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Revision 1.67 by root, Mon Oct 15 01:22:34 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.117 by root, Wed Feb 18 00:08:28 2009 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast 3JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast
4
5=encoding utf-8
4 6
5JSON::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
6 (http://fleur.hio.jp/perldoc/mix/lib/JSON/XS.html) 8 (http://fleur.hio.jp/perldoc/mix/lib/JSON/XS.html)
7 9
8=head1 SYNOPSIS 10=head1 SYNOPSIS
10 use JSON::XS; 12 use JSON::XS;
11 13
12 # exported functions, they croak on error 14 # exported functions, they croak on error
13 # and expect/generate UTF-8 15 # and expect/generate UTF-8
14 16
15 $utf8_encoded_json_text = to_json $perl_hash_or_arrayref; 17 $utf8_encoded_json_text = encode_json $perl_hash_or_arrayref;
16 $perl_hash_or_arrayref = from_json $utf8_encoded_json_text; 18 $perl_hash_or_arrayref = decode_json $utf8_encoded_json_text;
17 19
18 # OO-interface 20 # OO-interface
19 21
20 $coder = JSON::XS->new->ascii->pretty->allow_nonref; 22 $coder = JSON::XS->new->ascii->pretty->allow_nonref;
21 $pretty_printed_unencoded = $coder->encode ($perl_scalar); 23 $pretty_printed_unencoded = $coder->encode ($perl_scalar);
22 $perl_scalar = $coder->decode ($unicode_json_text); 24 $perl_scalar = $coder->decode ($unicode_json_text);
23 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
24=head1 DESCRIPTION 34=head1 DESCRIPTION
25 35
26This module converts Perl data structures to JSON and vice versa. Its 36This module converts Perl data structures to JSON and vice versa. Its
27primary 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
28I<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
42overridden) with no overhead due to emulation (by inheriting 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.
29 47
30As 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
31to 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
32modules, 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
33their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug 51their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug
34reports for other reasons. 52reports for other reasons.
35 53
36See COMPARISON, below, for a comparison to some other JSON modules.
37
38See MAPPING, below, on how JSON::XS maps perl values to JSON values and 54See MAPPING, below, on how JSON::XS maps perl values to JSON values and
39vice versa. 55vice versa.
40 56
41=head2 FEATURES 57=head2 FEATURES
42 58
43=over 4 59=over 4
44 60
45=item * correct unicode handling 61=item * correct Unicode handling
46 62
47This module knows how to handle Unicode, and even documents how and when 63This module knows how to handle Unicode, documents how and when it does
48it does so. 64so, and even documents what "correct" means.
49 65
50=item * round-trip integrity 66=item * round-trip integrity
51 67
52When you serialise a perl data structure using only datatypes supported 68When you serialise a perl data structure using only data types supported
53by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level. 69by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level.
54(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks 70(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks
55like a number). 71like a number). There minor I<are> exceptions to this, read the MAPPING
72section below to learn about those.
56 73
57=item * strict checking of JSON correctness 74=item * strict checking of JSON correctness
58 75
59There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default, 76There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default,
60and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security 77and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security
61feature). 78feature).
62 79
63=item * fast 80=item * fast
64 81
65Compared to other JSON modules, this module compares favourably in terms 82Compared to other JSON modules and other serialisers such as Storable,
66of speed, too. 83this module usually compares favourably in terms of speed, too.
67 84
68=item * simple to use 85=item * simple to use
69 86
70This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an OO 87This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an object
71interface. 88oriented interface interface.
72 89
73=item * reasonably versatile output formats 90=item * reasonably versatile output formats
74 91
75You can choose between the most compact guarenteed single-line format 92You can choose between the most compact guaranteed-single-line format
76possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ascii format 93possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ASCII format
77(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole 94(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole
78unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that 95Unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that
79stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like. 96stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like.
80 97
81=back 98=back
82 99
83=cut 100=cut
84 101
85package JSON::XS; 102package JSON::XS;
86 103
104no warnings;
87use strict; 105use strict;
88 106
89our $VERSION = '1.52'; 107our $VERSION = '2.232';
90our @ISA = qw(Exporter); 108our @ISA = qw(Exporter);
91 109
92our @EXPORT = qw(to_json from_json); 110our @EXPORT = qw(encode_json decode_json to_json from_json);
111
112sub to_json($) {
113 require Carp;
114 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");
115}
116
117sub from_json($) {
118 require Carp;
119 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");
120}
93 121
94use Exporter; 122use Exporter;
95use XSLoader; 123use XSLoader;
96 124
97=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE 125=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE
98 126
99The following convinience methods are provided by this module. They are 127The following convenience methods are provided by this module. They are
100exported by default: 128exported by default:
101 129
102=over 4 130=over 4
103 131
104=item $json_text = to_json $perl_scalar 132=item $json_text = encode_json $perl_scalar
105 133
106Converts the given Perl data structure to a UTF-8 encoded, binary string 134Converts the given Perl data structure to a UTF-8 encoded, binary string
107(that is, the string contains octets only). Croaks on error. 135(that is, the string contains octets only). Croaks on error.
108 136
109This function call is functionally identical to: 137This function call is functionally identical to:
110 138
111 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar) 139 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar)
112 140
113except being faster. 141Except being faster.
114 142
115=item $perl_scalar = from_json $json_text 143=item $perl_scalar = decode_json $json_text
116 144
117The opposite of C<to_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries 145The opposite of C<encode_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries
118to parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting 146to parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting
119reference. Croaks on error. 147reference. Croaks on error.
120 148
121This function call is functionally identical to: 149This function call is functionally identical to:
122 150
123 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text) 151 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text)
124 152
125except being faster. 153Except being faster.
126 154
127=item $is_boolean = JSON::XS::is_bool $scalar 155=item $is_boolean = JSON::XS::is_bool $scalar
128 156
129Returns true if the passed scalar represents either JSON::XS::true or 157Returns true if the passed scalar represents either JSON::XS::true or
130JSON::XS::false, two constants that act like C<1> and C<0>, respectively 158JSON::XS::false, two constants that act like C<1> and C<0>, respectively
143 171
144=over 4 172=over 4
145 173
146=item 1. Perl strings can store characters with ordinal values > 255. 174=item 1. Perl strings can store characters with ordinal values > 255.
147 175
148This enables you to store unicode characters as single characters in a 176This enables you to store Unicode characters as single characters in a
149Perl string - very natural. 177Perl string - very natural.
150 178
151=item 2. Perl does I<not> associate an encoding with your strings. 179=item 2. Perl does I<not> associate an encoding with your strings.
152 180
153Unless you force it to, e.g. when matching it against a regex, or printing 181... until you force it to, e.g. when matching it against a regex, or
154the scalar to a file, in which case Perl either interprets your string as 182printing the scalar to a file, in which case Perl either interprets your
155locale-encoded text, octets/binary, or as Unicode, depending on various 183string as locale-encoded text, octets/binary, or as Unicode, depending
156settings. In no case is an encoding stored together with your data, it is 184on various settings. In no case is an encoding stored together with your
157I<use> that decides encoding, not any magical metadata. 185data, it is I<use> that decides encoding, not any magical meta data.
158 186
159=item 3. The internal utf-8 flag has no meaning with regards to the 187=item 3. The internal utf-8 flag has no meaning with regards to the
160encoding of your string. 188encoding of your string.
161 189
162Just ignore that flag unless you debug a Perl bug, a module written in 190Just ignore that flag unless you debug a Perl bug, a module written in
163XS or want to dive into the internals of perl. Otherwise it will only 191XS or want to dive into the internals of perl. Otherwise it will only
164confuse you, as, despite the name, it says nothing about how your string 192confuse you, as, despite the name, it says nothing about how your string
165is encoded. You can have unicode strings with that flag set, with that 193is encoded. You can have Unicode strings with that flag set, with that
166flag clear, and you can have binary data with that flag set and that flag 194flag clear, and you can have binary data with that flag set and that flag
167clear. Other possibilities exist, too. 195clear. Other possibilities exist, too.
168 196
169If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't 197If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't
170exist. 198exist.
171 199
172=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be 200=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be
173validly interpreted as a Unicode codepoint. 201validly interpreted as a Unicode code point.
174 202
175If you have UTF-8 encoded data, it is no longer a Unicode string, but a 203If you have UTF-8 encoded data, it is no longer a Unicode string, but a
176Unicode string encoded in UTF-8, giving you a binary string. 204Unicode string encoded in UTF-8, giving you a binary string.
177 205
178=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string. 206=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string.
179 207
180Its a fact. Learn to live with it. 208It's a fact. Learn to live with it.
181 209
182=back 210=back
183 211
184I hope this helps :) 212I hope this helps :)
185 213
202 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]}) 230 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]})
203 => {"a": [1, 2]} 231 => {"a": [1, 2]}
204 232
205=item $json = $json->ascii ([$enable]) 233=item $json = $json->ascii ([$enable])
206 234
235=item $enabled = $json->get_ascii
236
207If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not 237If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not
208generate characters outside the code range C<0..127> (which is ASCII). Any 238generate characters outside the code range C<0..127> (which is ASCII). Any
209unicode characters outside that range will be escaped using either a 239Unicode characters outside that range will be escaped using either a
210single \uXXXX (BMP characters) or a double \uHHHH\uLLLLL escape sequence, 240single \uXXXX (BMP characters) or a double \uHHHH\uLLLLL escape sequence,
211as per RFC4627. The resulting encoded JSON text can be treated as a native 241as per RFC4627. The resulting encoded JSON text can be treated as a native
212unicode string, an ascii-encoded, latin1-encoded or UTF-8 encoded string, 242Unicode string, an ascii-encoded, latin1-encoded or UTF-8 encoded string,
213or any other superset of ASCII. 243or any other superset of ASCII.
214 244
215If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode 245If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode
216characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. This results 246characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. This results
217in a faster and more compact format. 247in a faster and more compact format.
218 248
249See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
250document.
251
219The main use for this flag is to produce JSON texts that can be 252The main use for this flag is to produce JSON texts that can be
220transmitted over a 7-bit channel, as the encoded JSON texts will not 253transmitted over a 7-bit channel, as the encoded JSON texts will not
221contain any 8 bit characters. 254contain any 8 bit characters.
222 255
223 JSON::XS->new->ascii (1)->encode ([chr 0x10401]) 256 JSON::XS->new->ascii (1)->encode ([chr 0x10401])
224 => ["\ud801\udc01"] 257 => ["\ud801\udc01"]
225 258
226=item $json = $json->latin1 ([$enable]) 259=item $json = $json->latin1 ([$enable])
227 260
261=item $enabled = $json->get_latin1
262
228If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode 263If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode
229the resulting JSON text as latin1 (or iso-8859-1), escaping any characters 264the resulting JSON text as latin1 (or iso-8859-1), escaping any characters
230outside the code range C<0..255>. The resulting string can be treated as a 265outside the code range C<0..255>. The resulting string can be treated as a
231latin1-encoded JSON text or a native unicode string. The C<decode> method 266latin1-encoded JSON text or a native Unicode string. The C<decode> method
232will not be affected in any way by this flag, as C<decode> by default 267will not be affected in any way by this flag, as C<decode> by default
233expects unicode, which is a strict superset of latin1. 268expects Unicode, which is a strict superset of latin1.
234 269
235If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode 270If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode
236characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. 271characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags.
272
273See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
274document.
237 275
238The main use for this flag is efficiently encoding binary data as JSON 276The main use for this flag is efficiently encoding binary data as JSON
239text, as most octets will not be escaped, resulting in a smaller encoded 277text, as most octets will not be escaped, resulting in a smaller encoded
240size. The disadvantage is that the resulting JSON text is encoded 278size. The disadvantage is that the resulting JSON text is encoded
241in latin1 (and must correctly be treated as such when storing and 279in latin1 (and must correctly be treated as such when storing and
242transfering), a rare encoding for JSON. It is therefore most useful when 280transferring), a rare encoding for JSON. It is therefore most useful when
243you want to store data structures known to contain binary data efficiently 281you want to store data structures known to contain binary data efficiently
244in files or databases, not when talking to other JSON encoders/decoders. 282in files or databases, not when talking to other JSON encoders/decoders.
245 283
246 JSON::XS->new->latin1->encode (["\x{89}\x{abc}"] 284 JSON::XS->new->latin1->encode (["\x{89}\x{abc}"]
247 => ["\x{89}\\u0abc"] # (perl syntax, U+abc escaped, U+89 not) 285 => ["\x{89}\\u0abc"] # (perl syntax, U+abc escaped, U+89 not)
248 286
249=item $json = $json->utf8 ([$enable]) 287=item $json = $json->utf8 ([$enable])
288
289=item $enabled = $json->get_utf8
250 290
251If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode 291If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode
252the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the 292the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the
253C<decode> method expects to be handled an UTF-8-encoded string. Please 293C<decode> method expects to be handled an UTF-8-encoded string. Please
254note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the 294note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the
255range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future 295range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future
256versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16 296versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16
257and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627. 297and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627.
258 298
259If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will return the JSON 299If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will return the JSON
260string as a (non-encoded) unicode string, while C<decode> expects thus a 300string as a (non-encoded) Unicode string, while C<decode> expects thus a
261unicode string. Any decoding or encoding (e.g. to UTF-8 or UTF-16) needs 301Unicode string. Any decoding or encoding (e.g. to UTF-8 or UTF-16) needs
262to be done yourself, e.g. using the Encode module. 302to be done yourself, e.g. using the Encode module.
303
304See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
305document.
263 306
264Example, output UTF-16BE-encoded JSON: 307Example, output UTF-16BE-encoded JSON:
265 308
266 use Encode; 309 use Encode;
267 $jsontext = encode "UTF-16BE", JSON::XS->new->encode ($object); 310 $jsontext = encode "UTF-16BE", JSON::XS->new->encode ($object);
288 ] 331 ]
289 } 332 }
290 333
291=item $json = $json->indent ([$enable]) 334=item $json = $json->indent ([$enable])
292 335
336=item $enabled = $json->get_indent
337
293If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will use a multiline 338If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will use a multiline
294format as output, putting every array member or object/hash key-value pair 339format as output, putting every array member or object/hash key-value pair
295into its own line, identing them properly. 340into its own line, indenting them properly.
296 341
297If C<$enable> is false, no newlines or indenting will be produced, and the 342If C<$enable> is false, no newlines or indenting will be produced, and the
298resulting JSON text is guarenteed not to contain any C<newlines>. 343resulting JSON text is guaranteed not to contain any C<newlines>.
299 344
300This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 345This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
301 346
302=item $json = $json->space_before ([$enable]) 347=item $json = $json->space_before ([$enable])
348
349=item $enabled = $json->get_space_before
303 350
304If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra 351If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra
305optional space before the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects. 352optional space before the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects.
306 353
307If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not add any extra 354If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not add any extra
313Example, space_before enabled, space_after and indent disabled: 360Example, space_before enabled, space_after and indent disabled:
314 361
315 {"key" :"value"} 362 {"key" :"value"}
316 363
317=item $json = $json->space_after ([$enable]) 364=item $json = $json->space_after ([$enable])
365
366=item $enabled = $json->get_space_after
318 367
319If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra 368If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra
320optional space after the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects 369optional space after the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects
321and extra whitespace after the C<,> separating key-value pairs and array 370and extra whitespace after the C<,> separating key-value pairs and array
322members. 371members.
329Example, space_before and indent disabled, space_after enabled: 378Example, space_before and indent disabled, space_after enabled:
330 379
331 {"key": "value"} 380 {"key": "value"}
332 381
333=item $json = $json->relaxed ([$enable]) 382=item $json = $json->relaxed ([$enable])
383
384=item $enabled = $json->get_relaxed
334 385
335If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<decode> will accept some 386If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<decode> will accept some
336extensions to normal JSON syntax (see below). C<encode> will not be 387extensions to normal JSON syntax (see below). C<encode> will not be
337affected in anyway. I<Be aware that this option makes you accept invalid 388affected in anyway. I<Be aware that this option makes you accept invalid
338JSON texts as if they were valid!>. I suggest only to use this option to 389JSON texts as if they were valid!>. I suggest only to use this option to
375 426
376=back 427=back
377 428
378=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable]) 429=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable])
379 430
431=item $enabled = $json->get_canonical
432
380If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects 433If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects
381by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead. 434by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead.
382 435
383If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value 436If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value
384pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs 437pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs
385of the same script). 438of the same script).
386 439
387This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as 440This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as
388the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled, 441the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled,
389the same hash migh be encoded differently even if contains the same data, 442the same hash might be encoded differently even if contains the same data,
390as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl. 443as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl.
391 444
392This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 445This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
393 446
394=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable]) 447=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable])
448
449=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_nonref
395 450
396If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a 451If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a
397non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value, 452non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value,
398which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON 453which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON
399values instead of croaking. 454values instead of croaking.
407resulting in an invalid JSON text: 462resulting in an invalid JSON text:
408 463
409 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!") 464 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!")
410 => "Hello, World!" 465 => "Hello, World!"
411 466
467=item $json = $json->allow_unknown ([$enable])
468
469=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_unknown
470
471If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode> will I<not> throw an
472exception when it encounters values it cannot represent in JSON (for
473example, filehandles) but instead will encode a JSON C<null> value. Note
474that blessed objects are not included here and are handled separately by
475c<allow_nonref>.
476
477If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an
478exception when it encounters anything it cannot encode as JSON.
479
480This option does not affect C<decode> in any way, and it is recommended to
481leave it off unless you know your communications partner.
482
412=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable]) 483=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable])
484
485=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_blessed
413 486
414If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not 487If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not
415barf when it encounters a blessed reference. Instead, the value of the 488barf when it encounters a blessed reference. Instead, the value of the
416B<convert_blessed> option will decide wether C<null> (C<convert_blessed> 489B<convert_blessed> option will decide whether C<null> (C<convert_blessed>
417disabled or no C<to_json> method found) or a representation of the 490disabled or no C<TO_JSON> method found) or a representation of the
418object (C<convert_blessed> enabled and C<to_json> method found) is being 491object (C<convert_blessed> enabled and C<TO_JSON> method found) is being
419encoded. Has no effect on C<decode>. 492encoded. Has no effect on C<decode>.
420 493
421If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an 494If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an
422exception when it encounters a blessed object. 495exception when it encounters a blessed object.
423 496
424=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable]) 497=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable])
498
499=item $enabled = $json->get_convert_blessed
425 500
426If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a 501If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a
427blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method 502blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method
428on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context 503on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context
429and the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object. If no 504and the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object. If no
433The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON> 508The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON>
434returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same 509returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same
435way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle 510way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle
436(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other 511(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other
437methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are 512methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are
438usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with the C<to_json> 513usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with any C<to_json>
439function. 514function or method.
440 515
441This setting does not yet influence C<decode> in any way, but in the 516This setting does not yet influence C<decode> in any way, but in the
442future, global hooks might get installed that influence C<decode> and are 517future, global hooks might get installed that influence C<decode> and are
443enabled by this setting. 518enabled by this setting.
444 519
486 561
487As this callback gets called less often then the C<filter_json_object> 562As this callback gets called less often then the C<filter_json_object>
488one, decoding speed will not usually suffer as much. Therefore, single-key 563one, decoding speed will not usually suffer as much. Therefore, single-key
489objects make excellent targets to serialise Perl objects into, especially 564objects make excellent targets to serialise Perl objects into, especially
490as single-key JSON objects are as close to the type-tagged value concept 565as single-key JSON objects are as close to the type-tagged value concept
491as JSON gets (its basically an ID/VALUE tuple). Of course, JSON does not 566as JSON gets (it's basically an ID/VALUE tuple). Of course, JSON does not
492support this in any way, so you need to make sure your data never looks 567support this in any way, so you need to make sure your data never looks
493like a serialised Perl hash. 568like a serialised Perl hash.
494 569
495Typical names for the single object key are C<__class_whatever__>, or 570Typical names for the single object key are C<__class_whatever__>, or
496C<$__dollars_are_rarely_used__$> or C<}ugly_brace_placement>, or even 571C<$__dollars_are_rarely_used__$> or C<}ugly_brace_placement>, or even
520 595
521 { __widget__ => $self->{id} } 596 { __widget__ => $self->{id} }
522 } 597 }
523 598
524=item $json = $json->shrink ([$enable]) 599=item $json = $json->shrink ([$enable])
600
601=item $enabled = $json->get_shrink
525 602
526Perl usually over-allocates memory a bit when allocating space for 603Perl usually over-allocates memory a bit when allocating space for
527strings. This flag optionally resizes strings generated by either 604strings. This flag optionally resizes strings generated by either
528C<encode> or C<decode> to their minimum size possible. This can save 605C<encode> or C<decode> to their minimum size possible. This can save
529memory when your JSON texts are either very very long or you have many 606memory when your JSON texts are either very very long or you have many
547strings that look like integers or floats into integers or floats 624strings that look like integers or floats into integers or floats
548internally (there is no difference on the Perl level), saving space. 625internally (there is no difference on the Perl level), saving space.
549 626
550=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth]) 627=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth])
551 628
629=item $max_depth = $json->get_max_depth
630
552Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding 631Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding
553or decoding. If the JSON text or Perl data structure has an equal or 632or decoding. If a higher nesting level is detected in JSON text or a Perl
554higher nesting level then this limit, then the encoder and decoder will 633data structure, then the encoder and decoder will stop and croak at that
555stop and croak at that point. 634point.
556 635
557Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder 636Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder
558needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[> 637needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[>
559characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a 638characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a
560given character in a string. 639given character in a string.
561 640
562Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures 641Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures
563that the object is only a single hash/object or array. 642that the object is only a single hash/object or array.
564 643
565The argument to C<max_depth> will be rounded up to the next highest power
566of two. If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be 644If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be used, which
567used, which is rarely useful. 645is rarely useful.
646
647Note that nesting is implemented by recursion in C. The default value has
648been chosen to be as large as typical operating systems allow without
649crashing.
568 650
569See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 651See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
570 652
571=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size]) 653=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size])
654
655=item $max_size = $json->get_max_size
572 656
573Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is 657Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is
574being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode> 658being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode>
575is called on a string longer then this number of characters it will not 659is called on a string that is longer then this many bytes, it will not
576attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no 660attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no
577effect on C<encode> (yet). 661effect on C<encode> (yet).
578 662
579The argument to C<max_size> will be rounded up to the next B<highest> 663If no argument is given, the limit check will be deactivated (same as when
580power of two (so may be more than requested). If no argument is given, the 664C<0> is specified).
581limit check will be deactivated (same as when C<0> is specified).
582 665
583See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 666See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
584 667
585=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar) 668=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar)
586 669
615 => ([], 3) 698 => ([], 3)
616 699
617=back 700=back
618 701
619 702
703=head1 INCREMENTAL PARSING
704
705In some cases, there is the need for incremental parsing of JSON
706texts. While this module always has to keep both JSON text and resulting
707Perl data structure in memory at one time, it does allow you to parse a
708JSON stream incrementally. It does so by accumulating text until it has
709a full JSON object, which it then can decode. This process is similar to
710using C<decode_prefix> to see if a full JSON object is available, but
711is much more efficient (and can be implemented with a minimum of method
712calls).
713
714JSON::XS will only attempt to parse the JSON text once it is sure it
715has enough text to get a decisive result, using a very simple but
716truly incremental parser. This means that it sometimes won't stop as
717early as the full parser, for example, it doesn't detect parenthese
718mismatches. The only thing it guarantees is that it starts decoding as
719soon as a syntactically valid JSON text has been seen. This means you need
720to set resource limits (e.g. C<max_size>) to ensure the parser will stop
721parsing in the presence if syntax errors.
722
723The following methods implement this incremental parser.
724
725=over 4
726
727=item [void, scalar or list context] = $json->incr_parse ([$string])
728
729This is the central parsing function. It can both append new text and
730extract objects from the stream accumulated so far (both of these
731functions are optional).
732
733If C<$string> is given, then this string is appended to the already
734existing JSON fragment stored in the C<$json> object.
735
736After that, if the function is called in void context, it will simply
737return without doing anything further. This can be used to add more text
738in as many chunks as you want.
739
740If the method is called in scalar context, then it will try to extract
741exactly I<one> JSON object. If that is successful, it will return this
742object, otherwise it will return C<undef>. If there is a parse error,
743this method will croak just as C<decode> would do (one can then use
744C<incr_skip> to skip the errornous part). This is the most common way of
745using the method.
746
747And finally, in list context, it will try to extract as many objects
748from the stream as it can find and return them, or the empty list
749otherwise. For this to work, there must be no separators between the JSON
750objects or arrays, instead they must be concatenated back-to-back. If
751an error occurs, an exception will be raised as in the scalar context
752case. Note that in this case, any previously-parsed JSON texts will be
753lost.
754
755=item $lvalue_string = $json->incr_text
756
757This method returns the currently stored JSON fragment as an lvalue, that
758is, you can manipulate it. This I<only> works when a preceding call to
759C<incr_parse> in I<scalar context> successfully returned an object. Under
760all other circumstances you must not call this function (I mean it.
761although in simple tests it might actually work, it I<will> fail under
762real world conditions). As a special exception, you can also call this
763method before having parsed anything.
764
765This function is useful in two cases: a) finding the trailing text after a
766JSON object or b) parsing multiple JSON objects separated by non-JSON text
767(such as commas).
768
769=item $json->incr_skip
770
771This will reset the state of the incremental parser and will remove
772the parsed text from the input buffer so far. This is useful after
773C<incr_parse> died, in which case the input buffer and incremental parser
774state is left unchanged, to skip the text parsed so far and to reset the
775parse state.
776
777The difference to C<incr_reset> is that only text until the parse error
778occured is removed.
779
780=item $json->incr_reset
781
782This completely resets the incremental parser, that is, after this call,
783it will be as if the parser had never parsed anything.
784
785This is useful if you want to repeatedly parse JSON objects and want to
786ignore any trailing data, which means you have to reset the parser after
787each successful decode.
788
789=back
790
791=head2 LIMITATIONS
792
793All options that affect decoding are supported, except
794C<allow_nonref>. The reason for this is that it cannot be made to
795work sensibly: JSON objects and arrays are self-delimited, i.e. you can concatenate
796them back to back and still decode them perfectly. This does not hold true
797for JSON numbers, however.
798
799For example, is the string C<1> a single JSON number, or is it simply the
800start of C<12>? Or is C<12> a single JSON number, or the concatenation
801of C<1> and C<2>? In neither case you can tell, and this is why JSON::XS
802takes the conservative route and disallows this case.
803
804=head2 EXAMPLES
805
806Some examples will make all this clearer. First, a simple example that
807works similarly to C<decode_prefix>: We want to decode the JSON object at
808the start of a string and identify the portion after the JSON object:
809
810 my $text = "[1,2,3] hello";
811
812 my $json = new JSON::XS;
813
814 my $obj = $json->incr_parse ($text)
815 or die "expected JSON object or array at beginning of string";
816
817 my $tail = $json->incr_text;
818 # $tail now contains " hello"
819
820Easy, isn't it?
821
822Now for a more complicated example: Imagine a hypothetical protocol where
823you read some requests from a TCP stream, and each request is a JSON
824array, without any separation between them (in fact, it is often useful to
825use newlines as "separators", as these get interpreted as whitespace at
826the start of the JSON text, which makes it possible to test said protocol
827with C<telnet>...).
828
829Here is how you'd do it (it is trivial to write this in an event-based
830manner):
831
832 my $json = new JSON::XS;
833
834 # read some data from the socket
835 while (sysread $socket, my $buf, 4096) {
836
837 # split and decode as many requests as possible
838 for my $request ($json->incr_parse ($buf)) {
839 # act on the $request
840 }
841 }
842
843Another complicated example: Assume you have a string with JSON objects
844or arrays, all separated by (optional) comma characters (e.g. C<[1],[2],
845[3]>). To parse them, we have to skip the commas between the JSON texts,
846and here is where the lvalue-ness of C<incr_text> comes in useful:
847
848 my $text = "[1],[2], [3]";
849 my $json = new JSON::XS;
850
851 # void context, so no parsing done
852 $json->incr_parse ($text);
853
854 # now extract as many objects as possible. note the
855 # use of scalar context so incr_text can be called.
856 while (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
857 # do something with $obj
858
859 # now skip the optional comma
860 $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* , //x;
861 }
862
863Now lets go for a very complex example: Assume that you have a gigantic
864JSON array-of-objects, many gigabytes in size, and you want to parse it,
865but you cannot load it into memory fully (this has actually happened in
866the real world :).
867
868Well, you lost, you have to implement your own JSON parser. But JSON::XS
869can still help you: You implement a (very simple) array parser and let
870JSON decode the array elements, which are all full JSON objects on their
871own (this wouldn't work if the array elements could be JSON numbers, for
872example):
873
874 my $json = new JSON::XS;
875
876 # open the monster
877 open my $fh, "<bigfile.json"
878 or die "bigfile: $!";
879
880 # first parse the initial "["
881 for (;;) {
882 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
883 or die "read error: $!";
884 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
885
886 # Exit the loop once we found and removed(!) the initial "[".
887 # In essence, we are (ab-)using the $json object as a simple scalar
888 # we append data to.
889 last if $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* \[ //x;
890 }
891
892 # now we have the skipped the initial "[", so continue
893 # parsing all the elements.
894 for (;;) {
895 # in this loop we read data until we got a single JSON object
896 for (;;) {
897 if (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
898 # do something with $obj
899 last;
900 }
901
902 # add more data
903 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
904 or die "read error: $!";
905 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
906 }
907
908 # in this loop we read data until we either found and parsed the
909 # separating "," between elements, or the final "]"
910 for (;;) {
911 # first skip whitespace
912 $json->incr_text =~ s/^\s*//;
913
914 # if we find "]", we are done
915 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^\]//) {
916 print "finished.\n";
917 exit;
918 }
919
920 # if we find ",", we can continue with the next element
921 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^,//) {
922 last;
923 }
924
925 # if we find anything else, we have a parse error!
926 if (length $json->incr_text) {
927 die "parse error near ", $json->incr_text;
928 }
929
930 # else add more data
931 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
932 or die "read error: $!";
933 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
934 }
935
936This is a complex example, but most of the complexity comes from the fact
937that we are trying to be correct (bear with me if I am wrong, I never ran
938the above example :).
939
940
941
620=head1 MAPPING 942=head1 MAPPING
621 943
622This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and 944This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and
623vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most 945vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most
624circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics 946circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics
625(what you put in comes out as something equivalent). 947(what you put in comes out as something equivalent).
626 948
627For the more enlightened: note that in the following descriptions, 949For the more enlightened: note that in the following descriptions,
628lowercase I<perl> refers to the Perl interpreter, while uppcercase I<Perl> 950lowercase I<perl> refers to the Perl interpreter, while uppercase I<Perl>
629refers to the abstract Perl language itself. 951refers to the abstract Perl language itself.
630 952
631 953
632=head2 JSON -> PERL 954=head2 JSON -> PERL
633 955
634=over 4 956=over 4
635 957
636=item object 958=item object
637 959
638A JSON object becomes a reference to a hash in Perl. No ordering of object 960A JSON object becomes a reference to a hash in Perl. No ordering of object
639keys is preserved (JSON does not preserver object key ordering itself). 961keys is preserved (JSON does not preserve object key ordering itself).
640 962
641=item array 963=item array
642 964
643A JSON array becomes a reference to an array in Perl. 965A JSON array becomes a reference to an array in Perl.
644 966
652 974
653A JSON number becomes either an integer, numeric (floating point) or 975A JSON number becomes either an integer, numeric (floating point) or
654string scalar in perl, depending on its range and any fractional parts. On 976string scalar in perl, depending on its range and any fractional parts. On
655the Perl level, there is no difference between those as Perl handles all 977the Perl level, there is no difference between those as Perl handles all
656the conversion details, but an integer may take slightly less memory and 978the conversion details, but an integer may take slightly less memory and
657might represent more values exactly than (floating point) numbers. 979might represent more values exactly than floating point numbers.
658 980
659If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent 981If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent
660it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as 982it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as
661a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of 983a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of
662precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value. 984precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value (in
985which case you lose roundtripping ability, as the JSON number will be
986re-encoded toa JSON string).
663 987
664Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be 988Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be
665represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of 989represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of
666precision. 990precision (in which case you might lose perfect roundtripping ability, but
667 991the JSON number will still be re-encoded as a JSON number).
668This might create round-tripping problems as numbers might become strings,
669but as Perl is typeless there is no other way to do it.
670 992
671=item true, false 993=item true, false
672 994
673These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>, 995These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>,
674respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers 996respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers
675C<1> and C<0>. You can check wether a scalar is a JSON boolean by using 997C<1> and C<0>. You can check whether a scalar is a JSON boolean by using
676the C<JSON::XS::is_bool> function. 998the C<JSON::XS::is_bool> function.
677 999
678=item null 1000=item null
679 1001
680A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl. 1002A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl.
711Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an 1033Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an
712exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and 1034exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and
713C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can 1035C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can
714also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability. 1036also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability.
715 1037
716 to_json [\0,JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true] 1038 encode_json [\0, JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true]
717 1039
718=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false 1040=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false
719 1041
720These special values become JSON true and JSON false values, 1042These special values become JSON true and JSON false values,
721respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want. 1043respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want.
722 1044
723=item blessed objects 1045=item blessed objects
724 1046
725Blessed objects are not allowed. JSON::XS currently tries to encode their 1047Blessed objects are not directly representable in JSON. See the
726underlying representation (hash- or arrayref), but this behaviour might 1048C<allow_blessed> and C<convert_blessed> methods on various options on
727change in future versions. 1049how to deal with this: basically, you can choose between throwing an
1050exception, encoding the reference as if it weren't blessed, or provide
1051your own serialiser method.
728 1052
729=item simple scalars 1053=item simple scalars
730 1054
731Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most 1055Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most
732difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as 1056difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as
733JSON null value, scalars that have last been used in a string context 1057JSON C<null> values, scalars that have last been used in a string context
734before encoding as JSON strings and anything else as number value: 1058before encoding as JSON strings, and anything else as number value:
735 1059
736 # dump as number 1060 # dump as number
737 to_json [2] # yields [2] 1061 encode_json [2] # yields [2]
738 to_json [-3.0e17] # yields [-3e+17] 1062 encode_json [-3.0e17] # yields [-3e+17]
739 my $value = 5; to_json [$value] # yields [5] 1063 my $value = 5; encode_json [$value] # yields [5]
740 1064
741 # used as string, so dump as string 1065 # used as string, so dump as string
742 print $value; 1066 print $value;
743 to_json [$value] # yields ["5"] 1067 encode_json [$value] # yields ["5"]
744 1068
745 # undef becomes null 1069 # undef becomes null
746 to_json [undef] # yields [null] 1070 encode_json [undef] # yields [null]
747 1071
748You can force the type to be a string by stringifying it: 1072You can force the type to be a JSON string by stringifying it:
749 1073
750 my $x = 3.1; # some variable containing a number 1074 my $x = 3.1; # some variable containing a number
751 "$x"; # stringified 1075 "$x"; # stringified
752 $x .= ""; # another, more awkward way to stringify 1076 $x .= ""; # another, more awkward way to stringify
753 print $x; # perl does it for you, too, quite often 1077 print $x; # perl does it for you, too, quite often
754 1078
755You can force the type to be a number by numifying it: 1079You can force the type to be a JSON number by numifying it:
756 1080
757 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string 1081 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string
758 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number 1082 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number
759 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choise is yours. 1083 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours.
760 1084
761You can not currently output JSON booleans or force the type in other, 1085You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. Tell me
762less obscure, ways. Tell me if you need this capability. 1086if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why it's needed
1087:).
763 1088
764=back 1089=back
765 1090
766 1091
767=head1 COMPARISON 1092=head1 ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES
768 1093
769As already mentioned, this module was created because none of the existing 1094The interested reader might have seen a number of flags that signify
770JSON modules could be made to work correctly. First I will describe the 1095encodings or codesets - C<utf8>, C<latin1> and C<ascii>. There seems to be
771problems (or pleasures) I encountered with various existing JSON modules, 1096some confusion on what these do, so here is a short comparison:
772followed by some benchmark values. JSON::XS was designed not to suffer 1097
773from any of these problems or limitations. 1098C<utf8> controls whether the JSON text created by C<encode> (and expected
1099by C<decode>) is UTF-8 encoded or not, while C<latin1> and C<ascii> only
1100control whether C<encode> escapes character values outside their respective
1101codeset range. Neither of these flags conflict with each other, although
1102some combinations make less sense than others.
1103
1104Care has been taken to make all flags symmetrical with respect to
1105C<encode> and C<decode>, that is, texts encoded with any combination of
1106these flag values will be correctly decoded when the same flags are used
1107- in general, if you use different flag settings while encoding vs. when
1108decoding you likely have a bug somewhere.
1109
1110Below comes a verbose discussion of these flags. Note that a "codeset" is
1111simply an abstract set of character-codepoint pairs, while an encoding
1112takes those codepoint numbers and I<encodes> them, in our case into
1113octets. Unicode is (among other things) a codeset, UTF-8 is an encoding,
1114and ISO-8859-1 (= latin 1) and ASCII are both codesets I<and> encodings at
1115the same time, which can be confusing.
774 1116
775=over 4 1117=over 4
776 1118
777=item JSON 1.07 1119=item C<utf8> flag disabled
778 1120
779Slow (but very portable, as it is written in pure Perl). 1121When C<utf8> is disabled (the default), then C<encode>/C<decode> generate
1122and expect Unicode strings, that is, characters with high ordinal Unicode
1123values (> 255) will be encoded as such characters, and likewise such
1124characters are decoded as-is, no canges to them will be done, except
1125"(re-)interpreting" them as Unicode codepoints or Unicode characters,
1126respectively (to Perl, these are the same thing in strings unless you do
1127funny/weird/dumb stuff).
780 1128
781Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling (how JSON handles unicode values is 1129This is useful when you want to do the encoding yourself (e.g. when you
782undocumented. One can get far by feeding it unicode strings and doing 1130want to have UTF-16 encoded JSON texts) or when some other layer does
783en-/decoding oneself, but unicode escapes are not working properly). 1131the encoding for you (for example, when printing to a terminal using a
1132filehandle that transparently encodes to UTF-8 you certainly do NOT want
1133to UTF-8 encode your data first and have Perl encode it another time).
784 1134
785No roundtripping (strings get clobbered if they look like numbers, e.g. 1135=item C<utf8> flag enabled
786the string C<2.0> will encode to C<2.0> instead of C<"2.0">, and that will
787decode into the number 2.
788 1136
789=item JSON::PC 0.01 1137If the C<utf8>-flag is enabled, C<encode>/C<decode> will encode all
1138characters using the corresponding UTF-8 multi-byte sequence, and will
1139expect your input strings to be encoded as UTF-8, that is, no "character"
1140of the input string must have any value > 255, as UTF-8 does not allow
1141that.
790 1142
791Very fast. 1143The C<utf8> flag therefore switches between two modes: disabled means you
1144will get a Unicode string in Perl, enabled means you get an UTF-8 encoded
1145octet/binary string in Perl.
792 1146
793Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling. 1147=item C<latin1> or C<ascii> flags enabled
794 1148
795No roundtripping. 1149With C<latin1> (or C<ascii>) enabled, C<encode> will escape characters
1150with ordinal values > 255 (> 127 with C<ascii>) and encode the remaining
1151characters as specified by the C<utf8> flag.
796 1152
797Has problems handling many Perl values (e.g. regex results and other magic 1153If C<utf8> is disabled, then the result is also correctly encoded in those
798values will make it croak). 1154character sets (as both are proper subsets of Unicode, meaning that a
1155Unicode string with all character values < 256 is the same thing as a
1156ISO-8859-1 string, and a Unicode string with all character values < 128 is
1157the same thing as an ASCII string in Perl).
799 1158
800Does not even generate valid JSON (C<{1,2}> gets converted to C<{1:2}> 1159If C<utf8> is enabled, you still get a correct UTF-8-encoded string,
801which is not a valid JSON text. 1160regardless of these flags, just some more characters will be escaped using
1161C<\uXXXX> then before.
802 1162
803Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not 1163Note that ISO-8859-1-I<encoded> strings are not compatible with UTF-8
804getting fixed). 1164encoding, while ASCII-encoded strings are. That is because the ISO-8859-1
1165encoding is NOT a subset of UTF-8 (despite the ISO-8859-1 I<codeset> being
1166a subset of Unicode), while ASCII is.
805 1167
806=item JSON::Syck 0.21 1168Surprisingly, C<decode> will ignore these flags and so treat all input
1169values as governed by the C<utf8> flag. If it is disabled, this allows you
1170to decode ISO-8859-1- and ASCII-encoded strings, as both strict subsets of
1171Unicode. If it is enabled, you can correctly decode UTF-8 encoded strings.
807 1172
808Very buggy (often crashes). 1173So neither C<latin1> nor C<ascii> are incompatible with the C<utf8> flag -
1174they only govern when the JSON output engine escapes a character or not.
809 1175
810Very inflexible (no human-readable format supported, format pretty much 1176The main use for C<latin1> is to relatively efficiently store binary data
811undocumented. I need at least a format for easy reading by humans and a 1177as JSON, at the expense of breaking compatibility with most JSON decoders.
812single-line compact format for use in a protocol, and preferably a way to
813generate ASCII-only JSON texts).
814 1178
815Completely broken (and confusingly documented) Unicode handling (unicode 1179The main use for C<ascii> is to force the output to not contain characters
816escapes are not working properly, you need to set ImplicitUnicode to 1180with values > 127, which means you can interpret the resulting string
817I<different> values on en- and decoding to get symmetric behaviour). 1181as UTF-8, ISO-8859-1, ASCII, KOI8-R or most about any character set and
818 11828-bit-encoding, and still get the same data structure back. This is useful
819No roundtripping (simple cases work, but this depends on wether the scalar 1183when your channel for JSON transfer is not 8-bit clean or the encoding
820value was used in a numeric context or not). 1184might be mangled in between (e.g. in mail), and works because ASCII is a
821 1185proper subset of most 8-bit and multibyte encodings in use in the world.
822Dumping hashes may skip hash values depending on iterator state.
823
824Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not
825getting fixed).
826
827Does not check input for validity (i.e. will accept non-JSON input and
828return "something" instead of raising an exception. This is a security
829issue: imagine two banks transfering money between each other using
830JSON. One bank might parse a given non-JSON request and deduct money,
831while the other might reject the transaction with a syntax error. While a
832good protocol will at least recover, that is extra unnecessary work and
833the transaction will still not succeed).
834
835=item JSON::DWIW 0.04
836
837Very fast. Very natural. Very nice.
838
839Undocumented unicode handling (but the best of the pack. Unicode escapes
840still don't get parsed properly).
841
842Very inflexible.
843
844No roundtripping.
845
846Does not generate valid JSON texts (key strings are often unquoted, empty keys
847result in nothing being output)
848
849Does not check input for validity.
850 1186
851=back 1187=back
852 1188
853 1189
1190=head2 JSON and ECMAscript
1191
1192JSON syntax is based on how literals are represented in javascript (the
1193not-standardised predecessor of ECMAscript) which is presumably why it is
1194called "JavaScript Object Notation".
1195
1196However, JSON is not a subset (and also not a superset of course) of
1197ECMAscript (the standard) or javascript (whatever browsers actually
1198implement).
1199
1200If you want to use javascript's C<eval> function to "parse" JSON, you
1201might run into parse errors for valid JSON texts, or the resulting data
1202structure might not be queryable:
1203
1204One of the problems is that U+2028 and U+2029 are valid characters inside
1205JSON strings, but are not allowed in ECMAscript string literals, so the
1206following Perl fragment will not output something that can be guaranteed
1207to be parsable by javascript's C<eval>:
1208
1209 use JSON::XS;
1210
1211 print encode_json [chr 0x2028];
1212
1213The right fix for this is to use a proper JSON parser in your javascript
1214programs, and not rely on C<eval> (see for example Douglas Crockford's
1215F<json2.js> parser).
1216
1217If this is not an option, you can, as a stop-gap measure, simply encode to
1218ASCII-only JSON:
1219
1220 use JSON::XS;
1221
1222 print JSON::XS->new->ascii->encode ([chr 0x2028]);
1223
1224Note that this will enlarge the resulting JSON text quite a bit if you
1225have many non-ASCII characters. You might be tempted to run some regexes
1226to only escape U+2028 and U+2029, e.g.:
1227
1228 # DO NOT USE THIS!
1229 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ([chr 0x2028]);
1230 $json =~ s/\xe2\x80\xa8/\\u2028/g; # escape U+2028
1231 $json =~ s/\xe2\x80\xa9/\\u2029/g; # escape U+2029
1232 print $json;
1233
1234Note that I<this is a bad idea>: the above only works for U+2028 and
1235U+2029 and thus only for fully ECMAscript-compliant parsers. Many existing
1236javascript implementations, however, have issues with other characters as
1237well - using C<eval> naively simply I<will> cause problems.
1238
1239Another problem is that some javascript implementations reserve
1240some property names for their own purposes (which probably makes
1241them non-ECMAscript-compliant). For example, Iceweasel reserves the
1242C<__proto__> property name for it's own purposes.
1243
1244If that is a problem, you could parse try to filter the resulting JSON
1245output for these property strings, e.g.:
1246
1247 $json =~ s/"__proto__"\s*:/"__proto__renamed":/g;
1248
1249This works because C<__proto__> is not valid outside of strings, so every
1250occurence of C<"__proto__"\s*:> must be a string used as property name.
1251
1252If you know of other incompatibilities, please let me know.
1253
1254
854=head2 JSON and YAML 1255=head2 JSON and YAML
855 1256
856You often hear that JSON is a subset (or a close subset) of YAML. This is, 1257You often hear that JSON is a subset of YAML. This is, however, a mass
857however, a mass hysteria and very far from the truth. In general, there is 1258hysteria(*) and very far from the truth (as of the time of this writing),
858no way to configure JSON::XS to output a data structure as valid YAML. 1259so let me state it clearly: I<in general, there is no way to configure
1260JSON::XS to output a data structure as valid YAML> that works in all
1261cases.
859 1262
860If you really must use JSON::XS to generate YAML, you should use this 1263If you really must use JSON::XS to generate YAML, you should use this
861algorithm (subject to change in future versions): 1264algorithm (subject to change in future versions):
862 1265
863 my $to_yaml = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after (1); 1266 my $to_yaml = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after (1);
864 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n"; 1267 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n";
865 1268
866This will usually generate JSON texts that also parse as valid 1269This will I<usually> generate JSON texts that also parse as valid
867YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key 1270YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key
868lengths that JSON doesn't have, so you should make sure that your hash 1271lengths that JSON doesn't have and also has different and incompatible
1272unicode handling, so you should make sure that your hash keys are
869keys are noticably shorter than the 1024 characters YAML allows. 1273noticeably shorter than the 1024 "stream characters" YAML allows and that
1274you do not have characters with codepoint values outside the Unicode BMP
1275(basic multilingual page). YAML also does not allow C<\/> sequences in
1276strings (which JSON::XS does not I<currently> generate, but other JSON
1277generators might).
870 1278
871There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of. In general 1279There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of (or the YAML
1280specification has been changed yet again - it does so quite often). In
872you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice versa, 1281general you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice
873or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are high 1282versa, or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are
874that you will run into severe interoperability problems. 1283high that you will run into severe interoperability problems when you
1284least expect it.
1285
1286=over 4
1287
1288=item (*)
1289
1290I have been pressured multiple times by Brian Ingerson (one of the
1291authors of the YAML specification) to remove this paragraph, despite him
1292acknowledging that the actual incompatibilities exist. As I was personally
1293bitten by this "JSON is YAML" lie, I refused and said I will continue to
1294educate people about these issues, so others do not run into the same
1295problem again and again. After this, Brian called me a (quote)I<complete
1296and worthless idiot>(unquote).
1297
1298In my opinion, instead of pressuring and insulting people who actually
1299clarify issues with YAML and the wrong statements of some of its
1300proponents, I would kindly suggest reading the JSON spec (which is not
1301that difficult or long) and finally make YAML compatible to it, and
1302educating users about the changes, instead of spreading lies about the
1303real compatibility for many I<years> and trying to silence people who
1304point out that it isn't true.
1305
1306=back
875 1307
876 1308
877=head2 SPEED 1309=head2 SPEED
878 1310
879It seems that JSON::XS is surprisingly fast, as shown in the following 1311It seems that JSON::XS is surprisingly fast, as shown in the following
880tables. They have been generated with the help of the C<eg/bench> program 1312tables. They have been generated with the help of the C<eg/bench> program
881in the JSON::XS distribution, to make it easy to compare on your own 1313in the JSON::XS distribution, to make it easy to compare on your own
882system. 1314system.
883 1315
884First comes a comparison between various modules using a very short 1316First comes a comparison between various modules using
885single-line JSON string: 1317a very short single-line JSON string (also available at
1318L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/short.json>).
886 1319
887 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1", "we were just talking"], \ 1320 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1",
888 "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7, true, false]} 1321 "we were just talking"], "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7,
1322 true, false]}
889 1323
890It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses 1324It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses
891the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface 1325the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface
892with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables 1326with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables
893shrink). Higher is better: 1327shrink). Higher is better:
894 1328
895 Storable | 15779.925 | 14169.946 |
896 -----------+------------+------------+
897 module | encode | decode | 1329 module | encode | decode |
898 -----------|------------|------------| 1330 -----------|------------|------------|
899 JSON | 4990.842 | 4088.813 | 1331 JSON 1.x | 4990.842 | 4088.813 |
900 JSON::DWIW | 51653.990 | 71575.154 | 1332 JSON::DWIW | 51653.990 | 71575.154 |
901 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 74631.744 | 1333 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 74631.744 |
902 JSON::PP | 8931.652 | 3817.168 | 1334 JSON::PP | 8931.652 | 3817.168 |
903 JSON::Syck | 24877.248 | 27776.848 | 1335 JSON::Syck | 24877.248 | 27776.848 |
904 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 227951.304 | 1336 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 227951.304 |
906 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 218453.333 | 1338 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 218453.333 |
907 Storable | 16500.016 | 135300.129 | 1339 Storable | 16500.016 | 135300.129 |
908 -----------+------------+------------+ 1340 -----------+------------+------------+
909 1341
910That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding, 1342That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding,
911about three times faster on decoding, and over fourty times faster 1343about three times faster on decoding, and over forty times faster
912than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares 1344than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares
913favourably to Storable for small amounts of data. 1345favourably to Storable for small amounts of data.
914 1346
915Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals 1347Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals
916search API (http://nanoref.com/yahooapis/mgPdGg): 1348search API (L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/long.json>).
917 1349
918 module | encode | decode | 1350 module | encode | decode |
919 -----------|------------|------------| 1351 -----------|------------|------------|
920 JSON | 55.260 | 34.971 | 1352 JSON 1.x | 55.260 | 34.971 |
921 JSON::DWIW | 825.228 | 1082.513 | 1353 JSON::DWIW | 825.228 | 1082.513 |
922 JSON::PC | 3571.444 | 2394.829 | 1354 JSON::PC | 3571.444 | 2394.829 |
923 JSON::PP | 210.987 | 32.574 | 1355 JSON::PP | 210.987 | 32.574 |
924 JSON::Syck | 552.551 | 787.544 | 1356 JSON::Syck | 552.551 | 787.544 |
925 JSON::XS | 5780.463 | 4854.519 | 1357 JSON::XS | 5780.463 | 4854.519 |
929 -----------+------------+------------+ 1361 -----------+------------+------------+
930 1362
931Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly 1363Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly
932decodes faster). 1364decodes faster).
933 1365
934On large strings containing lots of high unicode characters, some modules 1366On large strings containing lots of high Unicode characters, some modules
935(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result 1367(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result
936will be broken due to missing (or wrong) unicode handling. Others refuse 1368will be broken due to missing (or wrong) Unicode handling. Others refuse
937to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair 1369to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair
938comparison table for that case. 1370comparison table for that case.
939 1371
940 1372
941=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 1373=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
947any buffer overflows. Obviously, this module should ensure that and I am 1379any buffer overflows. Obviously, this module should ensure that and I am
948trying hard on making that true, but you never know. 1380trying hard on making that true, but you never know.
949 1381
950Second, you need to avoid resource-starving attacks. That means you should 1382Second, you need to avoid resource-starving attacks. That means you should
951limit the size of JSON texts you accept, or make sure then when your 1383limit the size of JSON texts you accept, or make sure then when your
952resources run out, thats just fine (e.g. by using a separate process that 1384resources run out, that's just fine (e.g. by using a separate process that
953can crash safely). The size of a JSON text in octets or characters is 1385can crash safely). The size of a JSON text in octets or characters is
954usually a good indication of the size of the resources required to decode 1386usually a good indication of the size of the resources required to decode
955it into a Perl structure. While JSON::XS can check the size of the JSON 1387it into a Perl structure. While JSON::XS can check the size of the JSON
956text, it might be too late when you already have it in memory, so you 1388text, it might be too late when you already have it in memory, so you
957might want to check the size before you accept the string. 1389might want to check the size before you accept the string.
958 1390
959Third, JSON::XS recurses using the C stack when decoding objects and 1391Third, JSON::XS recurses using the C stack when decoding objects and
960arrays. The C stack is a limited resource: for instance, on my amd64 1392arrays. The C stack is a limited resource: for instance, on my amd64
961machine with 8MB of stack size I can decode around 180k nested arrays but 1393machine with 8MB of stack size I can decode around 180k nested arrays but
962only 14k nested JSON objects (due to perl itself recursing deeply on croak 1394only 14k nested JSON objects (due to perl itself recursing deeply on croak
963to free the temporary). If that is exceeded, the program crashes. to be 1395to free the temporary). If that is exceeded, the program crashes. To be
964conservative, the default nesting limit is set to 512. If your process 1396conservative, the default nesting limit is set to 512. If your process
965has a smaller stack, you should adjust this setting accordingly with the 1397has a smaller stack, you should adjust this setting accordingly with the
966C<max_depth> method. 1398C<max_depth> method.
967 1399
968And last but least, something else could bomb you that I forgot to think 1400Something else could bomb you, too, that I forgot to think of. In that
969of. In that case, you get to keep the pieces. I am always open for hints, 1401case, you get to keep the pieces. I am always open for hints, though...
970though... 1402
1403Also keep in mind that JSON::XS might leak contents of your Perl data
1404structures in its error messages, so when you serialise sensitive
1405information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by JSON::XS
1406will not end up in front of untrusted eyes.
971 1407
972If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption 1408If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption
973by javascript scripts in a browser you should have a look at 1409by JavaScript scripts in a browser you should have a look at
974L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see wether 1410L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see whether
975you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser 1411you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser
976design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major 1412design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major
977browser developers care only for features, not about doing security 1413browser developers care only for features, not about getting security
978right). 1414right).
979 1415
980 1416
981=head1 THREADS 1417=head1 THREADS
982 1418
983This module is I<not> guarenteed to be thread safe and there are no 1419This module is I<not> guaranteed to be thread safe and there are no
984plans to change this until Perl gets thread support (as opposed to the 1420plans to change this until Perl gets thread support (as opposed to the
985horribly slow so-called "threads" which are simply slow and bloated 1421horribly slow so-called "threads" which are simply slow and bloated
986process simulations - use fork, its I<much> faster, cheaper, better). 1422process simulations - use fork, it's I<much> faster, cheaper, better).
987 1423
988(It might actually work, but you ahve ben warned). 1424(It might actually work, but you have been warned).
989 1425
990 1426
991=head1 BUGS 1427=head1 BUGS
992 1428
993While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does 1429While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does
994not mean its bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. It is 1430not mean it's bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. If you
995still relatively early in its development. If you keep reporting bugs they 1431keep reporting bugs they will be fixed swiftly, though.
996will be fixed swiftly, though.
997 1432
998Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting 1433Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting
999service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason. 1434service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason.
1000 1435
1001=cut 1436=cut
1021 "--" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} - 1 }, 1456 "--" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} - 1 },
1022 fallback => 1; 1457 fallback => 1;
1023 1458
10241; 14591;
1025 1460
1461=head1 SEE ALSO
1462
1463The F<json_xs> command line utility for quick experiments.
1464
1026=head1 AUTHOR 1465=head1 AUTHOR
1027 1466
1028 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1467 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1029 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1468 http://home.schmorp.de/
1030 1469

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