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Revision 1.62 by root, Thu Oct 11 22:52:52 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.102 by root, Sat Apr 19 03:39:27 2008 UTC

1=head1 NAME
2
3JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast
4
1=encoding utf-8 5=encoding utf-8
2
3=head1 NAME
4
5JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast
6 6
7JSON::XS - 正しくて高速な JSON シリアライザ/デシリアライザ 7JSON::XS - 正しくて高速な JSON シリアライザ/デシリアライザ
8 (http://fleur.hio.jp/perldoc/mix/lib/JSON/XS.html) 8 (http://fleur.hio.jp/perldoc/mix/lib/JSON/XS.html)
9 9
10=head1 SYNOPSIS 10=head1 SYNOPSIS
12 use JSON::XS; 12 use JSON::XS;
13 13
14 # exported functions, they croak on error 14 # exported functions, they croak on error
15 # and expect/generate UTF-8 15 # and expect/generate UTF-8
16 16
17 $utf8_encoded_json_text = to_json $perl_hash_or_arrayref; 17 $utf8_encoded_json_text = encode_json $perl_hash_or_arrayref;
18 $perl_hash_or_arrayref = from_json $utf8_encoded_json_text; 18 $perl_hash_or_arrayref = decode_json $utf8_encoded_json_text;
19 19
20 # OO-interface 20 # OO-interface
21 21
22 $coder = JSON::XS->new->ascii->pretty->allow_nonref; 22 $coder = JSON::XS->new->ascii->pretty->allow_nonref;
23 $pretty_printed_unencoded = $coder->encode ($perl_scalar); 23 $pretty_printed_unencoded = $coder->encode ($perl_scalar);
24 $perl_scalar = $coder->decode ($unicode_json_text); 24 $perl_scalar = $coder->decode ($unicode_json_text);
25 25
26 # Note that JSON version 2.0 and above will automatically use JSON::XS
27 # if available, at virtually no speed overhead either, so you should
28 # be able to just:
29
30 use JSON;
31
32 # and do the same things, except that you have a pure-perl fallback now.
33
26=head1 DESCRIPTION 34=head1 DESCRIPTION
27 35
28This module converts Perl data structures to JSON and vice versa. Its 36This module converts Perl data structures to JSON and vice versa. Its
29primary goal is to be I<correct> and its secondary goal is to be 37primary goal is to be I<correct> and its secondary goal is to be
30I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C. 38I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C.
39
40Beginning with version 2.0 of the JSON module, when both JSON and
41JSON::XS are installed, then JSON will fall back on JSON::XS (this can be
42overriden) with no overhead due to emulation (by inheritign constructor
43and methods). If JSON::XS is not available, it will fall back to the
44compatible JSON::PP module as backend, so using JSON instead of JSON::XS
45gives you a portable JSON API that can be fast when you need and doesn't
46require a C compiler when that is a problem.
31 47
32As this is the n-th-something JSON module on CPAN, what was the reason 48As this is the n-th-something JSON module on CPAN, what was the reason
33to write yet another JSON module? While it seems there are many JSON 49to write yet another JSON module? While it seems there are many JSON
34modules, none of them correctly handle all corner cases, and in most cases 50modules, none of them correctly handle all corner cases, and in most cases
35their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug 51their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug
42 58
43=head2 FEATURES 59=head2 FEATURES
44 60
45=over 4 61=over 4
46 62
47=item * correct unicode handling 63=item * correct Unicode handling
48 64
49This module knows how to handle Unicode, and even documents how and when 65This module knows how to handle Unicode, documents how and when it does
50it does so. 66so, and even documents what "correct" means.
51 67
52=item * round-trip integrity 68=item * round-trip integrity
53 69
54When you serialise a perl data structure using only datatypes supported 70When you serialise a perl data structure using only datatypes supported
55by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level. 71by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level.
56(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks 72(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks
57like a number). 73like a number). There minor I<are> exceptions to this, read the MAPPING
74section below to learn about those.
58 75
59=item * strict checking of JSON correctness 76=item * strict checking of JSON correctness
60 77
61There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default, 78There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default,
62and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security 79and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security
63feature). 80feature).
64 81
65=item * fast 82=item * fast
66 83
67Compared to other JSON modules, this module compares favourably in terms 84Compared to other JSON modules and other serialisers such as Storable,
68of speed, too. 85this module usually compares favourably in terms of speed, too.
69 86
70=item * simple to use 87=item * simple to use
71 88
72This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an OO 89This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an objetc
73interface. 90oriented interface interface.
74 91
75=item * reasonably versatile output formats 92=item * reasonably versatile output formats
76 93
77You can choose between the most compact guarenteed single-line format 94You can choose between the most compact guaranteed-single-line format
78possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ascii format 95possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ascii format
79(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole 96(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole
80unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that 97Unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that
81stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like. 98stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like.
82 99
83=back 100=back
84 101
85=cut 102=cut
86 103
87package JSON::XS; 104package JSON::XS;
88 105
89use strict; 106use strict;
90 107
91our $VERSION = '1.5'; 108our $VERSION = '2.2';
92our @ISA = qw(Exporter); 109our @ISA = qw(Exporter);
93 110
94our @EXPORT = qw(to_json from_json); 111our @EXPORT = qw(encode_json decode_json to_json from_json);
112
113sub to_json($) {
114 require Carp;
115 Carp::croak ("JSON::XS::to_json has been renamed to encode_json, either downgrade to pre-2.0 versions of JSON::XS or rename the call");
116}
117
118sub from_json($) {
119 require Carp;
120 Carp::croak ("JSON::XS::from_json has been renamed to decode_json, either downgrade to pre-2.0 versions of JSON::XS or rename the call");
121}
95 122
96use Exporter; 123use Exporter;
97use XSLoader; 124use XSLoader;
98 125
99=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE 126=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE
100 127
101The following convinience methods are provided by this module. They are 128The following convenience methods are provided by this module. They are
102exported by default: 129exported by default:
103 130
104=over 4 131=over 4
105 132
106=item $json_text = to_json $perl_scalar 133=item $json_text = encode_json $perl_scalar
107 134
108Converts the given Perl data structure (a simple scalar or a reference to 135Converts the given Perl data structure to a UTF-8 encoded, binary string
109a hash or array) to a UTF-8 encoded, binary string (that is, the string contains 136(that is, the string contains octets only). Croaks on error.
110octets only). Croaks on error.
111 137
112This function call is functionally identical to: 138This function call is functionally identical to:
113 139
114 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar) 140 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar)
115 141
116except being faster. 142except being faster.
117 143
118=item $perl_scalar = from_json $json_text 144=item $perl_scalar = decode_json $json_text
119 145
120The opposite of C<to_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries to 146The opposite of C<encode_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries
121parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting simple 147to parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting
122scalar or reference. Croaks on error. 148reference. Croaks on error.
123 149
124This function call is functionally identical to: 150This function call is functionally identical to:
125 151
126 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text) 152 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text)
127 153
137Perl. 163Perl.
138 164
139=back 165=back
140 166
141 167
168=head1 A FEW NOTES ON UNICODE AND PERL
169
170Since this often leads to confusion, here are a few very clear words on
171how Unicode works in Perl, modulo bugs.
172
173=over 4
174
175=item 1. Perl strings can store characters with ordinal values > 255.
176
177This enables you to store Unicode characters as single characters in a
178Perl string - very natural.
179
180=item 2. Perl does I<not> associate an encoding with your strings.
181
182... until you force it to, e.g. when matching it against a regex, or
183printing the scalar to a file, in which case Perl either interprets your
184string as locale-encoded text, octets/binary, or as Unicode, depending
185on various settings. In no case is an encoding stored together with your
186data, it is I<use> that decides encoding, not any magical meta data.
187
188=item 3. The internal utf-8 flag has no meaning with regards to the
189encoding of your string.
190
191Just ignore that flag unless you debug a Perl bug, a module written in
192XS or want to dive into the internals of perl. Otherwise it will only
193confuse you, as, despite the name, it says nothing about how your string
194is encoded. You can have Unicode strings with that flag set, with that
195flag clear, and you can have binary data with that flag set and that flag
196clear. Other possibilities exist, too.
197
198If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't
199exist.
200
201=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be
202validly interpreted as a Unicode codepoint.
203
204If you have UTF-8 encoded data, it is no longer a Unicode string, but a
205Unicode string encoded in UTF-8, giving you a binary string.
206
207=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string.
208
209It's a fact. Learn to live with it.
210
211=back
212
213I hope this helps :)
214
215
142=head1 OBJECT-ORIENTED INTERFACE 216=head1 OBJECT-ORIENTED INTERFACE
143 217
144The object oriented interface lets you configure your own encoding or 218The object oriented interface lets you configure your own encoding or
145decoding style, within the limits of supported formats. 219decoding style, within the limits of supported formats.
146 220
157 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]}) 231 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]})
158 => {"a": [1, 2]} 232 => {"a": [1, 2]}
159 233
160=item $json = $json->ascii ([$enable]) 234=item $json = $json->ascii ([$enable])
161 235
236=item $enabled = $json->get_ascii
237
162If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not 238If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not
163generate characters outside the code range C<0..127> (which is ASCII). Any 239generate characters outside the code range C<0..127> (which is ASCII). Any
164unicode characters outside that range will be escaped using either a 240Unicode characters outside that range will be escaped using either a
165single \uXXXX (BMP characters) or a double \uHHHH\uLLLLL escape sequence, 241single \uXXXX (BMP characters) or a double \uHHHH\uLLLLL escape sequence,
166as per RFC4627. The resulting encoded JSON text can be treated as a native 242as per RFC4627. The resulting encoded JSON text can be treated as a native
167unicode string, an ascii-encoded, latin1-encoded or UTF-8 encoded string, 243Unicode string, an ascii-encoded, latin1-encoded or UTF-8 encoded string,
168or any other superset of ASCII. 244or any other superset of ASCII.
169 245
170If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode 246If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode
171characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. This results 247characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. This results
172in a faster and more compact format. 248in a faster and more compact format.
173 249
250See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
251document.
252
174The main use for this flag is to produce JSON texts that can be 253The main use for this flag is to produce JSON texts that can be
175transmitted over a 7-bit channel, as the encoded JSON texts will not 254transmitted over a 7-bit channel, as the encoded JSON texts will not
176contain any 8 bit characters. 255contain any 8 bit characters.
177 256
178 JSON::XS->new->ascii (1)->encode ([chr 0x10401]) 257 JSON::XS->new->ascii (1)->encode ([chr 0x10401])
179 => ["\ud801\udc01"] 258 => ["\ud801\udc01"]
180 259
181=item $json = $json->latin1 ([$enable]) 260=item $json = $json->latin1 ([$enable])
182 261
262=item $enabled = $json->get_latin1
263
183If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode 264If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode
184the resulting JSON text as latin1 (or iso-8859-1), escaping any characters 265the resulting JSON text as latin1 (or iso-8859-1), escaping any characters
185outside the code range C<0..255>. The resulting string can be treated as a 266outside the code range C<0..255>. The resulting string can be treated as a
186latin1-encoded JSON text or a native unicode string. The C<decode> method 267latin1-encoded JSON text or a native Unicode string. The C<decode> method
187will not be affected in any way by this flag, as C<decode> by default 268will not be affected in any way by this flag, as C<decode> by default
188expects unicode, which is a strict superset of latin1. 269expects Unicode, which is a strict superset of latin1.
189 270
190If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode 271If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode
191characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. 272characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags.
273
274See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
275document.
192 276
193The main use for this flag is efficiently encoding binary data as JSON 277The main use for this flag is efficiently encoding binary data as JSON
194text, as most octets will not be escaped, resulting in a smaller encoded 278text, as most octets will not be escaped, resulting in a smaller encoded
195size. The disadvantage is that the resulting JSON text is encoded 279size. The disadvantage is that the resulting JSON text is encoded
196in latin1 (and must correctly be treated as such when storing and 280in latin1 (and must correctly be treated as such when storing and
197transfering), a rare encoding for JSON. It is therefore most useful when 281transferring), a rare encoding for JSON. It is therefore most useful when
198you want to store data structures known to contain binary data efficiently 282you want to store data structures known to contain binary data efficiently
199in files or databases, not when talking to other JSON encoders/decoders. 283in files or databases, not when talking to other JSON encoders/decoders.
200 284
201 JSON::XS->new->latin1->encode (["\x{89}\x{abc}"] 285 JSON::XS->new->latin1->encode (["\x{89}\x{abc}"]
202 => ["\x{89}\\u0abc"] # (perl syntax, U+abc escaped, U+89 not) 286 => ["\x{89}\\u0abc"] # (perl syntax, U+abc escaped, U+89 not)
203 287
204=item $json = $json->utf8 ([$enable]) 288=item $json = $json->utf8 ([$enable])
289
290=item $enabled = $json->get_utf8
205 291
206If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode 292If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode
207the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the 293the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the
208C<decode> method expects to be handled an UTF-8-encoded string. Please 294C<decode> method expects to be handled an UTF-8-encoded string. Please
209note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the 295note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the
210range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future 296range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future
211versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16 297versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16
212and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627. 298and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627.
213 299
214If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will return the JSON 300If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will return the JSON
215string as a (non-encoded) unicode string, while C<decode> expects thus a 301string as a (non-encoded) Unicode string, while C<decode> expects thus a
216unicode string. Any decoding or encoding (e.g. to UTF-8 or UTF-16) needs 302Unicode string. Any decoding or encoding (e.g. to UTF-8 or UTF-16) needs
217to be done yourself, e.g. using the Encode module. 303to be done yourself, e.g. using the Encode module.
304
305See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
306document.
218 307
219Example, output UTF-16BE-encoded JSON: 308Example, output UTF-16BE-encoded JSON:
220 309
221 use Encode; 310 use Encode;
222 $jsontext = encode "UTF-16BE", JSON::XS->new->encode ($object); 311 $jsontext = encode "UTF-16BE", JSON::XS->new->encode ($object);
243 ] 332 ]
244 } 333 }
245 334
246=item $json = $json->indent ([$enable]) 335=item $json = $json->indent ([$enable])
247 336
337=item $enabled = $json->get_indent
338
248If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will use a multiline 339If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will use a multiline
249format as output, putting every array member or object/hash key-value pair 340format as output, putting every array member or object/hash key-value pair
250into its own line, identing them properly. 341into its own line, indenting them properly.
251 342
252If C<$enable> is false, no newlines or indenting will be produced, and the 343If C<$enable> is false, no newlines or indenting will be produced, and the
253resulting JSON text is guarenteed not to contain any C<newlines>. 344resulting JSON text is guaranteed not to contain any C<newlines>.
254 345
255This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 346This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
256 347
257=item $json = $json->space_before ([$enable]) 348=item $json = $json->space_before ([$enable])
349
350=item $enabled = $json->get_space_before
258 351
259If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra 352If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra
260optional space before the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects. 353optional space before the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects.
261 354
262If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not add any extra 355If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not add any extra
268Example, space_before enabled, space_after and indent disabled: 361Example, space_before enabled, space_after and indent disabled:
269 362
270 {"key" :"value"} 363 {"key" :"value"}
271 364
272=item $json = $json->space_after ([$enable]) 365=item $json = $json->space_after ([$enable])
366
367=item $enabled = $json->get_space_after
273 368
274If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra 369If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra
275optional space after the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects 370optional space after the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects
276and extra whitespace after the C<,> separating key-value pairs and array 371and extra whitespace after the C<,> separating key-value pairs and array
277members. 372members.
284Example, space_before and indent disabled, space_after enabled: 379Example, space_before and indent disabled, space_after enabled:
285 380
286 {"key": "value"} 381 {"key": "value"}
287 382
288=item $json = $json->relaxed ([$enable]) 383=item $json = $json->relaxed ([$enable])
384
385=item $enabled = $json->get_relaxed
289 386
290If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<decode> will accept some 387If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<decode> will accept some
291extensions to normal JSON syntax (see below). C<encode> will not be 388extensions to normal JSON syntax (see below). C<encode> will not be
292affected in anyway. I<Be aware that this option makes you accept invalid 389affected in anyway. I<Be aware that this option makes you accept invalid
293JSON texts as if they were valid!>. I suggest only to use this option to 390JSON texts as if they were valid!>. I suggest only to use this option to
330 427
331=back 428=back
332 429
333=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable]) 430=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable])
334 431
432=item $enabled = $json->get_canonical
433
335If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects 434If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects
336by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead. 435by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead.
337 436
338If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value 437If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value
339pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs 438pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs
340of the same script). 439of the same script).
341 440
342This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as 441This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as
343the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled, 442the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled,
344the same hash migh be encoded differently even if contains the same data, 443the same hash might be encoded differently even if contains the same data,
345as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl. 444as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl.
346 445
347This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 446This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
348 447
349=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable]) 448=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable])
449
450=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_nonref
350 451
351If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a 452If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a
352non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value, 453non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value,
353which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON 454which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON
354values instead of croaking. 455values instead of croaking.
362resulting in an invalid JSON text: 463resulting in an invalid JSON text:
363 464
364 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!") 465 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!")
365 => "Hello, World!" 466 => "Hello, World!"
366 467
468=item $json = $json->allow_unknown ([$enable])
469
470=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_unknown
471
472If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode> will I<not> throw an
473exception when it encounters values it cannot represent in JSON (for
474example, filehandles) but instead will encode a JSON C<null> value. Note
475that blessed objects are not included here and are handled separately by
476c<allow_nonref>.
477
478If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an
479exception when it encounters anything it cannot encode as JSON.
480
481This option does not affect C<decode> in any way, and it is recommended to
482leave it off unless you know your communications partner.
483
367=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable]) 484=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable])
485
486=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_blessed
368 487
369If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not 488If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not
370barf when it encounters a blessed reference. Instead, the value of the 489barf when it encounters a blessed reference. Instead, the value of the
371B<convert_blessed> option will decide wether C<null> (C<convert_blessed> 490B<convert_blessed> option will decide whether C<null> (C<convert_blessed>
372disabled or no C<to_json> method found) or a representation of the 491disabled or no C<TO_JSON> method found) or a representation of the
373object (C<convert_blessed> enabled and C<to_json> method found) is being 492object (C<convert_blessed> enabled and C<TO_JSON> method found) is being
374encoded. Has no effect on C<decode>. 493encoded. Has no effect on C<decode>.
375 494
376If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an 495If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an
377exception when it encounters a blessed object. 496exception when it encounters a blessed object.
378 497
379=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable]) 498=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable])
499
500=item $enabled = $json->get_convert_blessed
380 501
381If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a 502If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a
382blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method 503blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method
383on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context 504on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context
384and the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object. If no 505and the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object. If no
388The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON> 509The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON>
389returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same 510returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same
390way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle 511way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle
391(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other 512(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other
392methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are 513methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are
393usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with the C<to_json> 514usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with any C<to_json>
394function. 515function or method.
395 516
396This setting does not yet influence C<decode> in any way, but in the 517This setting does not yet influence C<decode> in any way, but in the
397future, global hooks might get installed that influence C<decode> and are 518future, global hooks might get installed that influence C<decode> and are
398enabled by this setting. 519enabled by this setting.
399 520
441 562
442As this callback gets called less often then the C<filter_json_object> 563As this callback gets called less often then the C<filter_json_object>
443one, decoding speed will not usually suffer as much. Therefore, single-key 564one, decoding speed will not usually suffer as much. Therefore, single-key
444objects make excellent targets to serialise Perl objects into, especially 565objects make excellent targets to serialise Perl objects into, especially
445as single-key JSON objects are as close to the type-tagged value concept 566as single-key JSON objects are as close to the type-tagged value concept
446as JSON gets (its basically an ID/VALUE tuple). Of course, JSON does not 567as JSON gets (it's basically an ID/VALUE tuple). Of course, JSON does not
447support this in any way, so you need to make sure your data never looks 568support this in any way, so you need to make sure your data never looks
448like a serialised Perl hash. 569like a serialised Perl hash.
449 570
450Typical names for the single object key are C<__class_whatever__>, or 571Typical names for the single object key are C<__class_whatever__>, or
451C<$__dollars_are_rarely_used__$> or C<}ugly_brace_placement>, or even 572C<$__dollars_are_rarely_used__$> or C<}ugly_brace_placement>, or even
475 596
476 { __widget__ => $self->{id} } 597 { __widget__ => $self->{id} }
477 } 598 }
478 599
479=item $json = $json->shrink ([$enable]) 600=item $json = $json->shrink ([$enable])
601
602=item $enabled = $json->get_shrink
480 603
481Perl usually over-allocates memory a bit when allocating space for 604Perl usually over-allocates memory a bit when allocating space for
482strings. This flag optionally resizes strings generated by either 605strings. This flag optionally resizes strings generated by either
483C<encode> or C<decode> to their minimum size possible. This can save 606C<encode> or C<decode> to their minimum size possible. This can save
484memory when your JSON texts are either very very long or you have many 607memory when your JSON texts are either very very long or you have many
502strings that look like integers or floats into integers or floats 625strings that look like integers or floats into integers or floats
503internally (there is no difference on the Perl level), saving space. 626internally (there is no difference on the Perl level), saving space.
504 627
505=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth]) 628=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth])
506 629
630=item $max_depth = $json->get_max_depth
631
507Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding 632Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding
508or decoding. If the JSON text or Perl data structure has an equal or 633or decoding. If a higher nesting level is detected in JSON text or a Perl
509higher nesting level then this limit, then the encoder and decoder will 634data structure, then the encoder and decoder will stop and croak at that
510stop and croak at that point. 635point.
511 636
512Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder 637Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder
513needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[> 638needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[>
514characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a 639characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a
515given character in a string. 640given character in a string.
516 641
517Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures 642Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures
518that the object is only a single hash/object or array. 643that the object is only a single hash/object or array.
519 644
520The argument to C<max_depth> will be rounded up to the next highest power
521of two. If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be 645If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be used, which
522used, which is rarely useful. 646is rarely useful.
647
648Note that nesting is implemented by recursion in C. The default value has
649been chosen to be as large as typical operating systems allow without
650crashing.
523 651
524See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 652See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
525 653
526=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size]) 654=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size])
655
656=item $max_size = $json->get_max_size
527 657
528Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is 658Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is
529being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode> 659being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode>
530is called on a string longer then this number of characters it will not 660is called on a string that is longer then this many bytes, it will not
531attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no 661attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no
532effect on C<encode> (yet). 662effect on C<encode> (yet).
533 663
534The argument to C<max_size> will be rounded up to the next B<highest> 664If no argument is given, the limit check will be deactivated (same as when
535power of two (so may be more than requested). If no argument is given, the 665C<0> is specified).
536limit check will be deactivated (same as when C<0> is specified).
537 666
538See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 667See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
539 668
540=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar) 669=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar)
541 670
570 => ([], 3) 699 => ([], 3)
571 700
572=back 701=back
573 702
574 703
704=head1 INCREMENTAL PARSING
705
706[This section and the API it details is still EXPERIMENTAL]
707
708In some cases, there is the need for incremental parsing of JSON
709texts. While this module always has to keep both JSON text and resulting
710Perl data structure in memory at one time, it does allow you to parse a
711JSON stream incrementally. It does so by accumulating text until it has
712a full JSON object, which it then can decode. This process is similar to
713using C<decode_prefix> to see if a full JSON object is available, but is
714much more efficient (JSON::XS will only attempt to parse the JSON text
715once it is sure it has enough text to get a decisive result, using a very
716simple but truly incremental parser).
717
718The following two methods deal with this.
719
720=over 4
721
722=item [void, scalar or list context] = $json->incr_parse ([$string])
723
724This is the central parsing function. It can both append new text and
725extract objects from the stream accumulated so far (both of these
726functions are optional).
727
728If C<$string> is given, then this string is appended to the already
729existing JSON fragment stored in the C<$json> object.
730
731After that, if the function is called in void context, it will simply
732return without doing anything further. This can be used to add more text
733in as many chunks as you want.
734
735If the method is called in scalar context, then it will try to extract
736exactly I<one> JSON object. If that is successful, it will return this
737object, otherwise it will return C<undef>. If there is a parse error,
738this method will croak just as C<decode> would do (one can then use
739C<incr_skip> to skip the errornous part). This is the most common way of
740using the method.
741
742And finally, in list context, it will try to extract as many objects
743from the stream as it can find and return them, or the empty list
744otherwise. For this to work, there must be no separators between the JSON
745objects or arrays, instead they must be concatenated back-to-back. If
746an error occurs, an exception will be raised as in the scalar context
747case. Note that in this case, any previously-parsed JSON texts will be
748lost.
749
750=item $lvalue_string = $json->incr_text
751
752This method returns the currently stored JSON fragment as an lvalue, that
753is, you can manipulate it. This I<only> works when a preceding call to
754C<incr_parse> in I<scalar context> successfully returned an object. Under
755all other circumstances you must not call this function (I mean it.
756although in simple tests it might actually work, it I<will> fail under
757real world conditions). As a special exception, you can also call this
758method before having parsed anything.
759
760This function is useful in two cases: a) finding the trailing text after a
761JSON object or b) parsing multiple JSON objects separated by non-JSON text
762(such as commas).
763
764=item $json->incr_skip
765
766This will reset the state of the incremental parser and will remove the
767parsed text from the input buffer. This is useful after C<incr_parse>
768died, in which case the input buffer and incremental parser state is left
769unchanged, to skip the text parsed so far and to reset the parse state.
770
771=back
772
773=head2 LIMITATIONS
774
775All options that affect decoding are supported, except
776C<allow_nonref>. The reason for this is that it cannot be made to
777work sensibly: JSON objects and arrays are self-delimited, i.e. you can concatenate
778them back to back and still decode them perfectly. This does not hold true
779for JSON numbers, however.
780
781For example, is the string C<1> a single JSON number, or is it simply the
782start of C<12>? Or is C<12> a single JSON number, or the concatenation
783of C<1> and C<2>? In neither case you can tell, and this is why JSON::XS
784takes the conservative route and disallows this case.
785
786=head2 EXAMPLES
787
788Some examples will make all this clearer. First, a simple example that
789works similarly to C<decode_prefix>: We want to decode the JSON object at
790the start of a string and identify the portion after the JSON object:
791
792 my $text = "[1,2,3] hello";
793
794 my $json = new JSON::XS;
795
796 my $obj = $json->incr_parse ($text)
797 or die "expected JSON object or array at beginning of string";
798
799 my $tail = $json->incr_text;
800 # $tail now contains " hello"
801
802Easy, isn't it?
803
804Now for a more complicated example: Imagine a hypothetical protocol where
805you read some requests from a TCP stream, and each request is a JSON
806array, without any separation between them (in fact, it is often useful to
807use newlines as "separators", as these get interpreted as whitespace at
808the start of the JSON text, which makes it possible to test said protocol
809with C<telnet>...).
810
811Here is how you'd do it (it is trivial to write this in an event-based
812manner):
813
814 my $json = new JSON::XS;
815
816 # read some data from the socket
817 while (sysread $socket, my $buf, 4096) {
818
819 # split and decode as many requests as possible
820 for my $request ($json->incr_parse ($buf)) {
821 # act on the $request
822 }
823 }
824
825Another complicated example: Assume you have a string with JSON objects
826or arrays, all separated by (optional) comma characters (e.g. C<[1],[2],
827[3]>). To parse them, we have to skip the commas between the JSON texts,
828and here is where the lvalue-ness of C<incr_text> comes in useful:
829
830 my $text = "[1],[2], [3]";
831 my $json = new JSON::XS;
832
833 # void context, so no parsing done
834 $json->incr_parse ($text);
835
836 # now extract as many objects as possible. note the
837 # use of scalar context so incr_text can be called.
838 while (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
839 # do something with $obj
840
841 # now skip the optional comma
842 $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* , //x;
843 }
844
845Now lets go for a very complex example: Assume that you have a gigantic
846JSON array-of-objects, many gigabytes in size, and you want to parse it,
847but you cannot load it into memory fully (this has actually happened in
848the real world :).
849
850Well, you lost, you have to implement your own JSON parser. But JSON::XS
851can still help you: You implement a (very simple) array parser and let
852JSON decode the array elements, which are all full JSON objects on their
853own (this wouldn't work if the array elements could be JSON numbers, for
854example):
855
856 my $json = new JSON::XS;
857
858 # open the monster
859 open my $fh, "<bigfile.json"
860 or die "bigfile: $!";
861
862 # first parse the initial "["
863 for (;;) {
864 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
865 or die "read error: $!";
866 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
867
868 # Exit the loop once we found and removed(!) the initial "[".
869 # In essence, we are (ab-)using the $json object as a simple scalar
870 # we append data to.
871 last if $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* \[ //x;
872 }
873
874 # now we have the skipped the initial "[", so continue
875 # parsing all the elements.
876 for (;;) {
877 # in this loop we read data until we got a single JSON object
878 for (;;) {
879 if (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
880 # do something with $obj
881 last;
882 }
883
884 # add more data
885 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
886 or die "read error: $!";
887 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
888 }
889
890 # in this loop we read data until we either found and parsed the
891 # separating "," between elements, or the final "]"
892 for (;;) {
893 # first skip whitespace
894 $json->incr_text =~ s/^\s*//;
895
896 # if we find "]", we are done
897 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^\]//) {
898 print "finished.\n";
899 exit;
900 }
901
902 # if we find ",", we can continue with the next element
903 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^,//) {
904 last;
905 }
906
907 # if we find anything else, we have a parse error!
908 if (length $json->incr_text) {
909 die "parse error near ", $json->incr_text;
910 }
911
912 # else add more data
913 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
914 or die "read error: $!";
915 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
916 }
917
918This is a complex example, but most of the complexity comes from the fact
919that we are trying to be correct (bear with me if I am wrong, I never ran
920the above example :).
921
922
923
575=head1 MAPPING 924=head1 MAPPING
576 925
577This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and 926This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and
578vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most 927vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most
579circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics 928circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics
580(what you put in comes out as something equivalent). 929(what you put in comes out as something equivalent).
581 930
582For the more enlightened: note that in the following descriptions, 931For the more enlightened: note that in the following descriptions,
583lowercase I<perl> refers to the Perl interpreter, while uppcercase I<Perl> 932lowercase I<perl> refers to the Perl interpreter, while uppercase I<Perl>
584refers to the abstract Perl language itself. 933refers to the abstract Perl language itself.
585 934
586 935
587=head2 JSON -> PERL 936=head2 JSON -> PERL
588 937
589=over 4 938=over 4
590 939
591=item object 940=item object
592 941
593A JSON object becomes a reference to a hash in Perl. No ordering of object 942A JSON object becomes a reference to a hash in Perl. No ordering of object
594keys is preserved (JSON does not preserver object key ordering itself). 943keys is preserved (JSON does not preserve object key ordering itself).
595 944
596=item array 945=item array
597 946
598A JSON array becomes a reference to an array in Perl. 947A JSON array becomes a reference to an array in Perl.
599 948
607 956
608A JSON number becomes either an integer, numeric (floating point) or 957A JSON number becomes either an integer, numeric (floating point) or
609string scalar in perl, depending on its range and any fractional parts. On 958string scalar in perl, depending on its range and any fractional parts. On
610the Perl level, there is no difference between those as Perl handles all 959the Perl level, there is no difference between those as Perl handles all
611the conversion details, but an integer may take slightly less memory and 960the conversion details, but an integer may take slightly less memory and
612might represent more values exactly than (floating point) numbers. 961might represent more values exactly than floating point numbers.
613 962
614If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent 963If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent
615it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as 964it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as
616a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of 965a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of
617precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value. 966precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value (in
967which case you lose roundtripping ability, as the JSON number will be
968re-encoded toa JSON string).
618 969
619Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be 970Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be
620represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of 971represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of
621precision. 972precision (in which case you might lose perfect roundtripping ability, but
622 973the JSON number will still be re-encoded as a JSON number).
623This might create round-tripping problems as numbers might become strings,
624but as Perl is typeless there is no other way to do it.
625 974
626=item true, false 975=item true, false
627 976
628These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>, 977These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>,
629respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers 978respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers
630C<1> and C<0>. You can check wether a scalar is a JSON boolean by using 979C<1> and C<0>. You can check whether a scalar is a JSON boolean by using
631the C<JSON::XS::is_bool> function. 980the C<JSON::XS::is_bool> function.
632 981
633=item null 982=item null
634 983
635A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl. 984A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl.
666Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an 1015Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an
667exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and 1016exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and
668C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can 1017C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can
669also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability. 1018also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability.
670 1019
671 to_json [\0,JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true] 1020 encode_json [\0,JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true]
672 1021
673=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false 1022=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false
674 1023
675These special values become JSON true and JSON false values, 1024These special values become JSON true and JSON false values,
676respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want. 1025respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want.
677 1026
678=item blessed objects 1027=item blessed objects
679 1028
680Blessed objects are not allowed. JSON::XS currently tries to encode their 1029Blessed objects are not directly representable in JSON. See the
681underlying representation (hash- or arrayref), but this behaviour might 1030C<allow_blessed> and C<convert_blessed> methods on various options on
682change in future versions. 1031how to deal with this: basically, you can choose between throwing an
1032exception, encoding the reference as if it weren't blessed, or provide
1033your own serialiser method.
683 1034
684=item simple scalars 1035=item simple scalars
685 1036
686Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most 1037Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most
687difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as 1038difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as
688JSON null value, scalars that have last been used in a string context 1039JSON C<null> values, scalars that have last been used in a string context
689before encoding as JSON strings and anything else as number value: 1040before encoding as JSON strings, and anything else as number value:
690 1041
691 # dump as number 1042 # dump as number
692 to_json [2] # yields [2] 1043 encode_json [2] # yields [2]
693 to_json [-3.0e17] # yields [-3e+17] 1044 encode_json [-3.0e17] # yields [-3e+17]
694 my $value = 5; to_json [$value] # yields [5] 1045 my $value = 5; encode_json [$value] # yields [5]
695 1046
696 # used as string, so dump as string 1047 # used as string, so dump as string
697 print $value; 1048 print $value;
698 to_json [$value] # yields ["5"] 1049 encode_json [$value] # yields ["5"]
699 1050
700 # undef becomes null 1051 # undef becomes null
701 to_json [undef] # yields [null] 1052 encode_json [undef] # yields [null]
702 1053
703You can force the type to be a string by stringifying it: 1054You can force the type to be a JSON string by stringifying it:
704 1055
705 my $x = 3.1; # some variable containing a number 1056 my $x = 3.1; # some variable containing a number
706 "$x"; # stringified 1057 "$x"; # stringified
707 $x .= ""; # another, more awkward way to stringify 1058 $x .= ""; # another, more awkward way to stringify
708 print $x; # perl does it for you, too, quite often 1059 print $x; # perl does it for you, too, quite often
709 1060
710You can force the type to be a number by numifying it: 1061You can force the type to be a JSON number by numifying it:
711 1062
712 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string 1063 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string
713 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number 1064 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number
714 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choise is yours. 1065 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours.
715 1066
716You can not currently output JSON booleans or force the type in other, 1067You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. Tell me
717less obscure, ways. Tell me if you need this capability. 1068if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why it's needed
1069:).
718 1070
719=back 1071=back
720 1072
721 1073
722=head1 COMPARISON 1074=head1 ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES
723 1075
724As already mentioned, this module was created because none of the existing 1076The interested reader might have seen a number of flags that signify
725JSON modules could be made to work correctly. First I will describe the 1077encodings or codesets - C<utf8>, C<latin1> and C<ascii>. There seems to be
726problems (or pleasures) I encountered with various existing JSON modules, 1078some confusion on what these do, so here is a short comparison:
727followed by some benchmark values. JSON::XS was designed not to suffer 1079
728from any of these problems or limitations. 1080C<utf8> controls whether the JSON text created by C<encode> (and expected
1081by C<decode>) is UTF-8 encoded or not, while C<latin1> and C<ascii> only
1082control whether C<encode> escapes character values outside their respective
1083codeset range. Neither of these flags conflict with each other, although
1084some combinations make less sense than others.
1085
1086Care has been taken to make all flags symmetrical with respect to
1087C<encode> and C<decode>, that is, texts encoded with any combination of
1088these flag values will be correctly decoded when the same flags are used
1089- in general, if you use different flag settings while encoding vs. when
1090decoding you likely have a bug somewhere.
1091
1092Below comes a verbose discussion of these flags. Note that a "codeset" is
1093simply an abstract set of character-codepoint pairs, while an encoding
1094takes those codepoint numbers and I<encodes> them, in our case into
1095octets. Unicode is (among other things) a codeset, UTF-8 is an encoding,
1096and ISO-8859-1 (= latin 1) and ASCII are both codesets I<and> encodings at
1097the same time, which can be confusing.
729 1098
730=over 4 1099=over 4
731 1100
732=item JSON 1.07 1101=item C<utf8> flag disabled
733 1102
734Slow (but very portable, as it is written in pure Perl). 1103When C<utf8> is disabled (the default), then C<encode>/C<decode> generate
1104and expect Unicode strings, that is, characters with high ordinal Unicode
1105values (> 255) will be encoded as such characters, and likewise such
1106characters are decoded as-is, no canges to them will be done, except
1107"(re-)interpreting" them as Unicode codepoints or Unicode characters,
1108respectively (to Perl, these are the same thing in strings unless you do
1109funny/weird/dumb stuff).
735 1110
736Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling (how JSON handles unicode values is 1111This is useful when you want to do the encoding yourself (e.g. when you
737undocumented. One can get far by feeding it unicode strings and doing 1112want to have UTF-16 encoded JSON texts) or when some other layer does
738en-/decoding oneself, but unicode escapes are not working properly). 1113the encoding for you (for example, when printing to a terminal using a
1114filehandle that transparently encodes to UTF-8 you certainly do NOT want
1115to UTF-8 encode your data first and have Perl encode it another time).
739 1116
740No roundtripping (strings get clobbered if they look like numbers, e.g. 1117=item C<utf8> flag enabled
741the string C<2.0> will encode to C<2.0> instead of C<"2.0">, and that will
742decode into the number 2.
743 1118
744=item JSON::PC 0.01 1119If the C<utf8>-flag is enabled, C<encode>/C<decode> will encode all
1120characters using the corresponding UTF-8 multi-byte sequence, and will
1121expect your input strings to be encoded as UTF-8, that is, no "character"
1122of the input string must have any value > 255, as UTF-8 does not allow
1123that.
745 1124
746Very fast. 1125The C<utf8> flag therefore switches between two modes: disabled means you
1126will get a Unicode string in Perl, enabled means you get an UTF-8 encoded
1127octet/binary string in Perl.
747 1128
748Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling. 1129=item C<latin1> or C<ascii> flags enabled
749 1130
750No roundtripping. 1131With C<latin1> (or C<ascii>) enabled, C<encode> will escape characters
1132with ordinal values > 255 (> 127 with C<ascii>) and encode the remaining
1133characters as specified by the C<utf8> flag.
751 1134
752Has problems handling many Perl values (e.g. regex results and other magic 1135If C<utf8> is disabled, then the result is also correctly encoded in those
753values will make it croak). 1136character sets (as both are proper subsets of Unicode, meaning that a
1137Unicode string with all character values < 256 is the same thing as a
1138ISO-8859-1 string, and a Unicode string with all character values < 128 is
1139the same thing as an ASCII string in Perl).
754 1140
755Does not even generate valid JSON (C<{1,2}> gets converted to C<{1:2}> 1141If C<utf8> is enabled, you still get a correct UTF-8-encoded string,
756which is not a valid JSON text. 1142regardless of these flags, just some more characters will be escaped using
1143C<\uXXXX> then before.
757 1144
758Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not 1145Note that ISO-8859-1-I<encoded> strings are not compatible with UTF-8
759getting fixed). 1146encoding, while ASCII-encoded strings are. That is because the ISO-8859-1
1147encoding is NOT a subset of UTF-8 (despite the ISO-8859-1 I<codeset> being
1148a subset of Unicode), while ASCII is.
760 1149
761=item JSON::Syck 0.21 1150Surprisingly, C<decode> will ignore these flags and so treat all input
1151values as governed by the C<utf8> flag. If it is disabled, this allows you
1152to decode ISO-8859-1- and ASCII-encoded strings, as both strict subsets of
1153Unicode. If it is enabled, you can correctly decode UTF-8 encoded strings.
762 1154
763Very buggy (often crashes). 1155So neither C<latin1> nor C<ascii> are incompatible with the C<utf8> flag -
1156they only govern when the JSON output engine escapes a character or not.
764 1157
765Very inflexible (no human-readable format supported, format pretty much 1158The main use for C<latin1> is to relatively efficiently store binary data
766undocumented. I need at least a format for easy reading by humans and a 1159as JSON, at the expense of breaking compatibility with most JSON decoders.
767single-line compact format for use in a protocol, and preferably a way to
768generate ASCII-only JSON texts).
769 1160
770Completely broken (and confusingly documented) Unicode handling (unicode 1161The main use for C<ascii> is to force the output to not contain characters
771escapes are not working properly, you need to set ImplicitUnicode to 1162with values > 127, which means you can interpret the resulting string
772I<different> values on en- and decoding to get symmetric behaviour). 1163as UTF-8, ISO-8859-1, ASCII, KOI8-R or most about any character set and
773 11648-bit-encoding, and still get the same data structure back. This is useful
774No roundtripping (simple cases work, but this depends on wether the scalar 1165when your channel for JSON transfer is not 8-bit clean or the encoding
775value was used in a numeric context or not). 1166might be mangled in between (e.g. in mail), and works because ASCII is a
776 1167proper subset of most 8-bit and multibyte encodings in use in the world.
777Dumping hashes may skip hash values depending on iterator state.
778
779Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not
780getting fixed).
781
782Does not check input for validity (i.e. will accept non-JSON input and
783return "something" instead of raising an exception. This is a security
784issue: imagine two banks transfering money between each other using
785JSON. One bank might parse a given non-JSON request and deduct money,
786while the other might reject the transaction with a syntax error. While a
787good protocol will at least recover, that is extra unnecessary work and
788the transaction will still not succeed).
789
790=item JSON::DWIW 0.04
791
792Very fast. Very natural. Very nice.
793
794Undocumented unicode handling (but the best of the pack. Unicode escapes
795still don't get parsed properly).
796
797Very inflexible.
798
799No roundtripping.
800
801Does not generate valid JSON texts (key strings are often unquoted, empty keys
802result in nothing being output)
803
804Does not check input for validity.
805 1168
806=back 1169=back
807 1170
808 1171
809=head2 JSON and YAML 1172=head2 JSON and YAML
810 1173
811You often hear that JSON is a subset (or a close subset) of YAML. This is, 1174You often hear that JSON is a subset of YAML. This is, however, a mass
812however, a mass hysteria and very far from the truth. In general, there is 1175hysteria(*) and very far from the truth (as of the time of this writing),
813no way to configure JSON::XS to output a data structure as valid YAML. 1176so let me state it clearly: I<in general, there is no way to configure
1177JSON::XS to output a data structure as valid YAML> that works in all
1178cases.
814 1179
815If you really must use JSON::XS to generate YAML, you should use this 1180If you really must use JSON::XS to generate YAML, you should use this
816algorithm (subject to change in future versions): 1181algorithm (subject to change in future versions):
817 1182
818 my $to_yaml = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after (1); 1183 my $to_yaml = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after (1);
819 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n"; 1184 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n";
820 1185
821This will usually generate JSON texts that also parse as valid 1186This will I<usually> generate JSON texts that also parse as valid
822YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key 1187YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key
823lengths that JSON doesn't have, so you should make sure that your hash 1188lengths that JSON doesn't have and also has different and incompatible
1189unicode handling, so you should make sure that your hash keys are
824keys are noticably shorter than the 1024 characters YAML allows. 1190noticeably shorter than the 1024 "stream characters" YAML allows and that
1191you do not have characters with codepoint values outside the Unicode BMP
1192(basic multilingual page). YAML also does not allow C<\/> sequences in
1193strings (which JSON::XS does not I<currently> generate, but other JSON
1194generators might).
825 1195
826There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of. In general 1196There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of (or the YAML
1197specification has been changed yet again - it does so quite often). In
827you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice versa, 1198general you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice
828or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are high 1199versa, or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are
829that you will run into severe interoperability problems. 1200high that you will run into severe interoperability problems when you
1201least expect it.
1202
1203=over 4
1204
1205=item (*)
1206
1207I have been pressured multiple times by Brian Ingerson (one of the
1208authors of the YAML specification) to remove this paragraph, despite him
1209acknowledging that the actual incompatibilities exist. As I was personally
1210bitten by this "JSON is YAML" lie, I refused and said I will continue to
1211educate people about these issues, so others do not run into the same
1212problem again and again. After this, Brian called me a (quote)I<complete
1213and worthless idiot>(unquote).
1214
1215In my opinion, instead of pressuring and insulting people who actually
1216clarify issues with YAML and the wrong statements of some of its
1217proponents, I would kindly suggest reading the JSON spec (which is not
1218that difficult or long) and finally make YAML compatible to it, and
1219educating users about the changes, instead of spreading lies about the
1220real compatibility for many I<years> and trying to silence people who
1221point out that it isn't true.
1222
1223=back
830 1224
831 1225
832=head2 SPEED 1226=head2 SPEED
833 1227
834It seems that JSON::XS is surprisingly fast, as shown in the following 1228It seems that JSON::XS is surprisingly fast, as shown in the following
835tables. They have been generated with the help of the C<eg/bench> program 1229tables. They have been generated with the help of the C<eg/bench> program
836in the JSON::XS distribution, to make it easy to compare on your own 1230in the JSON::XS distribution, to make it easy to compare on your own
837system. 1231system.
838 1232
839First comes a comparison between various modules using a very short 1233First comes a comparison between various modules using
840single-line JSON string: 1234a very short single-line JSON string (also available at
1235L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/short.json>).
841 1236
842 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1", "we were just talking"], \ 1237 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1",
843 "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7, true, false]} 1238 "we were just talking"], "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7,
1239 true, false]}
844 1240
845It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses 1241It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses
846the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface 1242the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface
847with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables 1243with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables
848shrink). Higher is better: 1244shrink). Higher is better:
849 1245
850 Storable | 15779.925 | 14169.946 |
851 -----------+------------+------------+
852 module | encode | decode | 1246 module | encode | decode |
853 -----------|------------|------------| 1247 -----------|------------|------------|
854 JSON | 4990.842 | 4088.813 | 1248 JSON 1.x | 4990.842 | 4088.813 |
855 JSON::DWIW | 51653.990 | 71575.154 | 1249 JSON::DWIW | 51653.990 | 71575.154 |
856 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 74631.744 | 1250 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 74631.744 |
857 JSON::PP | 8931.652 | 3817.168 | 1251 JSON::PP | 8931.652 | 3817.168 |
858 JSON::Syck | 24877.248 | 27776.848 | 1252 JSON::Syck | 24877.248 | 27776.848 |
859 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 227951.304 | 1253 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 227951.304 |
861 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 218453.333 | 1255 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 218453.333 |
862 Storable | 16500.016 | 135300.129 | 1256 Storable | 16500.016 | 135300.129 |
863 -----------+------------+------------+ 1257 -----------+------------+------------+
864 1258
865That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding, 1259That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding,
866about three times faster on decoding, and over fourty times faster 1260about three times faster on decoding, and over forty times faster
867than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares 1261than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares
868favourably to Storable for small amounts of data. 1262favourably to Storable for small amounts of data.
869 1263
870Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals 1264Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals
871search API (http://nanoref.com/yahooapis/mgPdGg): 1265search API (L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/long.json>).
872 1266
873 module | encode | decode | 1267 module | encode | decode |
874 -----------|------------|------------| 1268 -----------|------------|------------|
875 JSON | 55.260 | 34.971 | 1269 JSON 1.x | 55.260 | 34.971 |
876 JSON::DWIW | 825.228 | 1082.513 | 1270 JSON::DWIW | 825.228 | 1082.513 |
877 JSON::PC | 3571.444 | 2394.829 | 1271 JSON::PC | 3571.444 | 2394.829 |
878 JSON::PP | 210.987 | 32.574 | 1272 JSON::PP | 210.987 | 32.574 |
879 JSON::Syck | 552.551 | 787.544 | 1273 JSON::Syck | 552.551 | 787.544 |
880 JSON::XS | 5780.463 | 4854.519 | 1274 JSON::XS | 5780.463 | 4854.519 |
884 -----------+------------+------------+ 1278 -----------+------------+------------+
885 1279
886Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly 1280Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly
887decodes faster). 1281decodes faster).
888 1282
889On large strings containing lots of high unicode characters, some modules 1283On large strings containing lots of high Unicode characters, some modules
890(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result 1284(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result
891will be broken due to missing (or wrong) unicode handling. Others refuse 1285will be broken due to missing (or wrong) Unicode handling. Others refuse
892to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair 1286to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair
893comparison table for that case. 1287comparison table for that case.
894 1288
895 1289
896=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 1290=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
902any buffer overflows. Obviously, this module should ensure that and I am 1296any buffer overflows. Obviously, this module should ensure that and I am
903trying hard on making that true, but you never know. 1297trying hard on making that true, but you never know.
904 1298
905Second, you need to avoid resource-starving attacks. That means you should 1299Second, you need to avoid resource-starving attacks. That means you should
906limit the size of JSON texts you accept, or make sure then when your 1300limit the size of JSON texts you accept, or make sure then when your
907resources run out, thats just fine (e.g. by using a separate process that 1301resources run out, that's just fine (e.g. by using a separate process that
908can crash safely). The size of a JSON text in octets or characters is 1302can crash safely). The size of a JSON text in octets or characters is
909usually a good indication of the size of the resources required to decode 1303usually a good indication of the size of the resources required to decode
910it into a Perl structure. While JSON::XS can check the size of the JSON 1304it into a Perl structure. While JSON::XS can check the size of the JSON
911text, it might be too late when you already have it in memory, so you 1305text, it might be too late when you already have it in memory, so you
912might want to check the size before you accept the string. 1306might want to check the size before you accept the string.
913 1307
914Third, JSON::XS recurses using the C stack when decoding objects and 1308Third, JSON::XS recurses using the C stack when decoding objects and
915arrays. The C stack is a limited resource: for instance, on my amd64 1309arrays. The C stack is a limited resource: for instance, on my amd64
916machine with 8MB of stack size I can decode around 180k nested arrays but 1310machine with 8MB of stack size I can decode around 180k nested arrays but
917only 14k nested JSON objects (due to perl itself recursing deeply on croak 1311only 14k nested JSON objects (due to perl itself recursing deeply on croak
918to free the temporary). If that is exceeded, the program crashes. to be 1312to free the temporary). If that is exceeded, the program crashes. To be
919conservative, the default nesting limit is set to 512. If your process 1313conservative, the default nesting limit is set to 512. If your process
920has a smaller stack, you should adjust this setting accordingly with the 1314has a smaller stack, you should adjust this setting accordingly with the
921C<max_depth> method. 1315C<max_depth> method.
922 1316
923And last but least, something else could bomb you that I forgot to think 1317Something else could bomb you, too, that I forgot to think of. In that
924of. In that case, you get to keep the pieces. I am always open for hints, 1318case, you get to keep the pieces. I am always open for hints, though...
925though... 1319
1320Also keep in mind that JSON::XS might leak contents of your Perl data
1321structures in its error messages, so when you serialise sensitive
1322information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by JSON::XS
1323will not end up in front of untrusted eyes.
926 1324
927If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption 1325If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption
928by javascript scripts in a browser you should have a look at 1326by JavaScript scripts in a browser you should have a look at
929L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see wether 1327L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see whether
930you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser 1328you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser
931design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major 1329design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major
932browser developers care only for features, not about doing security 1330browser developers care only for features, not about getting security
933right). 1331right).
934 1332
935 1333
1334=head1 THREADS
1335
1336This module is I<not> guaranteed to be thread safe and there are no
1337plans to change this until Perl gets thread support (as opposed to the
1338horribly slow so-called "threads" which are simply slow and bloated
1339process simulations - use fork, it's I<much> faster, cheaper, better).
1340
1341(It might actually work, but you have been warned).
1342
1343
936=head1 BUGS 1344=head1 BUGS
937 1345
938While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does 1346While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does
939not mean its bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. It is 1347not mean it's bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. It is
940still relatively early in its development. If you keep reporting bugs they 1348still relatively early in its development. If you keep reporting bugs they
941will be fixed swiftly, though. 1349will be fixed swiftly, though.
1350
1351Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting
1352service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason.
942 1353
943=cut 1354=cut
944 1355
945our $true = do { bless \(my $dummy = 1), "JSON::XS::Boolean" }; 1356our $true = do { bless \(my $dummy = 1), "JSON::XS::Boolean" };
946our $false = do { bless \(my $dummy = 0), "JSON::XS::Boolean" }; 1357our $false = do { bless \(my $dummy = 0), "JSON::XS::Boolean" };
963 "--" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} - 1 }, 1374 "--" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} - 1 },
964 fallback => 1; 1375 fallback => 1;
965 1376
9661; 13771;
967 1378
1379=head1 SEE ALSO
1380
1381The F<json_xs> command line utility for quick experiments.
1382
968=head1 AUTHOR 1383=head1 AUTHOR
969 1384
970 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1385 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
971 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1386 http://home.schmorp.de/
972 1387

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