Sun, 30 Mar 2025 18:21:43 +0200
document JSON writer
relates to #451
# JSON The UCX JSON API allows [parsing](#parser) and [formatting](#writer) of JSON data. The parser API is similar to the [properties](properties.h.md) parser, but - due to the nature of JSON - is not allocation-free. ## Parser ```C #include <cx/json.h> void cxJsonInit(CxJson *json, const CxAllocator *allocator); void cxJsonReset(CxJson *json); int cxJsonFilln(CxJson *json, const char *buf, size_t len); int cxJsonFill(CxJson *json, AnyStr str); CxJsonStatus cxJsonNext(CxJson *json, CxJsonValue **value); void cxJsonDestroy(CxJson *json); ``` <warning> TODO: document </warning> ### List of Status Codes Below is a full list of status codes for `cxJsonNext()`. | Status Code | Meaning | |---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | CX_JSON_NO_ERROR | A value was successfully parsed. | | | CX_JSON_NO_DATA | The input buffer does not contain more data. | | CX_JSON_INCOMPLETE_DATA | The input ends unexpectedly. Use `cxJsonFill()` to add more data before retrying. | | CX_JSON_NULL_DATA | The input buffer was never initialized. Probably you forgot to call `cxJsonFill()` at least once. | | CX_JSON_BUFFER_ALLOC_FAILED | More internal buffer was needed, but could not be allocated. | | CX_JSON_VALUE_ALLOC_FAILED | Allocating memory for a json value failed. | | CX_JSON_FORMAT_ERROR_NUMBER | A number value is incorrectly formatted. | | CX_JSON_FORMAT_ERROR_UNEXPECTED_TOKEN | The tokenizer found something unexpected, i.e. the JSON string contains a syntax error. | ## Access Values ```C #include <cx/json.h> bool cxJsonIsObject(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsArray(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsString(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsNumber(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsInteger(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsLiteral(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsBool(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsTrue(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsFalse(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonIsNull(const CxJsonValue *value); char *cxJsonAsString(const CxJsonValue *value); cxstring cxJsonAsCxString(const CxJsonValue *value); cxmutstr cxJsonAsCxMutStr(const CxJsonValue *value); double cxJsonAsDouble(const CxJsonValue *value); int64_t cxJsonAsInteger(const CxJsonValue *value); bool cxJsonAsBool(const CxJsonValue *value); size_t cxJsonArrSize(const CxJsonValue *value); CxJsonValue *cxJsonArrGet(const CxJsonValue *value, size_t index); CxJsonValue *cxJsonObjGet(const CxJsonValue *value, AnyStr name); CxIterator cxJsonArrIter(const CxJsonValue *value); CxIterator cxJsonObjIter(const CxJsonValue *value); ``` The `cxJsonIsXYZ()` family functions check the type of the specified JSON value. The JSON specification only defines numbers, therefore `cxJsonIsNumber()` returns true for both floating point and integer numbers. On the other hand, `cxJsonIsInteger()` only returns true for integral numbers. The function `cxJsonIsBool()` returns true if `cxJsonIsLiteral()` returns true, but `cxJsonIsNull()` does not. > Since a literal can be `true`, `false`, or `null`, note carefully that `!cxJsonIsTrue(v)` > is in general _not_ equivalent to `cxJsonIsFalse(v)`. > > Additionally, UCX does implement the Javascript concept of a "falsy" value, meaning that > `cxJsonIsFalse()` _only_ returns true, if the value is a literal `false`. >{style="note"} The `cxJsonAsXYZ()` family of functions return the value with its corresponding C type. The functions `cxJsonAsInteger()` and `cxJsonAsDouble()` can be used for any number value. For example, if `cxJsonAsInteger()` is used on a non-integral number, a double-to-int conversion is performed. The function `cxJsonArraySize()` returns the number of items in an array value, which can be accessed via index with `cxJsonArrGet()` or via an iterator created with `cxJsonArrIter()`. The function `cxJsonObjGet()` returns the member in a JSON object associated with the specified `name`. > Both `cxJsonArrGet()` and `cxJsonObjGet()` are safe regarding access to non-existing values. > > When `cxJsonArrGet()` is used with an out-of-bounds index, or `cxJsonObjGet()` is used with a non-existent name, > they return a JSON value, that returns `false` for any `cxJsonIsXYZ()` function. > If you don't have full control over the JSON data, you should always check the datatype of a value first, before accessing it. >{style="note"} ## Deallocate Memory ```C #include <cx/json.h> void cxJsonValueFree(CxJsonValue *value); ``` Once a JSON value is not needed anymore, the memory can be deallocated with `cxJsonValueFree()`. Nested values are also recursively deallocated. > Make sure that you are not accidentally deallocating values that are still part of an object or array. > When deallocating the enclosing object/array, this will lead to a double-free. >{style="warning"} ## Create Objects ```C #include <cx/json.h> CxJsonValue* cxJsonCreateObj(const CxAllocator* allocator); CxJsonValue* cxJsonCreateArr(const CxAllocator* allocator); CxJsonValue* cxJsonCreateNumber( const CxAllocator* allocator, double num); CxJsonValue* cxJsonCreateInteger( const CxAllocator* allocator, int64_t num); CxJsonValue* cxJsonCreateString(const CxAllocator* allocator, const char *str); CxJsonValue* cxJsonCreateCxString( const CxAllocator* allocator, cxstring str); CxJsonValue* cxJsonCreateLiteral( const CxAllocator* allocator, CxJsonLiteral lit); int cxJsonArrAddNumbers(CxJsonValue* arr, const double* num, size_t count); int cxJsonArrAddIntegers(CxJsonValue* arr, const int64_t* num, size_t count); int cxJsonArrAddStrings(CxJsonValue* arr, const char* const* str, size_t count); int cxJsonArrAddCxStrings(CxJsonValue* arr, const cxstring* str, size_t count); int cxJsonArrAddLiterals(CxJsonValue* arr, const CxJsonLiteral* lit, size_t count); int cxJsonArrAddValues(CxJsonValue* arr, CxJsonValue* const* val, size_t count); int cxJsonObjPut(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name, CxJsonValue* child); CxJsonValue* cxJsonObjPutObj(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name); CxJsonValue* cxJsonObjPutArr(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name); CxJsonValue* cxJsonObjPutNumber(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name, double num); CxJsonValue* cxJsonObjPutInteger(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name, int64_t num); CxJsonValue* cxJsonObjPutString(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name, const char* str); CxJsonValue* cxJsonObjPutCxString(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name, cxstring str); CxJsonValue* cxJsonObjPutLiteral(CxJsonValue* obj, cxstring name, CxJsonLiteral lit); ``` <warning> TODO: document </warning> ## Writer ```C #include <cx/json.h> typedef struct cx_json_writer_s { bool pretty; bool sort_members; uint8_t frac_max_digits; bool indent_space; uint8_t indent; bool escape_slash; } CxJsonWriter; CxJsonWriter cxJsonWriterCompact(void); CxJsonWriter cxJsonWriterPretty(bool use_spaces); int cxJsonWrite(void* target, const CxJsonValue* value, cx_write_func wfunc, const CxJsonWriter* settings); ``` A JSON value can be formatted with the `cxJsonWrite()` function. The `target` can be a stream, a UCX [buffer](buffer.h.md), or anything else that can be written to with a write function. The behavior of the function is controlled via a `CxJsonWriter` struct. With the functions `cxJsonWriterCompact()` and `cxJsonWriterPretty()` you can create default settings, which you may modify to suit your needs. | Setting | Compact Default | Pretty Default | Description | |-------------------|-----------------|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | `pretty` | `false` | `true` | If true, the JSON will be formatted with line breaks and tabs or spaces. If false, output is as compact as possible without extra characters. | | `sort_members` | `true` | `true` | If false members are written in the order in which they were added. If true, they are sorted lexicographically. | | `frac_max_digits` | 6 | 6 | The maximum number of fractional digits in a number value. | | `indent_space` | ignored | depends on `use_spaces` argument | If true, use spaces for indentation, otherwise use tabs. | | `indent` | ignored | 4 | If `indent_space` is `true`, this is the number of spaces per tab. Ignored otherwise. | | `escape_slash` | `false` | `false` | If `true`, the slash character (a.k.a forward solidus: `/`) is also escaped. This is usually only needed when you want to use JSON as part of an HTML attribute. | <seealso> <category ref="apidoc"> <a href="https://ucx.sourceforge.io/api/json_8h.html">json.h</a> </category> </seealso>