diff --git a/beautiful-racket-lib/br/datum.rkt b/beautiful-racket-lib/br/datum.rkt
index f7f88b9..f6b0678 100644
--- a/beautiful-racket-lib/br/datum.rkt
+++ b/beautiful-racket-lib/br/datum.rkt
@@ -2,15 +2,19 @@
 (require (for-syntax racket/base br/syntax) br/define)
 (provide (except-out (all-defined-out) string->datum))
 
+(define (blank? str)
+  (or (zero? (string-length str))
+      (andmap char-blank? (string->list str))))
+
 ;; read "foo bar" the same way as "(foo bar)" 
 ;; otherwise "bar" is dropped, which is too astonishing
 (define (string->datum str)
-  (if (positive? (string-length str))
+  (if (blank? str)
+      (void)
       (let ([result (read (open-input-string (format "(~a)" str)))])
         (if (= (length result) 1)
             (car result)
-            result))
-      (void)))
+            result))))
 
 (define (datum? x)
   (or (list? x) (symbol? x)))
@@ -34,5 +38,7 @@
   (check-equal? (format-datum '(~a-bar-~a) #'foo #'zam) '(foo-bar-zam))
   (check-equal? (format-datum (datum (~a-bar-~a)) "foo" "zam") '(foo-bar-zam))
   (check-equal? (format-datum '~a "foo") 'foo)
-  (check-equal? (format-datum (datum ~a) "foo") 'foo)
+  (check-equal? (format-datum '~a "foo") 'foo)
+  (check-equal? (format-datum '~a "") (void))
+  (check-equal? (format-datum '~a "   ") (void))
   (check-equal? (format-datums '(put ~a) '("foo" "zam")) '((put foo) (put zam))))
diff --git a/beautiful-racket-lib/br/indent.rkt b/beautiful-racket-lib/br/indent.rkt
index 7f6ae29..373acc9 100644
--- a/beautiful-racket-lib/br/indent.rkt
+++ b/beautiful-racket-lib/br/indent.rkt
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 #lang racket/base
-(require racket/class racket/gui/base racket/list)
+(require racket/class
+         racket/gui/base
+         racket/list
+         racket/string)
 (provide (all-defined-out))
 
 (module+ test
+  ;; todo: fix this so it can be tested on travis
   (require racket/gui/base rackunit)
   (define t (new text%))
-  (define result (send t insert-port (open-input-string "foo\n ar\n  m"))))
+  (define t-str "foo\n ar\n  m")
+  (define result (send t insert-port (open-input-string t-str))))
 
 (define indent-width 2)
 
@@ -147,17 +152,28 @@
   (send t insert-port (open-input-string str))
   t)
 
-(define (map-indenter indenter t)
-  (for/list ([line-idx (in-range (add1 (send t last-line)))])
-            (indenter t (line-start t line-idx))))
+(define space-char? (λ(x) (x . char=? . #\space)))
 
 (define (test-indenter indenter t-or-str)
   (define t (if (string? t-or-str) (str->text t-or-str) t-or-str))
-  (list->string
-   (append*
-    (for/list ([line-idx (in-range (add1 (send t last-line)))]
-               [indent (in-list (map-indenter indenter t))])
-              ;; simulate DrR indentation
-              ;; by dropping leading spaces and applying new indent.
-              (append (make-list (or indent 0) #\space)
-                      (dropf (line-chars t line-idx) (λ(x) (x . char=? . #\space))))))))
\ No newline at end of file
+  (define indented-t
+    (for/fold ([t-acc t])
+              ([line-idx (in-range (add1 (send t last-line)))])
+      ;; simulate DrR indentation
+      ;; by dropping leading spaces and applying new indent.
+      (define line-start-pos (line-start t-acc line-idx))
+      (define new-indent (indenter t-acc line-start-pos))
+      (define new-line-str
+        (list->string (append (make-list (or new-indent 0) #\space)
+                              (dropf (line-chars t-acc line-idx) space-char?))))
+      (send t-acc delete line-start-pos (add1 (line-end t-acc line-idx))) ; add1 to grab ending newline too
+      (send t-acc insert new-line-str line-start-pos)
+      t-acc))
+  (send indented-t get-text))
+
+(define (str->indents str)
+  (for/list ([line (in-list (string-split str "\n"))])
+            (length (takef (string->list line) space-char?))))
+
+(module+ test
+  (check-equal? (str->indents t-str) '(0 1 2)))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/expander.rkt b/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/expander.rkt
index 83cccf7..b93d58c 100644
--- a/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/expander.rkt
+++ b/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/expander.rkt
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@
     [(string? result) (format "~v" result)]
     [(list? result) (format "[~a]" (string-join (map stringify result) ", "))]
     [(hash? result) (format "{~a}" (string-join (for/list ([(k v) (in-hash result)])
-                                                          (format "~a: ~a" (stringify k) (stringify v))) ", "))]))
+                                                          (format "~a: ~a" (stringify k) (stringify v))) ", "))]
+    [else ""]))
 
 (define-macro (s-val STR ...)
   (define s-exp-string
diff --git a/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/indenter.rkt b/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/indenter.rkt
index daa56d0..ed22a36 100644
--- a/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/indenter.rkt
+++ b/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/indenter.rkt
@@ -1,37 +1,28 @@
 #lang at-exp br
-(require br/indent sugar/debug)
+(require br/indent)
 (provide indenter)
-(define indent-width 2)
 
-(define (indenter text [this-pos 0])
-  ;; if line begins with }:
-  ;; outdent to the matching {
-  ;; indent to match the previous line
-  (define this-line (line text this-pos))
-  (define this-line-end (line-end text this-line))
-  (define open-braces
-    (- (count-char text #\{ 0 this-line-end)
-       (count-char text #\} 0 this-line-end)))
-  (and (positive? open-braces)
-       (* indent-width
-          (if ((char text (line-start-visible text this-line)) . char=? . #\{)
-              (sub1 open-braces)
-              open-braces))))
+(define indent-width 2)
 
-#|
-  (define prev-line (previous-line text this-line))
-  (define prev-indent (line-indent text prev-line))
-  (cond
-    [((char text (line-start text this-line)) . char=? . #\})
-     (and prev-indent (- prev-indent indent-width))]
-    [((char text (line-start text prev-line)) . char=? . #\{)
-     (+ (or prev-indent 0) indent-width)]
-    [else prev-indent]))
-|#
+(define (indenter tb [this-pos 0])
+  (define this-line (line tb this-pos))
+  (define prev-line (previous-line tb this-pos))
+  (define prev-indent (or (line-indent tb prev-line) 0))
+  (define this-indent
+    (cond
+      ;; if this line begins with }, outdent.
+      [((char tb (line-start-visible tb this-line)) . char=? . #\})
+       (- prev-indent indent-width)]
+      ;; if last line begins with {, indent.
+      [((char tb (line-start-visible tb prev-line)) . char=? . #\{)
+       (+ prev-indent indent-width)]
+      ;; otherwise use previous indent
+      [else prev-indent]))
+  (and (exact-positive-integer? this-indent) this-indent))
 
 (module+ test
   (require rackunit)
-  (define test-str @string-append|{
+  (define test-str #<<here
 #lang br/demo/jsonic
 {
 "string": @$(string-append "foo" "bar")$@,
@@ -40,11 +31,9 @@
 "object": @$(hash "k1" "valstring" (format "~a" 42) (hash "k1" (range 10) "k2" 42))$@
 }
 // "bar" :
-}}|)
-  (displayln test-str)
-  (define indented-str (test-indenter indenter test-str))
-  (displayln indented-str)
-  (define indented-str2 (test-indenter indenter indented-str))
-  (displayln indented-str2)
-  (define indented-str3 (test-indenter indenter indented-str2))
-  (displayln indented-str3))
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+here
+    )
+  (displayln (test-indenter indenter test-str))
+  (check-equal? (str->indents (test-indenter indenter test-str))
+                (map (λ(x) (* x indent-width)) '(0 0 1 1 2 2 1 1 0))))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/jsonic-test.rkt b/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/jsonic-test.rkt
index 642ab99..3ab155e 100644
--- a/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/jsonic-test.rkt
+++ b/beautiful-racket/br/demo/jsonic/jsonic-test.rkt
@@ -1,9 +1,2 @@
 #lang br/demo/jsonic
-{
-"string": @$(string-append "foo" "bar")$@,
-{
-"array": @$(range 5)$@,
-"object": @$(hash "k1" "valstring" (format "~a" 42) (hash "k1" (range 10) "k2" 42))$@
-}
-// "bar" :
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+@$  $@
\ No newline at end of file