Implementing a Basic JSON.parse in JavaScript

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a ubiquitous data format used for transmitting data in web applications. While JavaScript has a built-in JSON.parse() function, understanding how it works is crucial for grasping data serialization and parsing. This challenge asks you to implement a simplified version of JSON.parse() to parse a JSON string into a JavaScript object.

Problem Description

Your task is to create a JavaScript function called myJSONParse(jsonString) that takes a JSON string as input and returns the corresponding JavaScript object. The function should handle basic JSON data types: strings, numbers, booleans (true, false), null, arrays, and objects. The function should throw an error if the input is not a valid JSON string.

Key Requirements:

• Data Type Handling: Correctly parse strings, numbers, booleans, null, arrays, and objects.
• String Handling: Strings in JSON are enclosed in double quotes. Handle escaped characters within strings (e.g., \", \\, \n, \t, \uXXXX).
• Array Parsing: Arrays are enclosed in square brackets [] and contain a comma-separated list of values.
• Object Parsing: Objects are enclosed in curly braces {} and contain a comma-separated list of key-value pairs. Keys must be strings enclosed in double quotes.
• Error Handling: Throw an error if the input is not a valid JSON string. A simple error message like "Invalid JSON string" is sufficient.
• Whitespace: Ignore whitespace characters (spaces, tabs, newlines) outside of strings.

Expected Behavior:

The function should return a JavaScript object that accurately represents the structure and data of the input JSON string.

Edge Cases to Consider:

• Empty JSON string: "" should return an empty object {}.
• JSON string containing only a single value (e.g., "hello", 123, true, null).
• Nested objects and arrays.
• Invalid JSON syntax (e.g., missing quotes, trailing commas, incorrect brackets).
• Unescaped special characters within strings.

Examples

Example 1:

Input: '{"name": "John Doe", "age": 30, "isStudent": false, "address": null}'
Output: { name: 'John Doe', age: 30, isStudent: false, address: null }
Explanation: The JSON string represents an object with key-value pairs. The function should correctly parse the keys and values into a JavaScript object.

Example 2:

Input: '[1, 2, "hello", true, null]'
Output: [ 1, 2, 'hello', true, null ]
Explanation: The JSON string represents an array. The function should correctly parse the array elements into a JavaScript array.

Example 3:

Input: '{"name": "Jane \\"Doe\\" Doe", "city": "New York\\n"} '
Output: { name: 'Jane "Doe" Doe', city: 'New York\n' }
Explanation: This example tests the handling of escaped characters within strings. The backslashes should be properly interpreted.  Whitespace at the end of the string should be ignored.

Example 4:

Input: '{"name": "John",}'
Output: Error: Invalid JSON string
Explanation: Trailing comma is invalid JSON syntax.

Constraints

• The input jsonString will be a string.
• The function must handle JSON strings with a maximum length of 1000 characters.
• The function should be reasonably efficient; avoid excessive recursion depth.
• The function should only support the basic JSON data types mentioned above (string, number, boolean, null, array, object). No dates or other complex types are required.

Notes

• This is a simplified implementation of JSON.parse(). A full implementation would handle more complex scenarios and edge cases.
• Consider using a recursive approach to handle nested objects and arrays.
• Pay close attention to the syntax rules of JSON, especially regarding quotes, brackets, and commas.
• Start by parsing the outermost structure (object or array) and then recursively parse the inner elements.
• Regular expressions can be helpful for tokenizing the JSON string, but be careful to avoid overly complex regex patterns.
• Think about how to handle different data types and how to distinguish between them.