encoding/json: add example for Indent, clarify the docs.

There was confusion in the behavior of json.Indent; This change
attempts to clarify the behavior by providing a bit more verbiage
to the documentation as well as provide an example function.

Fixes issue 7821.

LGTM=robert.hencke, adg
R=golang-codereviews, minux.ma, bradfitz, aram, robert.hencke, r, adg
CC=golang-codereviews
https://codereview.appspot.com/97840044

Committer: Andrew Gerrand <adg@golang.org>

2 files changed, 35 insertions, 2 deletions

diff --git a/src/pkg/encoding/json/example_test.go b/src/pkg/encoding/json/example_test.go
index ea0bc149c..ca4e5ae68 100644
--- a/src/pkg/encoding/json/example_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/encoding/json/example_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package json_test
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -127,3 +128,34 @@ func ExampleRawMessage() {
 	// YCbCr &{255 0 -10}
 	// RGB &{98 218 255}
 }
+
+func ExampleIndent() {
+	type Road struct {
+		Name   string
+		Number int
+	}
+	roads := []Road{
+		{"Diamond Fork", 29},
+		{"Sheep Creek", 51},
+	}
+
+	b, err := json.Marshal(roads)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	json.Indent(&out, b, "=", "\t")
+	out.WriteTo(os.Stdout)
+	// Output:
+	// [
+	// =	{
+	// =		"Name": "Diamond Fork",
+	// =		"Number": 29
+	// =	},
+	// =	{
+	// =		"Name": "Sheep Creek",
+	// =		"Number": 51
+	// =	}
+	// =]
+}
diff --git a/src/pkg/encoding/json/indent.go b/src/pkg/encoding/json/indent.go
index 11ef709cc..e1bacafd6 100644
--- a/src/pkg/encoding/json/indent.go
+++ b/src/pkg/encoding/json/indent.go
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@ func newline(dst *bytes.Buffer, prefix, indent string, depth int) {
 // Each element in a JSON object or array begins on a new,
 // indented line beginning with prefix followed by one or more
 // copies of indent according to the indentation nesting.
-// The data appended to dst has no trailing newline, to make it easier
-// to embed inside other formatted JSON data.
+// The data appended to dst does not begin with the prefix nor
+// any indentation, and has no trailing newline, to make it
+// easier to embed inside other formatted JSON data.
 func Indent(dst *bytes.Buffer, src []byte, prefix, indent string) error {
 	origLen := dst.Len()
 	var scan scanner