JSON tree — version history

u_pbt_jsontree · Introduced in 3.0

A JSON document displayed as in a code editor: line numbers, colouring by type, folding of every block, search. Introduced in 3.0.

4.0 — October 2026 #

New #

• of_expand_path(as_path) and of_collapse_path(as_path) open or fold one block by its path (-5 on an unknown path or a leaf), of_is_expanded(as_path) reads its state, and ue_node_toggled(as_path, ab_expanded) reports a fold opened or closed — by the user or by these two methods.
• of_copy() copies the selection, and so does Ctrl+C in the tree (without a selection, Ctrl+C stays a window shortcut).
• of_selected_text() returns the decoded value of the selected leaf (a string without quotes or escapes); of_has_selection() tells the root (whose path is "") apart from "nothing selected".
• Large documents: only the lines around the visible area are drawn — an arrow key on a 288 KB document is instant (it took about 3 seconds); a document of more than 1,500,000 lines is refused with a message in the tree and ue_error instead of being shown with its end out of reach.
• Given the focus (of_focus_webview, the Tab key), the tree takes the keyboard; F3 and Shift+F3 go to the next or previous match; Right arrow opens a folded block or enters an open one.
• The search bar and the ue_error message are entirely in the display language, line and column included (do not compare their text); the search bar's buttons are named for screen readers, and the tree exposes its selection to them.
• Printing or capturing the tree renders the document itself (up to 10,000 lines), not just the visible window.
• Search options, like the code editor: ib_find_match_case finds only the text with the same case, ib_find_whole_word finds it only as a whole word (id is no longer found inside user_id); the search box (Ctrl+F) has the matching Aa and ab toggles, and a change of option runs the search again. Both are off by default: the search stays as it was.

Fixed #

• Numbers and keys are shown as received: 12345678901234567890 is no longer shown 12345678901234567000, 1.10 stays 1.10, and the first of two identical keys is no longer lost.
• is_json reads back as it was set (it came back compacted, and empty after an invalid JSON); is_json = "" empties the tree without raising ue_error, as documented.
• of_clear empties the tree only; it no longer resets ib_wrap and ib_search_enabled (that is of_reset's job).
• A key named constructor, toString, __proto__… no longer breaks folding and selection; two nodes reached by similar paths no longer fold together, and an empty key no longer folds everything.
• of_match_count and al_count of ue_search_result count occurrences, not lines: one match is current at a time and of_search_next moves between the matches of a line.
• A search opens only the blocks hiding the current match (searching "e" opened the whole document), and of_clear_search restores the folds from before the search; a search no longer folds away or moves the selected line.
• of_search("") closes the search bar; a new document re-runs the search in progress instead of leaving the old count on screen; case-insensitive matching is exact for every alphabet.
• of_select_path opens the blocks hiding the line; folding the block that contains the selection moves the selection onto that block (and ue_selection_changed says so for a user gesture) instead of losing it.
• Keyboard: closing lines (}, ]) are skipped by the arrows, and a click on one selects its block without scrolling the view; Right arrow on a leaf no longer moves down a line; Esc in the search bar closes it and gives the focus back to the tree.
• Enter on a leaf raises ue_node_clicked like a click and is kept by the tree (it pressed the window's default button); Esc with the search bar open closes the bar first (it pressed the window's Cancel button).
• Dark themes: search highlights are readable, the current match stands out on the selected line, scrollbars are dark, and the keyboard focus is visible.
• With ib_wrap, scrolling up no longer makes the view jump.
• A JSON document always reads left to right, even in a right-to-left application (the search bar follows the application).
• Reading back a long text value takes time proportional to its size and returns it whole (it slowed down with the size and was cut beyond a million characters).
• Enter or Esc pressed in the component, when it does not use them, goes back to the window: the PowerBuilder Default or Cancel CommandButton fires (the key was lost).
• A language set by PBT_SetLanguage applies from the very next order given to the component: a text of an event raised by that order no longer comes in the old language.
• With no language chosen by the application, the component announces English to screen readers (it announced French).
• is_theme_style, is_theme_mode and il_theme_accent read back the style and mode shown and the component's own accent (-1 when it has none); an unknown or badly written value is ignored instead of leaving the component without a theme, and an axis left empty follows the application's theme.
• The application accent (PBT_SetDefaultThemeAccent) survives a change of theme, is followed as long as the component has no accent of its own, and repaints everything derived from it (hover, pressed, selections); Windows high contrast is supported.

Behavior changes #

• The path of a node (ue_node_clicked, ue_selection_changed, of_selected_path, of_select_path) is the path of n_pbt_json: levels joined by /, array indexes from 1 (lines/1/sku, it was lines.0.sku), "" for the root — pass it as is to n_pbt_json.of_get_string on the same text.
• of_select_path on an unknown path returns -5 and the selection does not move (it returned 0).
• A closing line is no longer selected: ue_selection_changed no longer reports it.
• See the 3 → 4 migration guide, sections 11.3, 11.5, 11.6, 11.29 and 11.42.

3.0 — September 2026 #

New #

• First release: is_json shows a document as in a code editor — pretty-printed, one line per token, line numbers, colouring by type (keys, strings, numbers, booleans, null) in a palette for light themes and one for dark themes, a fold marker on every object and array.
• Folding: by the marker, of_expand_all, of_collapse_all, of_expand_to_level(n).
• Selection: of_select_path, of_selected_path, of_selected_value, with ue_node_clicked and ue_selection_changed.
• Search: a Ctrl+F bar (ib_search_enabled), of_search, of_search_next, of_search_prev, of_clear_search, of_match_count, of_match_index and ue_search_result.
• ib_wrap for long lines, of_clear, and ue_error for an invalid document.
• ue_script_error: a script error in the page reaches PowerBuilder with its message instead of being lost.
• of_set_property, of_get_property and of_component_name: drive a property by its name (settings screen, saved configuration).