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134 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
134 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# Yet another JSON class for C++
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[](https://travis-ci.org/nlohmann/json)
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## Design goals
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There are myriads of [JSON](http://json.org) libraries out there, and each may even have its reason to exist. Our class had these design goals:
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- **Trivial integration**. Our whole code consists of just two files: A header file `JSON.h` and a source file `JSON.cc`. That's it. No library, no subproject, no dependencies. The class is written in vanilla C++98 and -- if possible -- uses some features of C++11 such as move constructors. All in all, the class should require no adjustment of your compiler flags or project settings.
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- **Intiuitve syntax**. In languages such as Python, JSON feels like a first class data type. We used all the operator magic of C++ to achieve the same feeling in your code. Check out the [examples below](#examples) and you know, what I mean.
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Other aspects were not so important to us:
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- **Memory efficiency**. Each JSON object has an overhead of one pointer (the maximal size of a union) and one enumeration element (1 byte). We use the following C++ data types: `std::string` for strings, `int` or `double` for numbers, `std::map` for objects, `std::vector` for arrays, and `bool` for Booleans. We know that there are more efficient ways to store the values, but we are happy enough right now. And by the way: [Valgrind](http://valgrind.org) says our code is free of leaks.
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- **Speed**. We currently implement the parser as naive [recursive descent parser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursive_descent_parser) with hand coded string handling. It is fast enough, but a [LALR-parser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LALR_parser) with a decent regular expression processor should be even faster (but would consist of more files which makes the integration harder).
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- **Rigourous standard compliance**. We followed the [specification](http://json.org) as close as possible, but did not invest too much in a 100% compliance with respect to Unicode support. As a result, there might be edge cases of false positives and false negatives, but as long as we have a hand-written parser, we won't invest too much to be fully compliant.
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## Integration
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All you need to do is add
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```cpp
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#include "JSON.h"
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```
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to the files you want to use JSON objects. Furthermore, you need to compile the file `JSON.cc` and link it to your binaries.
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## Examples
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Here are some examples to give you an idea how to use the class:
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```cpp
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// create an empty structure
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JSON j;
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// add a number that is stored as double
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j["pi"] = 3.141;
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// add a Boolean that is stored as bool
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j["happy"] = true;
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// add a string that is stored as std::string
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j["name"] = "Niels";
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// add an object inside the object
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j["further"]["entry"] = 42;
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// add an array that is stored as std::vector (C++11)
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j["list"] = { 1, 0, 2 };
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```
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### Input / Output
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```cpp
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// create object from stream
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JSON j;
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j << "{ \"pi\": 3.141, \"happy\": true }";
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// write string representation to stream
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std::cout << j;
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```
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These operators work for any subclasses of `std::istream` or `std::ostream`.
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### STL-like access
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```cpp
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// create an array
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JSON j;
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j.push_back("foo");
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j.push_back(1);
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j.push_back(true);
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// iterate the array
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for (JSON::iterator it = j.begin(); it != j.end(); ++it) {
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std::cout << *it << '\n';
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}
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// C++11 style
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for (auto element : j) {
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std::cout << element << '\n';
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}
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// getter/setter
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std::string tmp = j[0];
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j[1] = 42;
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// other stuff
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j.size(); // 3
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j.empty(); // false
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j.type(); // JSON::array
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// create an object
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JSON o;
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o["foo"] = 23;
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o["bar"] = false;
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o["baz"] = 3.141;
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// find an entry
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if (o.find("foo") != o.end()) {
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// there is an entry with key "foo"
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}
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// iterate the object
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for (JSON::iterator it = o.begin(); it != o.end(); ++it) {
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std::cout << it.key() << ':' << it.value() << '\n';
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}
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```
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### Implicit conversions
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The type of the JSON object is determined automatically by the expression to store. Likewise, the stored value is implicitly converted
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```cpp
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/// strings
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std::string s1 = "Hello, world!";
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JSON js = s;
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std::string s2 = j;
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// Booleans
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bool b1 = true;
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JSON jb = b1;
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bool b2 = jb;
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// numbers
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int i = 42;
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JSON jn = i;
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double f = jn;
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```
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