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Create JSON in Make without breaking quoted text

Build JSON from typed fields in Make Free. Keep quotation marks intact, check numeric values, and inspect the generated text before using it.

HoldMyTwist · 2 min read

A brass packing station placing an aqua notebook and matching cubes into a navy glass box

A product name containing quotation marks can break JSON assembled by hand. In this exercise, you give Make's Create JSON module an item name and a numeric quantity. It builds the JSON text without sending it to another app.

Before you start

To get started, you need a Make account. You can create a Make Free account (opens in a new tab) or sign in. These built-in modules need no connection to another app. Keep the practice scenario Inactive and use Run once.

1. Define the fields

  1. In Scenarios, click Create scenario. Replace the name at the top left with Create JSON practice.
  2. Click the large plus. Choose JSON > Create JSON.
  3. Click Create a data structure. Name it Product JSON practice.
  4. Click Generate. Keep Content type set to JSON and paste the sample below into Sample data.
  5. Click Generate. Check that Item has type text and Quantity has type number. Save the data structure.
Text to copy

{"item":"Notebook","quantity":2}

Full Make editor with Item type text and Quantity type number in the data structure

Full Make editor with Item type text and Quantity type number in the data structure
Open full-size image

2. Enter a name containing quotes

  1. In the module's Item field, enter Notebook "Pocket", including the quotation marks.
  2. Set Quantity to 2. Do not put quotation marks around the number.
  3. Save the module, then save the scenario. Choose Save anyway only if the warning says the output is unused.

Full Make editor with item Notebook Pocket in quotation marks and quantity 2

Full Make editor with item Notebook Pocket in quotation marks and quantity 2
Open full-size image

Watch out

The sample defines the fields and their types; it does not supply the values for every run. Enter or map the actual values in Create JSON. A number such as 2 and text such as "2" can mean different things to the receiving app.

3. Check the generated JSON

  1. Click Run once. For the same unused-output warning, choose Run anyway.
  2. Click the execution result bubble above the module.
  3. Under Output, check JSON string against the result below.
Text to copy

{"item":"Notebook \"Pocket\"","quantity":2}

Full Make editor showing the generated JSON string with escaped quotation marks

Full Make editor showing the generated JSON string with escaped quotation marks
Open full-size image

The backslashes protect the quotes inside the name. Quantity remains an unquoted number. When a later module needs JSON text, select this module's JSON string token rather than rebuilding the object around individual fields.

If the output has the wrong values

Check the data structure's field types and the values entered in the module. Changing the sample alone does not change the configured input. Keep a representative name with punctuation in your practice data and check the destination's required field names before connecting a real action.

Use Make when this step belongs in a workflow you repeat. For a one-off task, a spreadsheet or text editor may be simpler. Start with Make Free (opens in a new tab), and check the Free-plan limits before adding scheduled actions.

Sources: Make JSON documentation (opens in a new tab). Screenshots show Make with fictional practice data.

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