JSON Schema Export

Ferro can export a JSON Schema document describing the full JSON-UI spec format, including all built-in components and any registered custom plugins. Use it to enable IDE validation and autocompletion for spec files.

Generate the Schema

Run from your project root:

# Export full schema (all components + custom plugins)
ferro json-ui:schema --output schema.json --pretty

# Export schema for a single component
ferro json-ui:schema --component DataTable --pretty

Flags:

Flag	Description
`--output <file>`	Write schema to a file (defaults to stdout)
`--pretty`	Pretty-print the JSON output
`--component <name>`	Export schema for a single component only

The command requires a compiled Ferro project — it runs your app binary to include custom plugins. The first run may be slow due to compilation.

VS Code Integration

Add to .vscode/settings.json to enable schema validation and autocompletion in spec files:

{
  "json.schemas": [
    {
      "fileMatch": ["src/views/*.json"],
      "url": "./schema.json"
    }
  ]
}

After this setup, VS Code validates spec files against the schema and provides autocompletion for component types and their props.

Other Editors

The generated schema.json is standard JSON Schema draft-07, compatible with any editor that supports JSON Schema validation — IntelliJ IDEA, Neovim with an LSP client, and others.

Configure your editor to associate src/views/*.json with the local schema.json file using its JSON Schema settings.

What the Schema Covers

Full Spec object shape ($schema, title, layout, root, elements)
All element fields (type, props, children, action, visible)
Per-component props definitions (required vs optional fields, allowed values)
Expression objects ($data and $template shapes)
Custom plugin components registered in the app

Schema Structure

Partial output to illustrate the shape:

{
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "title": "Ferro JSON-UI Spec",
  "type": "object",
  "required": ["root", "elements"],
  "properties": {
    "$schema": { "type": "string" },
    "title": { "type": "string" },
    "layout": { "type": "string" },
    "root": { "type": "string" },
    "elements": {
      "type": "object",
      "additionalProperties": { "$ref": "#/definitions/Element" }
    }
  }
}

Keeping the Schema Up to Date

Re-run ferro json-ui:schema --output schema.json --pretty when you:

Add new custom plugins to the app
Upgrade Ferro to a new version

The schema reflects the component catalog at build time, so it must be regenerated whenever the catalog changes.

Ferro Framework