Rename JSON::print() to to_json()

[madmiraal]

As originally identified here, currently, JSON::print() doesn't print anything, it converts the specified Variant to a JSON String. Since, other references to this method in Godot -- including the @GDscript version of this method (in 3.2) -- that call this method are all to_json(), it makes sense to rename this method to_json().

Part of #16863.

[nathanfranke]

to_json implies there is a method from_json. I think either

• parse->from_json
  or
• print->stringify

would suffice better

[dalexeev]

@aaronfranke:

Since this class only has two methods for going between JSON and Variant types, I would suggest against methods containing the word json since it's pointless.

@bojidar-bg:

stringify has the benefit of being better-known among developers due to being used in JavaScript, however

I don't think the name should be consistent with the GDScript function, especially since it is planned to remove it. At the same time, it makes sense to be consistent with JavaScript (parse and stringify) because JSON is JavaScript Object Notation.

[dalexeev]

Also, JSON.encode and JSON.decode are good options.

[nathanfranke]

Also, JSON.encode and JSON.decode are good options.

With those names, though, it is not immediately obvious which one does which. stringify is super obvious that it returns a JSON string since it's in the method name. I would also be happy with JSON::to_string, but that could conflict with Object::to_string.

[aaronfranke]

parse and stringify make sense to me, and if it's consistent with JavaScript that's great too. All options are better than print.

[akien-mga]

We discussed this in a PR review meeting today, basically we now have two different approaches to parsing JSON:

• JSON singleton which returns a JSONParseResult
• JSONParser similar to XMLParser.
  The idea is that JSONParser is the better API, and JSON and JSONParseResult could be removed.

[madmiraal]

Superseded by #44806.