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Documents

Documents is where most JEditor work happens. It is a multi-tab JSON editing surface with a toolbar built for game data, not a generic code editor bolted onto Unity.

When balance tables or config blobs are edited as plain text, small mistakes cascade: broken commas, accidental key renames, unreadable diffs, and models that no longer match samples. Documents gives you a focused editor that understands JSON structure while still letting you work in raw text when that is faster.

Documents workspace with several tabs, the JSON editor, Tree, a color field, and the Errors dock
Several documents open at once. The editor, Tree, and the Errors dock share the same window.

Document management

Create, open, save, close

Action How
New document Tab +, or File → New Document
Open file File → Open… or toolbar Import
Save File → Save / toolbar Save
Save As File → Save As…
Close Tab close, or File → Close Document

Closing a dirty document prompts Save Changes? with Save / Cancel / Don't Save.

Opening a path that is already open focuses the existing tab. Save As will not overwrite a path owned by another open tab.

Tabs

  • Dirty state is visible on the tab
  • Drag tabs to reorder
  • Pin Tab keeps reference documents available
  • Close left / right / others cleans the strip quickly

External file changes

If a file-backed document changes on disk, JEditor can prompt File Changed on Disk with Reload / Cancel / Keep Mine when the window regains focus.

Session restore

Open tabs and unsaved text come back after you restart Unity.

The JSON editor experience

The center pane is a purpose-built JSON text editor.

Editing comfort

  • Syntax highlighting with configurable palettes
  • Line numbers, indent guides, bracket matching
  • Auto-closing pairs and smart indent (Preferences)
  • Configurable indent size
  • Document undo / redo
  • Fold markers for objects and arrays

Formatting tools

Tool Use it when
Format JSON You want a full pretty-print
Smart Format You want readable nesting without over-expanding tiny structures
Compact JSON You need a single dense payload
Sort Keys Ascending or descending key order helps review or diff

Formatting is also available from Edit.

Folding

  • Collapse or expand individual blocks from the gutter
  • Collapse all objects and arrays / Expand all folded blocks from the toolbar
  • Matching View menu commands

Folds are session-only

Fold state is working-session state. It is not restored from the workspace snapshot the way text and caret are.

Find

There is no separate in-buffer find bar. Find… (Cmd+F / Ctrl+F by default) opens the right dock Search tab and focuses the find field. See Search & Query.

Diagnostics while typing

Invalid JSON remains editable. Diagnostics appear as editor feedback and in the bottom Errors dock. The Tree may keep showing the last valid model while you repair syntax.

Practical example

Suppose you receive this compact remote-config blob:

{"season":{"id":"s3","endsAt":"2026-10-01"},"shop":[{"sku":"gems_50","price":4.99},{"sku":"gems_300","price":19.99}],"features":{"newHud":true,"pitySystem":false}}

A productive Documents pass:

  1. Smart Format or Format JSON
  2. Tree-select shop and confirm structure
  3. Search for pitySystem
  4. Toggle the flag in Inspector or text
  5. Save beside your content pipeline files

Empty state

With no open documents, Documents shows an empty state with actions to create or Open JSON. Start there, then grow into the docks as needed.