The (undocumented) JSON.parse function makes an object out of a JSON string. This is typically used with JSON REST returns.

In this example, we look at the REST return from the Control Center GET call: api/server/status.

The method response.contentAsString returns the following string:

{"id":null,"error":null,"warning":null,"requestedStatus":null,"initialStatu
s":"RUNNING","currentStatus":"RUNNING","progress":"Status-ing
tcServer
Instance name: app-server
Runtime version:
8.0.30.C.RELEASE
tc Runtime Base: /var/lib/vco/app-server
Status:
RUNNING as PID=24470
","finished":true}

We are only interested in currentStatus. We can access that part in the following ways:

var jsonObj = JSON.parse(response.contentAsString); 
System.log ("Serverstate = "+ jsonObj.currentStatus); 

Or:

System.log ("Serverstate = "+ jsonObj['currentStatus']); 

When working with REST and JSON, you not only need to know how to parse JSON, but also how to create a JSON object. There is a very good article that shows all the methods: http://www.vcoteam.info/articles/learn-vco/305-creating-json-objects-in-orchestrator.html .

I will quickly show how to do it. You want to create a basic JSON object that looks like this:

{  
"private":"mobile number", 
   "business":"landline number" 
} 

First, we need to build a property with this content:

var propList=new Properties(); 
propList.put("private","mobile number"); 
propList.put("business"," landline number"); 
Then we have to convert it to JSON 
var jsonObj = new Object(); 
for each (key in propList.keys){ 
   jsonObj[key]=propList.get(key); 
} 
Content= JSON.stringify(jsonObj); 

This will create the JSON object string we can use in a REST call. If you need to create more complex JSON with arrays, the same method applies. You construct an array of properties and then stringify it.

We also have the ability to alter JSON objects quite easily. A typical example is that you have a REST GET that results in a JSON and you like to PUT the same back with some slide changes. Here is how that works:

getContent= REST.getContentAsMimeAttachment(); 
jsonObj = JSON.parse(getContent.content); 
jsonObj['private'] = "another number"; 
putContent= JSON.stringify(jsonObj);