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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
37primary 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
38I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C. 38I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C.
39 39
40Beginning with version 2.0 of the JSON module, when both JSON and 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 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 42overridden) with no overhead due to emulation (by inheriting constructor
43and methods). If JSON::XS is not available, it will fall back to the 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 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 45gives you a portable JSON API that can be fast when you need it and
46require a C compiler when that is a problem. 46doesn't require a C compiler when that is a problem.
47 47
48As 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
49to 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
50modules, 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
51their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug 51their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug
52reports for other reasons. 52reports for other reasons.
53 53
54See COMPARISON, below, for a comparison to some other JSON modules.
55
56See 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
57vice versa. 55vice versa.
58 56
59=head2 FEATURES 57=head2 FEATURES
60 58
65This module knows how to handle Unicode, documents how and when it does 63This module knows how to handle Unicode, documents how and when it does
66so, and even documents what "correct" means. 64so, and even documents what "correct" means.
67 65
68=item * round-trip integrity 66=item * round-trip integrity
69 67
70When you serialise a perl data structure using only datatypes supported 68When you serialise a perl data structure using only data types supported
71by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level. 69by JSON and Perl, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl
72(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks 70level. (e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because
73like a number). There minor I<are> exceptions to this, read the MAPPING 71it looks like a number). There I<are> minor exceptions to this, read the
74section below to learn about those. 72MAPPING section below to learn about those.
75 73
76=item * strict checking of JSON correctness 74=item * strict checking of JSON correctness
77 75
78There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default, 76There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default,
79and 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
84Compared to other JSON modules and other serialisers such as Storable, 82Compared to other JSON modules and other serialisers such as Storable,
85this module usually compares favourably in terms of speed, too. 83this module usually compares favourably in terms of speed, too.
86 84
87=item * simple to use 85=item * simple to use
88 86
89This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an objetc 87This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an object
90oriented interface interface. 88oriented interface.
91 89
92=item * reasonably versatile output formats 90=item * reasonably versatile output formats
93 91
94You can choose between the most compact guaranteed-single-line format 92You can choose between the most compact guaranteed-single-line format
95possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ascii format 93possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ASCII format
96(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
97Unicode 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
98stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like. 96stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like.
99 97
100=back 98=back
101 99
102=cut 100=cut
103 101
104package JSON::XS; 102package JSON::XS;
105 103
106use strict; 104use common::sense;
107 105
108our $VERSION = '2.1'; 106our $VERSION = 3.04;
109our @ISA = qw(Exporter); 107our @ISA = qw(Exporter);
110 108
111our @EXPORT = qw(encode_json decode_json to_json from_json); 109our @EXPORT = qw(encode_json decode_json);
112
113sub to_json($) {
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}
122 110
123use Exporter; 111use Exporter;
124use XSLoader; 112use XSLoader;
125 113
114use Types::Serialiser ();
115
126=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE 116=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE
127 117
128The following convenience methods are provided by this module. They are 118The following convenience methods are provided by this module. They are
129exported by default: 119exported by default:
130 120
137 127
138This function call is functionally identical to: 128This function call is functionally identical to:
139 129
140 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar) 130 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar)
141 131
142except being faster. 132Except being faster.
143 133
144=item $perl_scalar = decode_json $json_text 134=item $perl_scalar = decode_json $json_text
145 135
146The opposite of C<encode_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries 136The opposite of C<encode_json>: expects a UTF-8 (binary) string and tries
147to parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting 137to parse that as a UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting
148reference. Croaks on error. 138reference. Croaks on error.
149 139
150This function call is functionally identical to: 140This function call is functionally identical to:
151 141
152 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text) 142 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text)
153 143
154except being faster. 144Except being faster.
155
156=item $is_boolean = JSON::XS::is_bool $scalar
157
158Returns true if the passed scalar represents either JSON::XS::true or
159JSON::XS::false, two constants that act like C<1> and C<0>, respectively
160and are used to represent JSON C<true> and C<false> values in Perl.
161
162See MAPPING, below, for more information on how JSON values are mapped to
163Perl.
164 145
165=back 146=back
166 147
167 148
168=head1 A FEW NOTES ON UNICODE AND PERL 149=head1 A FEW NOTES ON UNICODE AND PERL
197 178
198If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't 179If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't
199exist. 180exist.
200 181
201=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be 182=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be
202validly interpreted as a Unicode codepoint. 183validly interpreted as a Unicode code point.
203 184
204If you have UTF-8 encoded data, it is no longer a Unicode string, but a 185If 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. 186Unicode string encoded in UTF-8, giving you a binary string.
206 187
207=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string. 188=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string.
221=over 4 202=over 4
222 203
223=item $json = new JSON::XS 204=item $json = new JSON::XS
224 205
225Creates a new JSON::XS object that can be used to de/encode JSON 206Creates a new JSON::XS object that can be used to de/encode JSON
226strings. All boolean flags described below are by default I<disabled>. 207strings. All boolean flags described below are by default I<disabled>
208(with the exception of C<allow_nonref>, which defaults to I<enabled> since
209version C<4.0>).
227 210
228The mutators for flags all return the JSON object again and thus calls can 211The mutators for flags all return the JSON object again and thus calls can
229be chained: 212be chained:
230 213
231 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]}) 214 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]})
289 272
290=item $enabled = $json->get_utf8 273=item $enabled = $json->get_utf8
291 274
292If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode 275If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode
293the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the 276the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the
294C<decode> method expects to be handled an UTF-8-encoded string. Please 277C<decode> method expects to be handed a UTF-8-encoded string. Please
295note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the 278note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the
296range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future 279range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future
297versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16 280versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16
298and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627. 281and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627.
299 282
384 367
385=item $enabled = $json->get_relaxed 368=item $enabled = $json->get_relaxed
386 369
387If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<decode> will accept some 370If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<decode> will accept some
388extensions to normal JSON syntax (see below). C<encode> will not be 371extensions to normal JSON syntax (see below). C<encode> will not be
389affected in anyway. I<Be aware that this option makes you accept invalid 372affected in any way. I<Be aware that this option makes you accept invalid
390JSON texts as if they were valid!>. I suggest only to use this option to 373JSON texts as if they were valid!>. I suggest only to use this option to
391parse application-specific files written by humans (configuration files, 374parse application-specific files written by humans (configuration files,
392resource files etc.) 375resource files etc.)
393 376
394If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<decode> will only accept 377If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<decode> will only accept
423 [ 406 [
424 1, # this comment not allowed in JSON 407 1, # this comment not allowed in JSON
425 # neither this one... 408 # neither this one...
426 ] 409 ]
427 410
411=item * literal ASCII TAB characters in strings
412
413Literal ASCII TAB characters are now allowed in strings (and treated as
414C<\t>).
415
416 [
417 "Hello\tWorld",
418 "Hello<TAB>World", # literal <TAB> would not normally be allowed
419 ]
420
428=back 421=back
429 422
430=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable]) 423=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable])
431 424
432=item $enabled = $json->get_canonical 425=item $enabled = $json->get_canonical
434If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects 427If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects
435by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead. 428by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead.
436 429
437If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value 430If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value
438pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs 431pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs
439of the same script). 432of the same script, and can change even within the same run from 5.18
433onwards).
440 434
441This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as 435This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as
442the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled, 436the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled,
443the same hash might be encoded differently even if contains the same data, 437the same hash might be encoded differently even if contains the same data,
444as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl. 438as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl.
445 439
446This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 440This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
447 441
442This setting has currently no effect on tied hashes.
443
448=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable]) 444=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable])
449 445
450=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_nonref 446=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_nonref
447
448Unlike other boolean options, this opotion is enabled by default beginning
449with version C<4.0>. See L<SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS> for the gory details.
451 450
452If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a 451If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a
453non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value, 452non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value,
454which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON 453which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON
455values instead of croaking. 454values instead of croaking.
457If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will croak if it isn't 456If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will croak if it isn't
458passed an arrayref or hashref, as JSON texts must either be an object 457passed an arrayref or hashref, as JSON texts must either be an object
459or array. Likewise, C<decode> will croak if given something that is not a 458or array. Likewise, C<decode> will croak if given something that is not a
460JSON object or array. 459JSON object or array.
461 460
462Example, encode a Perl scalar as JSON value with enabled C<allow_nonref>, 461Example, encode a Perl scalar as JSON value without enabled C<allow_nonref>,
463resulting in an invalid JSON text: 462resulting in an error:
464 463
465 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!") 464 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref (0)->encode ("Hello, World!")
466 => "Hello, World!" 465 => hash- or arrayref expected...
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.
467 482
468=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable]) 483=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable])
469 484
470=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_blessed 485=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_blessed
471 486
487See L<OBJECT SERIALISATION> for details.
488
472If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not 489If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not
473barf when it encounters a blessed reference. Instead, the value of the 490barf when it encounters a blessed reference that it cannot convert
474B<convert_blessed> option will decide whether C<null> (C<convert_blessed> 491otherwise. Instead, a JSON C<null> value is encoded instead of the object.
475disabled or no C<TO_JSON> method found) or a representation of the
476object (C<convert_blessed> enabled and C<TO_JSON> method found) is being
477encoded. Has no effect on C<decode>.
478 492
479If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an 493If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an
480exception when it encounters a blessed object. 494exception when it encounters a blessed object that it cannot convert
495otherwise.
496
497This setting has no effect on C<decode>.
481 498
482=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable]) 499=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable])
483 500
484=item $enabled = $json->get_convert_blessed 501=item $enabled = $json->get_convert_blessed
502
503See L<OBJECT SERIALISATION> for details.
485 504
486If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a 505If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a
487blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method 506blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method
488on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context 507on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context and
489and the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object. If no 508the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object.
490C<TO_JSON> method is found, the value of C<allow_blessed> will decide what
491to do.
492 509
493The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON> 510The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON>
494returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same 511returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same
495way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle 512way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle
496(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other 513(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other
497methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are 514methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are
498usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with any C<to_json> 515usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with any C<to_json>
499function or method. 516function or method.
500 517
501This setting does not yet influence C<decode> in any way, but in the 518If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will not consider
502future, global hooks might get installed that influence C<decode> and are 519this type of conversion.
503enabled by this setting.
504 520
505If C<$enable> is false, then the C<allow_blessed> setting will decide what 521This setting has no effect on C<decode>.
506to do when a blessed object is found. 522
523=item $json = $json->allow_tags ([$enable])
524
525=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_tags
526
527See L<OBJECT SERIALISATION> for details.
528
529If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a
530blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<FREEZE> method on
531the object's class. If found, it will be used to serialise the object into
532a nonstandard tagged JSON value (that JSON decoders cannot decode).
533
534It also causes C<decode> to parse such tagged JSON values and deserialise
535them via a call to the C<THAW> method.
536
537If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will not consider
538this type of conversion, and tagged JSON values will cause a parse error
539in C<decode>, as if tags were not part of the grammar.
507 540
508=item $json = $json->filter_json_object ([$coderef->($hashref)]) 541=item $json = $json->filter_json_object ([$coderef->($hashref)])
509 542
510When C<$coderef> is specified, it will be called from C<decode> each 543When C<$coderef> is specified, it will be called from C<decode> each
511time it decodes a JSON object. The only argument is a reference to the 544time it decodes a JSON object. The only argument is a reference to
512newly-created hash. If the code references returns a single scalar (which 545the newly-created hash. If the code reference returns a single scalar
513need not be a reference), this value (i.e. a copy of that scalar to avoid 546(which need not be a reference), this value (or rather a copy of it) is
514aliasing) is inserted into the deserialised data structure. If it returns 547inserted into the deserialised data structure. If it returns an empty
515an empty list (NOTE: I<not> C<undef>, which is a valid scalar), the 548list (NOTE: I<not> C<undef>, which is a valid scalar), the original
516original deserialised hash will be inserted. This setting can slow down 549deserialised hash will be inserted. This setting can slow down decoding
517decoding considerably. 550considerably.
518 551
519When C<$coderef> is omitted or undefined, any existing callback will 552When C<$coderef> is omitted or undefined, any existing callback will
520be removed and C<decode> will not change the deserialised hash in any 553be removed and C<decode> will not change the deserialised hash in any
521way. 554way.
522 555
612=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth]) 645=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth])
613 646
614=item $max_depth = $json->get_max_depth 647=item $max_depth = $json->get_max_depth
615 648
616Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding 649Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding
617or decoding. If the JSON text or Perl data structure has an equal or 650or decoding. If a higher nesting level is detected in JSON text or a Perl
618higher nesting level then this limit, then the encoder and decoder will 651data structure, then the encoder and decoder will stop and croak at that
619stop and croak at that point. 652point.
620 653
621Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder 654Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder
622needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[> 655needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[>
623characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a 656characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a
624given character in a string. 657given character in a string.
625 658
626Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures 659Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures
627that the object is only a single hash/object or array. 660that the object is only a single hash/object or array.
628 661
629The argument to C<max_depth> will be rounded up to the next highest power
630of two. If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be 662If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be used, which
631used, which is rarely useful. 663is rarely useful.
664
665Note that nesting is implemented by recursion in C. The default value has
666been chosen to be as large as typical operating systems allow without
667crashing.
632 668
633See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 669See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
634 670
635=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size]) 671=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size])
636 672
637=item $max_size = $json->get_max_size 673=item $max_size = $json->get_max_size
638 674
639Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is 675Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is
640being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode> 676being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode>
641is called on a string longer then this number of characters it will not 677is called on a string that is longer then this many bytes, it will not
642attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no 678attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no
643effect on C<encode> (yet). 679effect on C<encode> (yet).
644 680
645The argument to C<max_size> will be rounded up to the next B<highest> 681If no argument is given, the limit check will be deactivated (same as when
646power of two (so may be more than requested). If no argument is given, the 682C<0> is specified).
647limit check will be deactivated (same as when C<0> is specified).
648 683
649See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 684See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
650 685
651=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar) 686=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar)
652 687
653Converts the given Perl data structure (a simple scalar or a reference 688Converts the given Perl value or data structure to its JSON
654to a hash or array) to its JSON representation. Simple scalars will be 689representation. Croaks on error.
655converted into JSON string or number sequences, while references to arrays
656become JSON arrays and references to hashes become JSON objects. Undefined
657Perl values (e.g. C<undef>) become JSON C<null> values. Neither C<true>
658nor C<false> values will be generated.
659 690
660=item $perl_scalar = $json->decode ($json_text) 691=item $perl_scalar = $json->decode ($json_text)
661 692
662The opposite of C<encode>: expects a JSON text and tries to parse it, 693The opposite of C<encode>: expects a JSON text and tries to parse it,
663returning the resulting simple scalar or reference. Croaks on error. 694returning the resulting simple scalar or reference. Croaks on error.
664
665JSON numbers and strings become simple Perl scalars. JSON arrays become
666Perl arrayrefs and JSON objects become Perl hashrefs. C<true> becomes
667C<1>, C<false> becomes C<0> and C<null> becomes C<undef>.
668 695
669=item ($perl_scalar, $characters) = $json->decode_prefix ($json_text) 696=item ($perl_scalar, $characters) = $json->decode_prefix ($json_text)
670 697
671This works like the C<decode> method, but instead of raising an exception 698This works like the C<decode> method, but instead of raising an exception
672when there is trailing garbage after the first JSON object, it will 699when there is trailing garbage after the first JSON object, it will
673silently stop parsing there and return the number of characters consumed 700silently stop parsing there and return the number of characters consumed
674so far. 701so far.
675 702
676This is useful if your JSON texts are not delimited by an outer protocol 703This is useful if your JSON texts are not delimited by an outer protocol
677(which is not the brightest thing to do in the first place) and you need
678to know where the JSON text ends. 704and you need to know where the JSON text ends.
679 705
680 JSON::XS->new->decode_prefix ("[1] the tail") 706 JSON::XS->new->decode_prefix ("[1] the tail")
681 => ([], 3) 707 => ([1], 3)
682 708
683=back 709=back
710
711
712=head1 INCREMENTAL PARSING
713
714In some cases, there is the need for incremental parsing of JSON
715texts. While this module always has to keep both JSON text and resulting
716Perl data structure in memory at one time, it does allow you to parse a
717JSON stream incrementally. It does so by accumulating text until it has
718a full JSON object, which it then can decode. This process is similar to
719using C<decode_prefix> to see if a full JSON object is available, but
720is much more efficient (and can be implemented with a minimum of method
721calls).
722
723JSON::XS will only attempt to parse the JSON text once it is sure it
724has enough text to get a decisive result, using a very simple but
725truly incremental parser. This means that it sometimes won't stop as
726early as the full parser, for example, it doesn't detect mismatched
727parentheses. The only thing it guarantees is that it starts decoding as
728soon as a syntactically valid JSON text has been seen. This means you need
729to set resource limits (e.g. C<max_size>) to ensure the parser will stop
730parsing in the presence if syntax errors.
731
732The following methods implement this incremental parser.
733
734=over 4
735
736=item [void, scalar or list context] = $json->incr_parse ([$string])
737
738This is the central parsing function. It can both append new text and
739extract objects from the stream accumulated so far (both of these
740functions are optional).
741
742If C<$string> is given, then this string is appended to the already
743existing JSON fragment stored in the C<$json> object.
744
745After that, if the function is called in void context, it will simply
746return without doing anything further. This can be used to add more text
747in as many chunks as you want.
748
749If the method is called in scalar context, then it will try to extract
750exactly I<one> JSON object. If that is successful, it will return this
751object, otherwise it will return C<undef>. If there is a parse error,
752this method will croak just as C<decode> would do (one can then use
753C<incr_skip> to skip the erroneous part). This is the most common way of
754using the method.
755
756And finally, in list context, it will try to extract as many objects
757from the stream as it can find and return them, or the empty list
758otherwise. For this to work, there must be no separators (other than
759whitespace) between the JSON objects or arrays, instead they must be
760concatenated back-to-back. If an error occurs, an exception will be
761raised as in the scalar context case. Note that in this case, any
762previously-parsed JSON texts will be lost.
763
764Example: Parse some JSON arrays/objects in a given string and return
765them.
766
767 my @objs = JSON::XS->new->incr_parse ("[5][7][1,2]");
768
769=item $lvalue_string = $json->incr_text
770
771This method returns the currently stored JSON fragment as an lvalue, that
772is, you can manipulate it. This I<only> works when a preceding call to
773C<incr_parse> in I<scalar context> successfully returned an object. Under
774all other circumstances you must not call this function (I mean it.
775although in simple tests it might actually work, it I<will> fail under
776real world conditions). As a special exception, you can also call this
777method before having parsed anything.
778
779That means you can only use this function to look at or manipulate text
780before or after complete JSON objects, not while the parser is in the
781middle of parsing a JSON object.
782
783This function is useful in two cases: a) finding the trailing text after a
784JSON object or b) parsing multiple JSON objects separated by non-JSON text
785(such as commas).
786
787=item $json->incr_skip
788
789This will reset the state of the incremental parser and will remove
790the parsed text from the input buffer so far. This is useful after
791C<incr_parse> died, in which case the input buffer and incremental parser
792state is left unchanged, to skip the text parsed so far and to reset the
793parse state.
794
795The difference to C<incr_reset> is that only text until the parse error
796occurred is removed.
797
798=item $json->incr_reset
799
800This completely resets the incremental parser, that is, after this call,
801it will be as if the parser had never parsed anything.
802
803This is useful if you want to repeatedly parse JSON objects and want to
804ignore any trailing data, which means you have to reset the parser after
805each successful decode.
806
807=back
808
809=head2 LIMITATIONS
810
811All options that affect decoding are supported, except
812C<allow_nonref>. The reason for this is that it cannot be made to work
813sensibly: JSON objects and arrays are self-delimited, i.e. you can
814concatenate them back to back and still decode them perfectly. This does
815not hold true for JSON numbers, however.
816
817For example, is the string C<1> a single JSON number, or is it simply the
818start of C<12>? Or is C<12> a single JSON number, or the concatenation
819of C<1> and C<2>? In neither case you can tell, and this is why JSON::XS
820takes the conservative route and disallows this case.
821
822=head2 EXAMPLES
823
824Some examples will make all this clearer. First, a simple example that
825works similarly to C<decode_prefix>: We want to decode the JSON object at
826the start of a string and identify the portion after the JSON object:
827
828 my $text = "[1,2,3] hello";
829
830 my $json = new JSON::XS;
831
832 my $obj = $json->incr_parse ($text)
833 or die "expected JSON object or array at beginning of string";
834
835 my $tail = $json->incr_text;
836 # $tail now contains " hello"
837
838Easy, isn't it?
839
840Now for a more complicated example: Imagine a hypothetical protocol where
841you read some requests from a TCP stream, and each request is a JSON
842array, without any separation between them (in fact, it is often useful to
843use newlines as "separators", as these get interpreted as whitespace at
844the start of the JSON text, which makes it possible to test said protocol
845with C<telnet>...).
846
847Here is how you'd do it (it is trivial to write this in an event-based
848manner):
849
850 my $json = new JSON::XS;
851
852 # read some data from the socket
853 while (sysread $socket, my $buf, 4096) {
854
855 # split and decode as many requests as possible
856 for my $request ($json->incr_parse ($buf)) {
857 # act on the $request
858 }
859 }
860
861Another complicated example: Assume you have a string with JSON objects
862or arrays, all separated by (optional) comma characters (e.g. C<[1],[2],
863[3]>). To parse them, we have to skip the commas between the JSON texts,
864and here is where the lvalue-ness of C<incr_text> comes in useful:
865
866 my $text = "[1],[2], [3]";
867 my $json = new JSON::XS;
868
869 # void context, so no parsing done
870 $json->incr_parse ($text);
871
872 # now extract as many objects as possible. note the
873 # use of scalar context so incr_text can be called.
874 while (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
875 # do something with $obj
876
877 # now skip the optional comma
878 $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* , //x;
879 }
880
881Now lets go for a very complex example: Assume that you have a gigantic
882JSON array-of-objects, many gigabytes in size, and you want to parse it,
883but you cannot load it into memory fully (this has actually happened in
884the real world :).
885
886Well, you lost, you have to implement your own JSON parser. But JSON::XS
887can still help you: You implement a (very simple) array parser and let
888JSON decode the array elements, which are all full JSON objects on their
889own (this wouldn't work if the array elements could be JSON numbers, for
890example):
891
892 my $json = new JSON::XS;
893
894 # open the monster
895 open my $fh, "<bigfile.json"
896 or die "bigfile: $!";
897
898 # first parse the initial "["
899 for (;;) {
900 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
901 or die "read error: $!";
902 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
903
904 # Exit the loop once we found and removed(!) the initial "[".
905 # In essence, we are (ab-)using the $json object as a simple scalar
906 # we append data to.
907 last if $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* \[ //x;
908 }
909
910 # now we have the skipped the initial "[", so continue
911 # parsing all the elements.
912 for (;;) {
913 # in this loop we read data until we got a single JSON object
914 for (;;) {
915 if (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
916 # do something with $obj
917 last;
918 }
919
920 # add more data
921 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
922 or die "read error: $!";
923 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
924 }
925
926 # in this loop we read data until we either found and parsed the
927 # separating "," between elements, or the final "]"
928 for (;;) {
929 # first skip whitespace
930 $json->incr_text =~ s/^\s*//;
931
932 # if we find "]", we are done
933 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^\]//) {
934 print "finished.\n";
935 exit;
936 }
937
938 # if we find ",", we can continue with the next element
939 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^,//) {
940 last;
941 }
942
943 # if we find anything else, we have a parse error!
944 if (length $json->incr_text) {
945 die "parse error near ", $json->incr_text;
946 }
947
948 # else add more data
949 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
950 or die "read error: $!";
951 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
952 }
953
954This is a complex example, but most of the complexity comes from the fact
955that we are trying to be correct (bear with me if I am wrong, I never ran
956the above example :).
957
684 958
685 959
686=head1 MAPPING 960=head1 MAPPING
687 961
688This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and 962This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and
725If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent 999If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent
726it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as 1000it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as
727a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of 1001a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of
728precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value (in 1002precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value (in
729which case you lose roundtripping ability, as the JSON number will be 1003which case you lose roundtripping ability, as the JSON number will be
730re-encoded toa JSON string). 1004re-encoded to a JSON string).
731 1005
732Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be 1006Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be
733represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of 1007represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of
734precision (in which case you might lose perfect roundtripping ability, but 1008precision (in which case you might lose perfect roundtripping ability, but
735the JSON number will still be re-encoded as a JSON number). 1009the JSON number will still be re-encoded as a JSON number).
736 1010
1011Note that precision is not accuracy - binary floating point values cannot
1012represent most decimal fractions exactly, and when converting from and to
1013floating point, JSON::XS only guarantees precision up to but not including
1014the least significant bit.
1015
737=item true, false 1016=item true, false
738 1017
739These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>, 1018These JSON atoms become C<Types::Serialiser::true> and
740respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers 1019C<Types::Serialiser::false>, respectively. They are overloaded to act
741C<1> and C<0>. You can check whether a scalar is a JSON boolean by using 1020almost exactly like the numbers C<1> and C<0>. You can check whether
742the C<JSON::XS::is_bool> function. 1021a scalar is a JSON boolean by using the C<Types::Serialiser::is_bool>
1022function (after C<use Types::Serialier>, of course).
743 1023
744=item null 1024=item null
745 1025
746A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl. 1026A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl.
1027
1028=item shell-style comments (C<< # I<text> >>)
1029
1030As a nonstandard extension to the JSON syntax that is enabled by the
1031C<relaxed> setting, shell-style comments are allowed. They can start
1032anywhere outside strings and go till the end of the line.
1033
1034=item tagged values (C<< (I<tag>)I<value> >>).
1035
1036Another nonstandard extension to the JSON syntax, enabled with the
1037C<allow_tags> setting, are tagged values. In this implementation, the
1038I<tag> must be a perl package/class name encoded as a JSON string, and the
1039I<value> must be a JSON array encoding optional constructor arguments.
1040
1041See L<OBJECT SERIALISATION>, below, for details.
747 1042
748=back 1043=back
749 1044
750 1045
751=head2 PERL -> JSON 1046=head2 PERL -> JSON
756 1051
757=over 4 1052=over 4
758 1053
759=item hash references 1054=item hash references
760 1055
761Perl hash references become JSON objects. As there is no inherent ordering 1056Perl hash references become JSON objects. As there is no inherent
762in hash keys (or JSON objects), they will usually be encoded in a 1057ordering in hash keys (or JSON objects), they will usually be encoded
763pseudo-random order that can change between runs of the same program but 1058in a pseudo-random order. JSON::XS can optionally sort the hash keys
764stays generally the same within a single run of a program. JSON::XS can 1059(determined by the I<canonical> flag), so the same datastructure will
765optionally sort the hash keys (determined by the I<canonical> flag), so 1060serialise to the same JSON text (given same settings and version of
766the same datastructure will serialise to the same JSON text (given same 1061JSON::XS), but this incurs a runtime overhead and is only rarely useful,
767settings and version of JSON::XS), but this incurs a runtime overhead 1062e.g. when you want to compare some JSON text against another for equality.
768and is only rarely useful, e.g. when you want to compare some JSON text
769against another for equality.
770 1063
771=item array references 1064=item array references
772 1065
773Perl array references become JSON arrays. 1066Perl array references become JSON arrays.
774 1067
775=item other references 1068=item other references
776 1069
777Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an 1070Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an
778exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and 1071exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and
779C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can 1072C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON.
780also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability.
781 1073
1074Since C<JSON::XS> uses the boolean model from L<Types::Serialiser>, you
1075can also C<use Types::Serialiser> and then use C<Types::Serialiser::false>
1076and C<Types::Serialiser::true> to improve readability.
1077
1078 use Types::Serialiser;
782 encode_json [\0,JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true] 1079 encode_json [\0, Types::Serialiser::true] # yields [false,true]
783 1080
784=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false 1081=item Types::Serialiser::true, Types::Serialiser::false
785 1082
786These special values become JSON true and JSON false values, 1083These special values from the L<Types::Serialiser> module become JSON true
787respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want. 1084and JSON false values, respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0>
1085directly if you want.
788 1086
789=item blessed objects 1087=item blessed objects
790 1088
791Blessed objects are not directly representable in JSON. See the 1089Blessed objects are not directly representable in JSON, but C<JSON::XS>
792C<allow_blessed> and C<convert_blessed> methods on various options on 1090allows various ways of handling objects. See L<OBJECT SERIALISATION>,
793how to deal with this: basically, you can choose between throwing an 1091below, for details.
794exception, encoding the reference as if it weren't blessed, or provide
795your own serialiser method.
796 1092
797=item simple scalars 1093=item simple scalars
798 1094
799Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most 1095Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most
800difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as 1096difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as
825 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string 1121 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string
826 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number 1122 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number
827 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours. 1123 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours.
828 1124
829You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. Tell me 1125You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. Tell me
830if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why its needed 1126if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why it's needed
831:). 1127:).
832 1128
1129Note that numerical precision has the same meaning as under Perl (so
1130binary to decimal conversion follows the same rules as in Perl, which
1131can differ to other languages). Also, your perl interpreter might expose
1132extensions to the floating point numbers of your platform, such as
1133infinities or NaN's - these cannot be represented in JSON, and it is an
1134error to pass those in.
1135
833=back 1136=back
1137
1138=head2 OBJECT SERIALISATION
1139
1140As JSON cannot directly represent Perl objects, you have to choose between
1141a pure JSON representation (without the ability to deserialise the object
1142automatically again), and a nonstandard extension to the JSON syntax,
1143tagged values.
1144
1145=head3 SERIALISATION
1146
1147What happens when C<JSON::XS> encounters a Perl object depends on the
1148C<allow_blessed>, C<convert_blessed> and C<allow_tags> settings, which are
1149used in this order:
1150
1151=over 4
1152
1153=item 1. C<allow_tags> is enabled and the object has a C<FREEZE> method.
1154
1155In this case, C<JSON::XS> uses the L<Types::Serialiser> object
1156serialisation protocol to create a tagged JSON value, using a nonstandard
1157extension to the JSON syntax.
1158
1159This works by invoking the C<FREEZE> method on the object, with the first
1160argument being the object to serialise, and the second argument being the
1161constant string C<JSON> to distinguish it from other serialisers.
1162
1163The C<FREEZE> method can return any number of values (i.e. zero or
1164more). These values and the paclkage/classname of the object will then be
1165encoded as a tagged JSON value in the following format:
1166
1167 ("classname")[FREEZE return values...]
1168
1169e.g.:
1170
1171 ("URI")["http://www.google.com/"]
1172 ("MyDate")[2013,10,29]
1173 ("ImageData::JPEG")["Z3...VlCg=="]
1174
1175For example, the hypothetical C<My::Object> C<FREEZE> method might use the
1176objects C<type> and C<id> members to encode the object:
1177
1178 sub My::Object::FREEZE {
1179 my ($self, $serialiser) = @_;
1180
1181 ($self->{type}, $self->{id})
1182 }
1183
1184=item 2. C<convert_blessed> is enabled and the object has a C<TO_JSON> method.
1185
1186In this case, the C<TO_JSON> method of the object is invoked in scalar
1187context. It must return a single scalar that can be directly encoded into
1188JSON. This scalar replaces the object in the JSON text.
1189
1190For example, the following C<TO_JSON> method will convert all L<URI>
1191objects to JSON strings when serialised. The fatc that these values
1192originally were L<URI> objects is lost.
1193
1194 sub URI::TO_JSON {
1195 my ($uri) = @_;
1196 $uri->as_string
1197 }
1198
1199=item 3. C<allow_blessed> is enabled.
1200
1201The object will be serialised as a JSON null value.
1202
1203=item 4. none of the above
1204
1205If none of the settings are enabled or the respective methods are missing,
1206C<JSON::XS> throws an exception.
1207
1208=back
1209
1210=head3 DESERIALISATION
1211
1212For deserialisation there are only two cases to consider: either
1213nonstandard tagging was used, in which case C<allow_tags> decides,
1214or objects cannot be automatically be deserialised, in which
1215case you can use postprocessing or the C<filter_json_object> or
1216C<filter_json_single_key_object> callbacks to get some real objects our of
1217your JSON.
1218
1219This section only considers the tagged value case: I a tagged JSON object
1220is encountered during decoding and C<allow_tags> is disabled, a parse
1221error will result (as if tagged values were not part of the grammar).
1222
1223If C<allow_tags> is enabled, C<JSON::XS> will look up the C<THAW> method
1224of the package/classname used during serialisation (it will not attempt
1225to load the package as a Perl module). If there is no such method, the
1226decoding will fail with an error.
1227
1228Otherwise, the C<THAW> method is invoked with the classname as first
1229argument, the constant string C<JSON> as second argument, and all the
1230values from the JSON array (the values originally returned by the
1231C<FREEZE> method) as remaining arguments.
1232
1233The method must then return the object. While technically you can return
1234any Perl scalar, you might have to enable the C<enable_nonref> setting to
1235make that work in all cases, so better return an actual blessed reference.
1236
1237As an example, let's implement a C<THAW> function that regenerates the
1238C<My::Object> from the C<FREEZE> example earlier:
1239
1240 sub My::Object::THAW {
1241 my ($class, $serialiser, $type, $id) = @_;
1242
1243 $class->new (type => $type, id => $id)
1244 }
834 1245
835 1246
836=head1 ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES 1247=head1 ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES
837 1248
838The interested reader might have seen a number of flags that signify 1249The interested reader might have seen a number of flags that signify
839encodings or codesets - C<utf8>, C<latin1> and C<ascii>. There seems to be 1250encodings or codesets - C<utf8>, C<latin1> and C<ascii>. There seems to be
840some confusion on what these do, so here is a short comparison: 1251some confusion on what these do, so here is a short comparison:
841 1252
842C<utf8> controls wether the JSON text created by C<encode> (and expected 1253C<utf8> controls whether the JSON text created by C<encode> (and expected
843by C<decode>) is UTF-8 encoded or not, while C<latin1> and C<ascii> only 1254by C<decode>) is UTF-8 encoded or not, while C<latin1> and C<ascii> only
844control wether C<encode> escapes character values outside their respective 1255control whether C<encode> escapes character values outside their respective
845codeset range. Neither of these flags conflict with each other, although 1256codeset range. Neither of these flags conflict with each other, although
846some combinations make less sense than others. 1257some combinations make less sense than others.
847 1258
848Care has been taken to make all flags symmetrical with respect to 1259Care has been taken to make all flags symmetrical with respect to
849C<encode> and C<decode>, that is, texts encoded with any combination of 1260C<encode> and C<decode>, that is, texts encoded with any combination of
863=item C<utf8> flag disabled 1274=item C<utf8> flag disabled
864 1275
865When C<utf8> is disabled (the default), then C<encode>/C<decode> generate 1276When C<utf8> is disabled (the default), then C<encode>/C<decode> generate
866and expect Unicode strings, that is, characters with high ordinal Unicode 1277and expect Unicode strings, that is, characters with high ordinal Unicode
867values (> 255) will be encoded as such characters, and likewise such 1278values (> 255) will be encoded as such characters, and likewise such
868characters are decoded as-is, no canges to them will be done, except 1279characters are decoded as-is, no changes to them will be done, except
869"(re-)interpreting" them as Unicode codepoints or Unicode characters, 1280"(re-)interpreting" them as Unicode codepoints or Unicode characters,
870respectively (to Perl, these are the same thing in strings unless you do 1281respectively (to Perl, these are the same thing in strings unless you do
871funny/weird/dumb stuff). 1282funny/weird/dumb stuff).
872 1283
873This is useful when you want to do the encoding yourself (e.g. when you 1284This is useful when you want to do the encoding yourself (e.g. when you
883expect your input strings to be encoded as UTF-8, that is, no "character" 1294expect your input strings to be encoded as UTF-8, that is, no "character"
884of the input string must have any value > 255, as UTF-8 does not allow 1295of the input string must have any value > 255, as UTF-8 does not allow
885that. 1296that.
886 1297
887The C<utf8> flag therefore switches between two modes: disabled means you 1298The C<utf8> flag therefore switches between two modes: disabled means you
888will get a Unicode string in Perl, enabled means you get an UTF-8 encoded 1299will get a Unicode string in Perl, enabled means you get a UTF-8 encoded
889octet/binary string in Perl. 1300octet/binary string in Perl.
890 1301
891=item C<latin1> or C<ascii> flags enabled 1302=item C<latin1> or C<ascii> flags enabled
892 1303
893With C<latin1> (or C<ascii>) enabled, C<encode> will escape characters 1304With C<latin1> (or C<ascii>) enabled, C<encode> will escape characters
929proper subset of most 8-bit and multibyte encodings in use in the world. 1340proper subset of most 8-bit and multibyte encodings in use in the world.
930 1341
931=back 1342=back
932 1343
933 1344
934=head1 COMPARISON 1345=head2 JSON and ECMAscript
935 1346
936As already mentioned, this module was created because none of the existing 1347JSON syntax is based on how literals are represented in javascript (the
937JSON modules could be made to work correctly. First I will describe the 1348not-standardised predecessor of ECMAscript) which is presumably why it is
938problems (or pleasures) I encountered with various existing JSON modules, 1349called "JavaScript Object Notation".
939followed by some benchmark values. JSON::XS was designed not to suffer
940from any of these problems or limitations.
941 1350
942=over 4 1351However, JSON is not a subset (and also not a superset of course) of
1352ECMAscript (the standard) or javascript (whatever browsers actually
1353implement).
943 1354
944=item JSON 2.xx 1355If you want to use javascript's C<eval> function to "parse" JSON, you
1356might run into parse errors for valid JSON texts, or the resulting data
1357structure might not be queryable:
945 1358
946A marvellous piece of engineering, this module either uses JSON::XS 1359One of the problems is that U+2028 and U+2029 are valid characters inside
947directly when available (so will be 100% compatible with it, including 1360JSON strings, but are not allowed in ECMAscript string literals, so the
948speed), or it uses JSON::PP, which is basically JSON::XS translated to 1361following Perl fragment will not output something that can be guaranteed
949Pure Perl, which should be 100% compatible with JSON::XS, just a bit 1362to be parsable by javascript's C<eval>:
950slower.
951 1363
952You cannot really lose by using this module, especially as it tries very 1364 use JSON::XS;
953hard to work even with ancient Perl versions, while JSON::XS does not.
954 1365
955=item JSON 1.07 1366 print encode_json [chr 0x2028];
956 1367
957Slow (but very portable, as it is written in pure Perl). 1368The right fix for this is to use a proper JSON parser in your javascript
1369programs, and not rely on C<eval> (see for example Douglas Crockford's
1370F<json2.js> parser).
958 1371
959Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling (how JSON handles Unicode values is 1372If this is not an option, you can, as a stop-gap measure, simply encode to
960undocumented. One can get far by feeding it Unicode strings and doing 1373ASCII-only JSON:
961en-/decoding oneself, but Unicode escapes are not working properly).
962 1374
963No round-tripping (strings get clobbered if they look like numbers, e.g. 1375 use JSON::XS;
964the string C<2.0> will encode to C<2.0> instead of C<"2.0">, and that will
965decode into the number 2.
966 1376
967=item JSON::PC 0.01 1377 print JSON::XS->new->ascii->encode ([chr 0x2028]);
968 1378
969Very fast. 1379Note that this will enlarge the resulting JSON text quite a bit if you
1380have many non-ASCII characters. You might be tempted to run some regexes
1381to only escape U+2028 and U+2029, e.g.:
970 1382
971Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling. 1383 # DO NOT USE THIS!
1384 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ([chr 0x2028]);
1385 $json =~ s/\xe2\x80\xa8/\\u2028/g; # escape U+2028
1386 $json =~ s/\xe2\x80\xa9/\\u2029/g; # escape U+2029
1387 print $json;
972 1388
973No round-tripping. 1389Note that I<this is a bad idea>: the above only works for U+2028 and
1390U+2029 and thus only for fully ECMAscript-compliant parsers. Many existing
1391javascript implementations, however, have issues with other characters as
1392well - using C<eval> naively simply I<will> cause problems.
974 1393
975Has problems handling many Perl values (e.g. regex results and other magic 1394Another problem is that some javascript implementations reserve
976values will make it croak). 1395some property names for their own purposes (which probably makes
1396them non-ECMAscript-compliant). For example, Iceweasel reserves the
1397C<__proto__> property name for its own purposes.
977 1398
978Does not even generate valid JSON (C<{1,2}> gets converted to C<{1:2}> 1399If that is a problem, you could parse try to filter the resulting JSON
979which is not a valid JSON text. 1400output for these property strings, e.g.:
980 1401
981Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not 1402 $json =~ s/"__proto__"\s*:/"__proto__renamed":/g;
982getting fixed).
983 1403
984=item JSON::Syck 0.21 1404This works because C<__proto__> is not valid outside of strings, so every
1405occurrence of C<"__proto__"\s*:> must be a string used as property name.
985 1406
986Very buggy (often crashes). 1407If you know of other incompatibilities, please let me know.
987
988Very inflexible (no human-readable format supported, format pretty much
989undocumented. I need at least a format for easy reading by humans and a
990single-line compact format for use in a protocol, and preferably a way to
991generate ASCII-only JSON texts).
992
993Completely broken (and confusingly documented) Unicode handling (Unicode
994escapes are not working properly, you need to set ImplicitUnicode to
995I<different> values on en- and decoding to get symmetric behaviour).
996
997No round-tripping (simple cases work, but this depends on whether the scalar
998value was used in a numeric context or not).
999
1000Dumping hashes may skip hash values depending on iterator state.
1001
1002Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not
1003getting fixed).
1004
1005Does not check input for validity (i.e. will accept non-JSON input and
1006return "something" instead of raising an exception. This is a security
1007issue: imagine two banks transferring money between each other using
1008JSON. One bank might parse a given non-JSON request and deduct money,
1009while the other might reject the transaction with a syntax error. While a
1010good protocol will at least recover, that is extra unnecessary work and
1011the transaction will still not succeed).
1012
1013=item JSON::DWIW 0.04
1014
1015Very fast. Very natural. Very nice.
1016
1017Undocumented Unicode handling (but the best of the pack. Unicode escapes
1018still don't get parsed properly).
1019
1020Very inflexible.
1021
1022No round-tripping.
1023
1024Does not generate valid JSON texts (key strings are often unquoted, empty keys
1025result in nothing being output)
1026
1027Does not check input for validity.
1028
1029=back
1030 1408
1031 1409
1032=head2 JSON and YAML 1410=head2 JSON and YAML
1033 1411
1034You often hear that JSON is a subset of YAML. This is, however, a mass 1412You often hear that JSON is a subset of YAML. This is, however, a mass
1044 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n"; 1422 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n";
1045 1423
1046This will I<usually> generate JSON texts that also parse as valid 1424This will I<usually> generate JSON texts that also parse as valid
1047YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key 1425YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key
1048lengths that JSON doesn't have and also has different and incompatible 1426lengths that JSON doesn't have and also has different and incompatible
1049unicode handling, so you should make sure that your hash keys are 1427unicode character escape syntax, so you should make sure that your hash
1050noticeably shorter than the 1024 "stream characters" YAML allows and that 1428keys are noticeably shorter than the 1024 "stream characters" YAML allows
1051you do not have characters with codepoint values outside the Unicode BMP 1429and that you do not have characters with codepoint values outside the
1052(basic multilingual page). YAML also does not allow C<\/> sequences in 1430Unicode BMP (basic multilingual page). YAML also does not allow C<\/>
1053strings (which JSON::XS does not I<currently> generate, but other JSON 1431sequences in strings (which JSON::XS does not I<currently> generate, but
1054generators might). 1432other JSON generators might).
1055 1433
1056There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of (or the YAML 1434There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of (or the YAML
1057specification has been changed yet again - it does so quite often). In 1435specification has been changed yet again - it does so quite often). In
1058general you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice 1436general you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice
1059versa, or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are 1437versa, or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are
1078that difficult or long) and finally make YAML compatible to it, and 1456that difficult or long) and finally make YAML compatible to it, and
1079educating users about the changes, instead of spreading lies about the 1457educating users about the changes, instead of spreading lies about the
1080real compatibility for many I<years> and trying to silence people who 1458real compatibility for many I<years> and trying to silence people who
1081point out that it isn't true. 1459point out that it isn't true.
1082 1460
1461Addendum/2009: the YAML 1.2 spec is still incompatible with JSON, even
1462though the incompatibilities have been documented (and are known to Brian)
1463for many years and the spec makes explicit claims that YAML is a superset
1464of JSON. It would be so easy to fix, but apparently, bullying people and
1465corrupting userdata is so much easier.
1466
1083=back 1467=back
1084 1468
1085 1469
1086=head2 SPEED 1470=head2 SPEED
1087 1471
1092 1476
1093First comes a comparison between various modules using 1477First comes a comparison between various modules using
1094a very short single-line JSON string (also available at 1478a very short single-line JSON string (also available at
1095L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/short.json>). 1479L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/short.json>).
1096 1480
1097 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1", "we were just talking"], \ 1481 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1",
1098 "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7, true, false]} 1482 "we were just talking"], "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7,
1483 1, 0]}
1099 1484
1100It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses 1485It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses
1101the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface 1486the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface
1102with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables 1487with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables
1103shrink). Higher is better: 1488shrink. JSON::DWIW/DS uses the deserialise function, while JSON::DWIW::FJ
1489uses the from_json method). Higher is better:
1104 1490
1105 module | encode | decode | 1491 module | encode | decode |
1106 -----------|------------|------------| 1492 --------------|------------|------------|
1107 JSON 1.x | 4990.842 | 4088.813 | 1493 JSON::DWIW/DS | 86302.551 | 102300.098 |
1108 JSON::DWIW | 51653.990 | 71575.154 | 1494 JSON::DWIW/FJ | 86302.551 | 75983.768 |
1109 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 74631.744 | 1495 JSON::PP | 15827.562 | 6638.658 |
1110 JSON::PP | 8931.652 | 3817.168 | 1496 JSON::Syck | 63358.066 | 47662.545 |
1111 JSON::Syck | 24877.248 | 27776.848 | 1497 JSON::XS | 511500.488 | 511500.488 |
1112 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 227951.304 | 1498 JSON::XS/2 | 291271.111 | 388361.481 |
1113 JSON::XS/2 | 227951.304 | 218453.333 | 1499 JSON::XS/3 | 361577.931 | 361577.931 |
1114 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 218453.333 | 1500 Storable | 66788.280 | 265462.278 |
1115 Storable | 16500.016 | 135300.129 |
1116 -----------+------------+------------+ 1501 --------------+------------+------------+
1117 1502
1118That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding, 1503That is, JSON::XS is almost six times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding,
1119about three times faster on decoding, and over forty times faster 1504about five times faster on decoding, and over thirty to seventy times
1120than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares 1505faster than JSON's pure perl implementation. It also compares favourably
1121favourably to Storable for small amounts of data. 1506to Storable for small amounts of data.
1122 1507
1123Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals 1508Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals
1124search API (L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/long.json>). 1509search API (L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/long.json>).
1125 1510
1126 module | encode | decode | 1511 module | encode | decode |
1127 -----------|------------|------------| 1512 --------------|------------|------------|
1128 JSON 1.x | 55.260 | 34.971 | 1513 JSON::DWIW/DS | 1647.927 | 2673.916 |
1129 JSON::DWIW | 825.228 | 1082.513 | 1514 JSON::DWIW/FJ | 1630.249 | 2596.128 |
1130 JSON::PC | 3571.444 | 2394.829 |
1131 JSON::PP | 210.987 | 32.574 | 1515 JSON::PP | 400.640 | 62.311 |
1132 JSON::Syck | 552.551 | 787.544 | 1516 JSON::Syck | 1481.040 | 1524.869 |
1133 JSON::XS | 5780.463 | 4854.519 | 1517 JSON::XS | 20661.596 | 9541.183 |
1134 JSON::XS/2 | 3869.998 | 4798.975 | 1518 JSON::XS/2 | 10683.403 | 9416.938 |
1135 JSON::XS/3 | 5862.880 | 4798.975 | 1519 JSON::XS/3 | 20661.596 | 9400.054 |
1136 Storable | 4445.002 | 5235.027 | 1520 Storable | 19765.806 | 10000.725 |
1137 -----------+------------+------------+ 1521 --------------+------------+------------+
1138 1522
1139Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly 1523Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly
1140decodes faster). 1524decodes a bit faster).
1141 1525
1142On large strings containing lots of high Unicode characters, some modules 1526On large strings containing lots of high Unicode characters, some modules
1143(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result 1527(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result
1144will be broken due to missing (or wrong) Unicode handling. Others refuse 1528will be broken due to missing (or wrong) Unicode handling. Others refuse
1145to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair 1529to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair
1181information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by JSON::XS 1565information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by JSON::XS
1182will not end up in front of untrusted eyes. 1566will not end up in front of untrusted eyes.
1183 1567
1184If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption 1568If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption
1185by JavaScript scripts in a browser you should have a look at 1569by JavaScript scripts in a browser you should have a look at
1186L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see whether 1570L<http://blog.archive.jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security/> to
1187you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser 1571see whether you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really
1188design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major 1572are browser design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with
1189browser developers care only for features, not about getting security 1573it, as major browser developers care only for features, not about getting
1190right). 1574security right).
1191 1575
1192 1576
1577=head2 "OLD" VS. "NEW" JSON (RFC 4627 VS. RFC 7159)
1578
1579JSON originally required JSON texts to represent an array or object -
1580scalar values were explicitly not allowed. This has changed, and versions
1581of JSON::XS beginning with C<4.0> reflect this by allowing scalar values
1582by default.
1583
1584One reason why one might not want this is that this removes a fundamental
1585property of JSON texts, namely that they are self-delimited and
1586self-contained, or in other words, you could take any number of "old"
1587JSON texts and paste them together, and the result would be unambiguously
1588parseable:
1589
1590 [1,3]{"k":5}[][null] # four JSON texts, without doubt
1591
1592By allowing scalars, this property is lost: in the following example, is
1593this one JSON text (the number 12) or two JSON texts (the numbers 1 and
15942):
1595
1596 12 # could be 12, or 1 and 2
1597
1598Another lost property of "old" JSON is that no lookahead is required to
1599know the end of a JSON text, i.e. the JSON text definitely ended at the
1600last C<]> or C<}> character, there was no need to read extra characters.
1601
1602For example, a viable network protocol with "old" JSON was to simply
1603exchange JSON texts without delimiter. For "new" JSON, you have to use a
1604suitable delimiter (such as a newline) after every JSON text or ensure you
1605never encode/decode scalar values.
1606
1607Most protocols do work by only transferring arrays or objects, and the
1608easiest way to avoid problems with the "new" JSON definition is to
1609explicitly disallow scalar values in your encoder and decoder:
1610
1611 $json_coder = JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref (0)
1612
1613This is a somewhat unhappy situation, and the blame can fully be put on
1614JSON's inmventor, Douglas Crockford, who unilaterally changed the format
1615in 2006 without consulting the IETF, forcing the IETF to either fork the
1616format or go with it (as I was told, the IETF wasn't amused).
1617
1618
1619=head1 INTEROPERABILITY WITH OTHER MODULES
1620
1621C<JSON::XS> uses the L<Types::Serialiser> module to provide boolean
1622constants. That means that the JSON true and false values will be
1623comaptible to true and false values of other modules that do the same,
1624such as L<JSON::PP> and L<CBOR::XS>.
1625
1626
1627=head1 INTEROPERABILITY WITH OTHER JSON DECODERS
1628
1629As long as you only serialise data that can be directly expressed in JSON,
1630C<JSON::XS> is incapable of generating invalid JSON output (modulo bugs,
1631but C<JSON::XS> has found more bugs in the official JSON testsuite (1)
1632than the official JSON testsuite has found in C<JSON::XS> (0)).
1633
1634When you have trouble decoding JSON generated by this module using other
1635decoders, then it is very likely that you have an encoding mismatch or the
1636other decoder is broken.
1637
1638When decoding, C<JSON::XS> is strict by default and will likely catch all
1639errors. There are currently two settings that change this: C<relaxed>
1640makes C<JSON::XS> accept (but not generate) some non-standard extensions,
1641and C<allow_tags> will allow you to encode and decode Perl objects, at the
1642cost of not outputting valid JSON anymore.
1643
1644=head2 TAGGED VALUE SYNTAX AND STANDARD JSON EN/DECODERS
1645
1646When you use C<allow_tags> to use the extended (and also nonstandard and
1647invalid) JSON syntax for serialised objects, and you still want to decode
1648the generated When you want to serialise objects, you can run a regex
1649to replace the tagged syntax by standard JSON arrays (it only works for
1650"normal" package names without comma, newlines or single colons). First,
1651the readable Perl version:
1652
1653 # if your FREEZE methods return no values, you need this replace first:
1654 $json =~ s/\( \s* (" (?: [^\\":,]+|\\.|::)* ") \s* \) \s* \[\s*\]/[$1]/gx;
1655
1656 # this works for non-empty constructor arg lists:
1657 $json =~ s/\( \s* (" (?: [^\\":,]+|\\.|::)* ") \s* \) \s* \[/[$1,/gx;
1658
1659And here is a less readable version that is easy to adapt to other
1660languages:
1661
1662 $json =~ s/\(\s*("([^\\":,]+|\\.|::)*")\s*\)\s*\[/[$1,/g;
1663
1664Here is an ECMAScript version (same regex):
1665
1666 json = json.replace (/\(\s*("([^\\":,]+|\\.|::)*")\s*\)\s*\[/g, "[$1,");
1667
1668Since this syntax converts to standard JSON arrays, it might be hard to
1669distinguish serialised objects from normal arrays. You can prepend a
1670"magic number" as first array element to reduce chances of a collision:
1671
1672 $json =~ s/\(\s*("([^\\":,]+|\\.|::)*")\s*\)\s*\[/["XU1peReLzT4ggEllLanBYq4G9VzliwKF",$1,/g;
1673
1674And after decoding the JSON text, you could walk the data
1675structure looking for arrays with a first element of
1676C<XU1peReLzT4ggEllLanBYq4G9VzliwKF>.
1677
1678The same approach can be used to create the tagged format with another
1679encoder. First, you create an array with the magic string as first member,
1680the classname as second, and constructor arguments last, encode it as part
1681of your JSON structure, and then:
1682
1683 $json =~ s/\[\s*"XU1peReLzT4ggEllLanBYq4G9VzliwKF"\s*,\s*("([^\\":,]+|\\.|::)*")\s*,/($1)[/g;
1684
1685Again, this has some limitations - the magic string must not be encoded
1686with character escapes, and the constructor arguments must be non-empty.
1687
1688
1689=head1 RFC7159
1690
1691Since this module was written, Google has written a new JSON RFC, RFC 7159
1692(and RFC7158). Unfortunately, this RFC breaks compatibility with both the
1693original JSON specification on www.json.org and RFC4627.
1694
1695As far as I can see, you can get partial compatibility when parsing by
1696using C<< ->allow_nonref >>. However, consider the security implications
1697of doing so.
1698
1699I haven't decided yet when to break compatibility with RFC4627 by default
1700(and potentially leave applications insecure) and change the default to
1701follow RFC7159, but application authors are well advised to call C<<
1702->allow_nonref(0) >> even if this is the current default, if they cannot
1703handle non-reference values, in preparation for the day when the default
1704will change.
1705
1706
1193=head1 THREADS 1707=head1 (I-)THREADS
1194 1708
1195This module is I<not> guaranteed to be thread safe and there are no 1709This module is I<not> guaranteed to be ithread (or MULTIPLICITY-) safe
1196plans to change this until Perl gets thread support (as opposed to the 1710and there are no plans to change this. Note that perl's builtin so-called
1197horribly slow so-called "threads" which are simply slow and bloated 1711threads/ithreads are officially deprecated and should not be used.
1198process simulations - use fork, its I<much> faster, cheaper, better).
1199 1712
1200(It might actually work, but you have been warned). 1713
1714=head1 THE PERILS OF SETLOCALE
1715
1716Sometimes people avoid the Perl locale support and directly call the
1717system's setlocale function with C<LC_ALL>.
1718
1719This breaks both perl and modules such as JSON::XS, as stringification of
1720numbers no longer works correctly (e.g. C<$x = 0.1; print "$x"+1> might
1721print C<1>, and JSON::XS might output illegal JSON as JSON::XS relies on
1722perl to stringify numbers).
1723
1724The solution is simple: don't call C<setlocale>, or use it for only those
1725categories you need, such as C<LC_MESSAGES> or C<LC_CTYPE>.
1726
1727If you need C<LC_NUMERIC>, you should enable it only around the code that
1728actually needs it (avoiding stringification of numbers), and restore it
1729afterwards.
1201 1730
1202 1731
1203=head1 BUGS 1732=head1 BUGS
1204 1733
1205While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does 1734While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does
1206not mean its bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. It is 1735not mean it's bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. If you
1207still relatively early in its development. If you keep reporting bugs they 1736keep reporting bugs they will be fixed swiftly, though.
1208will be fixed swiftly, though.
1209 1737
1210Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting 1738Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting
1211service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason. 1739service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason.
1212 1740
1213=cut 1741=cut
1214 1742
1215our $true = do { bless \(my $dummy = 1), "JSON::XS::Boolean" }; 1743BEGIN {
1216our $false = do { bless \(my $dummy = 0), "JSON::XS::Boolean" }; 1744 *true = \$Types::Serialiser::true;
1745 *true = \&Types::Serialiser::true;
1746 *false = \$Types::Serialiser::false;
1747 *false = \&Types::Serialiser::false;
1748 *is_bool = \&Types::Serialiser::is_bool;
1217 1749
1218sub true() { $true } 1750 *JSON::XS::Boolean:: = *Types::Serialiser::Boolean::;
1219sub false() { $false }
1220
1221sub is_bool($) {
1222 UNIVERSAL::isa $_[0], "JSON::XS::Boolean"
1223# or UNIVERSAL::isa $_[0], "JSON::Literal"
1224} 1751}
1225 1752
1226XSLoader::load "JSON::XS", $VERSION; 1753XSLoader::load "JSON::XS", $VERSION;
1227 1754
1228package JSON::XS::Boolean; 1755=head1 SEE ALSO
1229 1756
1230use overload 1757The F<json_xs> command line utility for quick experiments.
1231 "0+" => sub { ${$_[0]} },
1232 "++" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} + 1 },
1233 "--" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} - 1 },
1234 fallback => 1;
1235
12361;
1237 1758
1238=head1 AUTHOR 1759=head1 AUTHOR
1239 1760
1240 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1761 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1241 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1762 http://home.schmorp.de/
1242 1763
1243=cut 1764=cut
1244 1765
17661
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