Help Index → When something does not behave as expected → Use case 55
Investigate a Raw JSON error without trusting a green synchronization light. This correction recipe is for understood non-inventory edits; Inventory Raw JSON sync has a separate assignment defect and is not a reliable repair or replacement path.
Before you start
- Before any synchronization, Pretty Print or structured refresh, copy EACH pending Raw JSON pane to its own external file; syncing one tab can overwrite pending text in all others. Record the exact error and affected tab.
- Keep your independent pre-edit backup. A new full backup captures disk files, not the unsynchronized text currently visible in the editor.
- A parse error can leave the old tree with a green light; [] is ignored, and Pretty Print can overwrite invalid pending text from the old model. Preserve text and verify actual values, not lights.
- Do not sync or Pretty Print Inventory Raw JSON: its current dictionary-assignment defect is not reliable inventory replacement. Use Organizer for supported moves or Replace Items from Backup for supported replacement.
Steps
- Inspect the parse-error location and preceding line using Raw JSON’s line numbers and horizontal scrollbar. A missing delimiter can be reported after the mistake. (control reference)
- Compare the edited fragment with your known-good version. Correct only the understood error: check double-quoted keys and strings, commas between members, matching braces/brackets and accidentally pasted extra text. Preserve the surrounding record structure. (control reference)
- Only for an understood non-inventory edit, reapply from the preserved copy and choose Sync to Node View in that tab. Wait for Processing to dismiss; it has no Cancel and Escape does not stop it. A parse error can still leave green status with the old tree; [] is ignored. Do not Pretty Print invalid text: it can replace it with old model text. Do not sync Inventory Raw JSON; use supported structured inventory changes instead. (control reference)
- Compare the exact intended value, surrounding structure and identity in Node View and Raw JSON with the preserved copy. Then reapply and verify the next pending non-inventory pane separately; the preceding sync may have overwritten it. If any parse error or mismatch remains, do not save. Preserve useful work and deliberately reload the saved baseline if abandoning the edit. (control reference)
Expected result
- An understood non-inventory edit may be incorporated into app memory only when its exact intended values survive comparison. No reliable Inventory Raw JSON replacement is promised.
- A status light or formatting change is not a substitute for checking that the intended value actually survived synchronization.
What changes, and when to save
Non-inventory synchronization attempts to update app memory, not the live file. Do not save after a parse error, ignored [] or Inventory Raw JSON sync merely because the tree rebuilt or turned green. File → Save is a separate decision after exact-value review.
Check the result
- Compare each intended edit with its external copy, including other panes that may have refreshed. Neither disappearance of a warning nor green status establishes a successful parse or preserved edits.
Important details and recovery
- Pretty Print is not automatic error correction or game-schema validation; it can reload text from the model, so preserve attempted edits first.
- Text Undo is an editor action, not an undo-all mechanism for tree operations or earlier live writes. Use a deliberate reload or manual backup recovery when appropriate.