# \[Not required now\]Editing .my flow.json file manually
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490
**Category:** General
**Created:** [22 August 2018 20:49 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490 "2018-08-22T20:49:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 20:49 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/1 "2018-08-22T20:49:15Z")
Due to a breaking change in the Blockly node (which I asked for) I would like to manually edit my flow.json file
What's a good editor to do this with?
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:03 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/2 "2018-08-22T21:03:21Z")
Any straight text editor, gedit, nano, vi, jEdit.
If you are stuck with Windows then I guess there are similar editors there, but someone else will have to help there.
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:13 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/3 "2018-08-22T21:13:07Z")
With nano it will be on one line only, but if you know what you are looking for it's possible.
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/4 "2018-08-22T21:15:24Z")
I was thinking more along the lines of something that formatted JSON it to look nicer (with line breaks etc) 🙂
I've actually just done a global search and replace and crossed my fingers - seems to have worked so my orig request probably mute now
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:17 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/5 "2018-08-22T21:17:11Z")
Simon, aren't you using Projects?
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### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/6 "2018-08-22T21:18:36Z")
em - no - worth using then?
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### Author:  [@ghayne](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ghayne)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:22 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/7 "2018-08-22T21:22:16Z")
Better than sliced bread. I had a "git" week last week and got my head around the whole concept finally. The node-red Project interface is wonderful too.
---
### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/8 "2018-08-22T21:23:00Z")
Once we get @BartButenaers to press go on his Blockly node - I'll give it a whirl 🙂
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### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/9 "2018-08-22T21:52:54Z")
Meanwhile in your `settings.js` file you can
```
// To enabled pretty-printing of the flow within the flow file, set the following
// property to true:
flowFilePretty: true,
```
to format the saved flow file in multiline format.
---
### Author:  [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 21:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/10 "2018-08-22T21:58:59Z")
> [@dceejay](#):
>
> flowFilePretty: true,
That's much nicer (I'm assuming small processing overhead penalty for doing this?)
```
[
{
"id": "60eeba5b.7c29b4",
"type": "tab",
"label": "Scratch",
"disabled": false,
"info": ""
},
{
"id": "a168c0e4.23e8e",
"type": "tab",
"label": "MQTT Broker",
"disabled": false,
"info": ""
},
{
"id": "7f2669ea.dd8698",
"type": "tab",
"label": "MQTT Dyn",
"disabled": false,
"info": ""
},
{
"id": "f09d4a19.a446e8",
"type": "tab",
"label": "Blocker",
"disabled": false,
"info": ""
```
---
### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [22 August 2018 22:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/not-required-now-editing-my-flow-json-file-manually/2490/11 "2018-08-22T22:05:02Z")
Not really - just extra whitespace and filling up chat messages when cut/paste of a single line to share code is easier 🙂