JSON Pointer Parent and Final Token
Split an RFC 6901 pointer into parent pointer and decoded final token; root has no parent or final token.
Description
Split an RFC 6901 pointer into parent pointer and decoded final token; root has no parent or final token.
A pointer's parent addresses its containing value, while its final token names the last step. The root has neither a parent nor a final token.
When to use this tool
Split an RFC 6901 pointer into parent pointer and decoded final token; root has no parent or final token.
- Prepare the supplied pointer fields for this operation.
- Compare the complete example with the representation used by your own input before carrying the result into another step.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter pointer. Use the exact text syntax, units and index conventions explained below.
- Run the tool. If input validation fails, correct the supplied fields before interpreting any result.
- Read result.hasParent, result.parent, result.finalToken. Interpret false, null and empty lists using the distinctions below; they can be valid outputs.
Decode the pointer into tokens. For a nonroot pointer, remove its final token and format the remainder as parent, returning the decoded finalToken and hasParent true. For the root, return null for both values.1
| Input field | Meaning and representation | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| pointer | pointer. | Text; at most 8,192 UTF-16 code units, subject to the grammar above |
| Output field | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| result | Object containing the named outputs below. |
| result.hasParent | Flag for has parent under the exact condition described above. |
| result.parent | The parent value under the stated formula or text convention. |
| result.finalToken | The final token value under the stated formula or text convention. |
{
"input": {
"pointer": "/a/b"
},
"output": {
"result": {
"hasParent": true,
"parent": "/a",
"finalToken": "b"
}
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- An empty property name is a real token: "/" has the root as parent and an empty final token. Null instead denotes absence at the root.
- Decoded JSON is bounded to 20,000 nodes and 32 nesting levels; record arrays have at most 128 records. Parsed number values use JavaScript floating point rather than arbitrary-precision decimal arithmetic.
- Every declared top-level field is required and unexpected fields are rejected. Numeric inputs must be finite; ordinary text fields are bounded to 8,192 UTF-16 code units, with tighter operation-specific limits where stated.
- Ordinary string lists have at most 128 entries of at most 128 code units each; numeric lists and matrices have separate bounded size checks. Nonfinite results and excessively large serialized outputs are rejected.
- Indexes are zero-based and spans have an exclusive end unless explicitly stated otherwise. A valid false, null or empty-list result is distinct from malformed input.
Alternative or Complementary methods
For document-wide requirements, combine these structural inventories with an explicit JSON Schema. Preserve the distinction between missing properties and null values, and between numbers and numeric-looking strings when building joins or indexes.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- JSON Pointer Array Index Token Check
Audit a decoded JSON Pointer array index token: canonical decimal, safe integer, in-range and optional append marker are distinct checks.
- JSON Pointer Token Escaper
Escape one RFC 6901 token in the required tilde-then-slash order; not a document resolver.