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json/api/basic_json/std_formatter.md
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# <small>std::</small>formatter<nlohmann::basic_json\>
```cpp
namespace std {
template <>
struct formatter<nlohmann::basic_json, char>;
}
```
Specialization to make JSON values formattable with [`std::format`](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/utility/format/format)
(and the other members of C++20's `<format>` header, such as `std::format_to`).
A subset of the [standard format spec grammar](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/utility/format/spec) is
supported, repurposed for JSON pretty-printing; any other spec component (sign, the `0` flag, precision,
`L`, a dynamic width such as `#!cpp "{:{}}"`, or a trailing type character) throws
[`std::format_error`](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/utility/format/format_error):
- `#!cpp "{}"` serializes the value the same way as [`dump()`](dump.md) (compact, no whitespace).
- `#!cpp "{:#}"` ("alternate form") serializes the value the same way as `#!cpp dump(4)` (pretty-printed
with an indent of 4).
- A width, with or without `#!cpp "#"` (e.g. `#!cpp "{:2}"` or `#!cpp "{:#2}"`), serializes the value the
same way as `#!cpp dump(width)` — a width on its own implies pretty-printing, since an indent size has
no meaning for compact output.
- `fill-and-align` (e.g. `#!cpp "{:.>#}"` or `#!cpp "{:.>3}"`) picks a custom indent character, the same
way as `#!cpp dump(indent, indent_char)`. The alignment direction itself (`#!cpp '<'`, `#!cpp '>'`,
`#!cpp '^'`) has no separate meaning for JSON values — only the fill character before it is used, and
any of the three directions is accepted.
This specialization is only available for `#!cpp char`-based JSON values and only if the standard library
provides `<format>`, controlled by the [`JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT`](../macros/json_has_std_format.md) macro.
## Examples
??? example
The example shows how to format JSON values with `std::format`.
```cpp
#include <format>
#include <iostream>
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
using json = nlohmann::json;
int main()
{
json j = {{"one", 1}, {"two", 2}};
// compact formatting, like dump()
std::cout << std::format("{}", j) << "\n\n";
// pretty-printed formatting, like dump(4)
std::cout << std::format("{:#}", j) << "\n\n";
// a width sets the indent, like dump(2)
std::cout << std::format("{:2}", j) << "\n\n";
// fill-and-align sets the indent character, like dump(4, '.')
std::cout << std::format("{:.>#}", j) << std::endl;
}
```
Output:
```json
{"one":1,"two":2}
{
"one": 1,
"two": 2
}
{
"one": 1,
"two": 2
}
{
...."one": 1,
...."two": 2
}
```
## See also
- [dump](dump.md) - serialization
- [operator<<(std::ostream&)](../operator_ltlt.md) - serialize to stream
- [format_as](format_as.md) - customization point used by `fmt::format` (fmtlib)
- [Serialization](../../features/serialization.md) - the serialization article
## Version history
- Added in version 3.13.0.