animals.json

"'{\"animal_list\": [{\"type\": \"mammal\", \"description\": \"Tall, with brown spots, lives in Savanna\", \"name\": \"Giraffa camelopardalis\"},{\"type\": \"mammal\", \"description\": \"Big, grey, with big ears, smart\", \"name\": \"Loxodonta africana\"},{\"type\": \"reptile\", \"description\": \"Green, changes color, lives in \"East Africa\"\", \"name\": \"Trioceros jacksonii\"}]}'"

double_encoded_json.py

import json

newfile = open('animals_editted.json', 'w')
with open('animals.json', 'r') as jsonf:
    for line in jsonf: # there will be only one line
        newline = line.replace('},{', '},\n{')
        newline = newline.strip('\"').strip('\'')
        newline = newline.replace('\\\"', '\"')
        newfile.write(newline)
    newfile.close()

# See if this gives errors
#with open('animals_editted.json', 'r') as nf:
#    json_object = json.load(nf)
#print len(json_object['animal_list'])

newfile = open('animals_cleaned.json', 'w')
with open('animals_editted.json', 'r') as jsonf:
    for line in jsonf:
        start, end = line.split('\"description\": \"')
        description_value, end = end.split('", "')
        description_value = description_value.replace('"', '\\"')
        description = '\"description\": \"' + description_value + '", "'
        newline = start + description + end
        newfile.write(newline)
    newfile.close()

newfile = open('animals_cleaned.json', 'w')
with open('animals_editted.json', 'r') as jsonf:
    for line in jsonf:
        start, end = line.split('\"description\": \"')
        descr_val, end = end.split('", "')
        descr_val = descr_val.replace('"', '\\"') # escape the quotes
        descr = '\"description\": \"' + descr_val + '", "'
        newline = start + descr + end
        newfile.write(newline)
    newfile.close()
    
with open('animals_cleaned.json', 'r') as nf:
    json_object = json.load(nf)
print len(json_object['animal_list'])