smarty/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-json-encode.md

# json_encode

Transforms a value into a valid JSON string.

## Basic usage
```smarty
{$user|json_encode}
```
Depending on the value of `$user` this would return a string in JSON-format, e.g. `{"username":"my_username","email":"my_username@smarty.net"}`.


## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description                                                                               |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | int  | No       | bitmask of flags, directly passed to [PHP's json_encode](https://www.php.net/json_encode) |


## Examples

By passing `16` as the second parameter, you can force json_encode to always format the JSON-string as an object.
Without it, an array `$myArray = ["a","b"]` would be formatted as a javascript array: 

```smarty
{$myArray|json_encode} # renders: ["a","b"]
{$myArray|json_encode:16} # renders: {"0":"a","1":"b"}
```