jgetset

A simple command-line tool for getting and setting first-level keys in JSON dictionary files.

Overview

jgetset provides a straightforward way to read and write top-level key-value pairs in JSON files that contain dictionaries (objects). It's designed for simple configuration files and quick JSON manipulation.

Important: This tool only works with JSON files containing a dictionary at the root level, and only operates on first-level keys. Nested paths are not supported.

Installation

cargo build --release

Usage

Get a value

jgetset <file> <key>

Example:

jgetset config.json username
# Output: "alice"

Set a value

jgetset <file> <key>=<value>

Example:

jgetset config.json username=alice

Values are stored as strings in the JSON file.

Example

Given config.json:

{
  "host": "localhost",
  "port": "8080"
}

# Get a value
$ jgetset config.json host
"localhost"

# Set a value
$ jgetset config.json timeout=30

Result:

{
  "host": "localhost",
  "port": "8080",
  "timeout": "30"
}

Limitations

• Only works with JSON dictionaries (not arrays or primitives)
• Only accesses first-level keys (no nested path support like user.name)
• Values are always stored as strings
• No support for deleting keys