sn-donbenjamin · August 5, 2020 14:37 · Jun 7, 2016 · May 18, 2016
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 # Python 2 json.dump() file-like object class for tab indenting of output file
-Using [`json.dump()`](https://docs.python.org/2/library/json.html#json.dump) with Python 2, `indent=` argument is limited to number of spaces only - no ability for tabs use.
+Using [`json.dump()`](https://docs.python.org/2/library/json.html#json.dump) with Python 2, `indent` argument is limited to number of spaces only - no ability for tabs use.
 
 Class `JSONTabIndentFileWriter` provides a [file-like object](https://docs.python.org/2/glossary.html#term-file-like-object) which will rewrite `json.dump()` output indending from spaces to tabs.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Python 2 json.dump() file-like object class for tab indenting of output file
+Using [`json.dump()`](https://docs.python.org/2/library/json.html#json.dump) with Python 2, `indent=` argument is limited to number of spaces only - no ability for tabs use.
+
+Class `JSONTabIndentFileWriter` provides a [file-like object](https://docs.python.org/2/glossary.html#term-file-like-object) which will rewrite `json.dump()` output indending from spaces to tabs.
diff --git a/jsontabindentfilewriter.py b/jsontabindentfilewriter.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import json
+import re
+
+TEST_DICTIONARY = {
+	'key1': 'value1',
+	'key2': ['one','two','three','four'],
+	'key3': {
+		'apple': 'orange',
+		'grape': 'banana',
+		'tomato': ['five','six','seven','eight']
+	}
+}
+
+JSON_SPACE_INDENT_COUNT = 4
+
+
+class JSONTabIndentFileWriter:
+	def __init__(self,filepath,indent):
+		# open JSON file
+		self.fh = open(filepath,'w')
+
+		# create indent find regular expression
+		self.indent_regexp = re.compile(r'^([\[,]*\r?\n)( {{{0},}})(.*)'.format(indent))
+		self.indent_size = indent
+
+	def write(self,output):
+		# match JSON builder indent output
+		indent_match = self.indent_regexp.search(output)
+
+		if (indent_match):
+			# swap out space indents with tabs
+			output = ''.join([
+				indent_match.group(1), # optional "[" or "," character before indent
+				'\t' * int(len(indent_match.group(2)) / self.indent_size), # indent conversion
+				indent_match.group(3) # characters past indent
+			])
+
+		# write output to file
+		self.fh.write(output)
+
+	def close(self):
+		self.fh.close()
+
+def main():
+	# create JSON tab indent file writer
+	json_tab_file_write = JSONTabIndentFileWriter(
+		'outfile.json',
+		JSON_SPACE_INDENT_COUNT
+	)
+
+	# dump TEST_DICTIONARY to JSON with tab indenting
+	json.dump(
+		TEST_DICTIONARY,
+		json_tab_file_write,
+		indent = JSON_SPACE_INDENT_COUNT,
+		separators = (',',': '),
+		sort_keys = True
+	)
+
+	# close file writer
+	json_tab_file_write.close()
+
+
+if (__name__ == '__main__'):
+	main()