convert to the target format in Convertor. - **Really a table?** If your array of objects is better off as CSV, the **[CSV Editor](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/csv/)** takes over — edit, detect the format, export. - **Encoded values in the JSON?** If Base64 blobs, URL-encoded strings, or JWT tokens sit in your fields, the **[Coder](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/coder/)** decodes and encodes them — then back to the JSON Editor to check. --- There's more context: the [overview](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/) for the big picture, the [manual](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/manual/) for every feature in detail, and the [examples](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/tools/json/examples/) for the step-by-step workflows. You can try it all directly in the [tool](https://www.jpkc.com/tools/json/).