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Revision 1.47 by root, Mon Jun 25 06:57:42 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.96 by root, Wed Mar 26 01:40:42 2008 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3=encoding utf-8
4
3JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast 5JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast
6
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)
4 9
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 10=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 11
7 use JSON::XS; 12 use JSON::XS;
8 13
9 # exported functions, they croak on error 14 # exported functions, they croak on error
10 # and expect/generate UTF-8 15 # and expect/generate UTF-8
11 16
12 $utf8_encoded_json_text = to_json $perl_hash_or_arrayref; 17 $utf8_encoded_json_text = encode_json $perl_hash_or_arrayref;
13 $perl_hash_or_arrayref = from_json $utf8_encoded_json_text; 18 $perl_hash_or_arrayref = decode_json $utf8_encoded_json_text;
14
15 # objToJson and jsonToObj aliases to to_json and from_json
16 # are exported for compatibility to the JSON module,
17 # but should not be used in new code.
18 19
19 # OO-interface 20 # OO-interface
20 21
21 $coder = JSON::XS->new->ascii->pretty->allow_nonref; 22 $coder = JSON::XS->new->ascii->pretty->allow_nonref;
22 $pretty_printed_unencoded = $coder->encode ($perl_scalar); 23 $pretty_printed_unencoded = $coder->encode ($perl_scalar);
23 $perl_scalar = $coder->decode ($unicode_json_text); 24 $perl_scalar = $coder->decode ($unicode_json_text);
24 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
25=head1 DESCRIPTION 34=head1 DESCRIPTION
26 35
27This module converts Perl data structures to JSON and vice versa. Its 36This module converts Perl data structures to JSON and vice versa. Its
28primary 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
29I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C. 38I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C.
39
40Beginning with version 2.0 of the JSON module, when both JSON and
41JSON::XS are installed, then JSON will fall back on JSON::XS (this can be
42overriden) with no overhead due to emulation (by inheritign constructor
43and methods). If JSON::XS is not available, it will fall back to the
44compatible JSON::PP module as backend, so using JSON instead of JSON::XS
45gives you a portable JSON API that can be fast when you need and doesn't
46require a C compiler when that is a problem.
30 47
31As 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
32to 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
33modules, 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
34their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug 51their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug
41 58
42=head2 FEATURES 59=head2 FEATURES
43 60
44=over 4 61=over 4
45 62
46=item * correct unicode handling 63=item * correct Unicode handling
47 64
48This module knows how to handle Unicode, and even documents how and when 65This module knows how to handle Unicode, documents how and when it does
49it does so. 66so, and even documents what "correct" means.
50 67
51=item * round-trip integrity 68=item * round-trip integrity
52 69
53When you serialise a perl data structure using only datatypes supported 70When you serialise a perl data structure using only datatypes supported
54by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level. 71by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level.
55(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks 72(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks
56like a number). 73like a number). There minor I<are> exceptions to this, read the MAPPING
74section below to learn about those.
57 75
58=item * strict checking of JSON correctness 76=item * strict checking of JSON correctness
59 77
60There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default, 78There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default,
61and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security 79and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security
62feature). 80feature).
63 81
64=item * fast 82=item * fast
65 83
66Compared to other JSON modules, this module compares favourably in terms 84Compared to other JSON modules and other serialisers such as Storable,
67of speed, too. 85this module usually compares favourably in terms of speed, too.
68 86
69=item * simple to use 87=item * simple to use
70 88
71This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an OO 89This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an objetc
72interface. 90oriented interface interface.
73 91
74=item * reasonably versatile output formats 92=item * reasonably versatile output formats
75 93
76You can choose between the most compact guarenteed single-line format 94You can choose between the most compact guaranteed-single-line format
77possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ascii format 95possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ascii format
78(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole 96(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole
79unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that 97Unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that
80stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like. 98stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like.
81 99
82=back 100=back
83 101
84=cut 102=cut
85 103
86package JSON::XS; 104package JSON::XS;
87 105
88use strict; 106use strict;
89 107
90our $VERSION = '1.4'; 108our $VERSION = '2.1';
91our @ISA = qw(Exporter); 109our @ISA = qw(Exporter);
92 110
93our @EXPORT = qw(to_json from_json objToJson jsonToObj); 111our @EXPORT = qw(encode_json decode_json to_json from_json);
112
113sub to_json($) {
114 require Carp;
115 Carp::croak ("JSON::XS::to_json has been renamed to encode_json, either downgrade to pre-2.0 versions of JSON::XS or rename the call");
116}
117
118sub from_json($) {
119 require Carp;
120 Carp::croak ("JSON::XS::from_json has been renamed to decode_json, either downgrade to pre-2.0 versions of JSON::XS or rename the call");
121}
94 122
95use Exporter; 123use Exporter;
96use XSLoader; 124use XSLoader;
97 125
98=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE 126=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE
99 127
100The following convinience methods are provided by this module. They are 128The following convenience methods are provided by this module. They are
101exported by default: 129exported by default:
102 130
103=over 4 131=over 4
104 132
105=item $json_text = to_json $perl_scalar 133=item $json_text = encode_json $perl_scalar
106 134
107Converts the given Perl data structure (a simple scalar or a reference to 135Converts the given Perl data structure to a UTF-8 encoded, binary string
108a hash or array) to a UTF-8 encoded, binary string (that is, the string contains 136(that is, the string contains octets only). Croaks on error.
109octets only). Croaks on error.
110 137
111This function call is functionally identical to: 138This function call is functionally identical to:
112 139
113 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar) 140 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar)
114 141
115except being faster. 142except being faster.
116 143
117=item $perl_scalar = from_json $json_text 144=item $perl_scalar = decode_json $json_text
118 145
119The opposite of C<to_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries to 146The opposite of C<encode_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries
120parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting simple 147to parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting
121scalar or reference. Croaks on error. 148reference. Croaks on error.
122 149
123This function call is functionally identical to: 150This function call is functionally identical to:
124 151
125 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text) 152 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text)
126 153
136Perl. 163Perl.
137 164
138=back 165=back
139 166
140 167
168=head1 A FEW NOTES ON UNICODE AND PERL
169
170Since this often leads to confusion, here are a few very clear words on
171how Unicode works in Perl, modulo bugs.
172
173=over 4
174
175=item 1. Perl strings can store characters with ordinal values > 255.
176
177This enables you to store Unicode characters as single characters in a
178Perl string - very natural.
179
180=item 2. Perl does I<not> associate an encoding with your strings.
181
182... until you force it to, e.g. when matching it against a regex, or
183printing the scalar to a file, in which case Perl either interprets your
184string as locale-encoded text, octets/binary, or as Unicode, depending
185on various settings. In no case is an encoding stored together with your
186data, it is I<use> that decides encoding, not any magical meta data.
187
188=item 3. The internal utf-8 flag has no meaning with regards to the
189encoding of your string.
190
191Just ignore that flag unless you debug a Perl bug, a module written in
192XS or want to dive into the internals of perl. Otherwise it will only
193confuse you, as, despite the name, it says nothing about how your string
194is encoded. You can have Unicode strings with that flag set, with that
195flag clear, and you can have binary data with that flag set and that flag
196clear. Other possibilities exist, too.
197
198If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't
199exist.
200
201=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be
202validly interpreted as a Unicode codepoint.
203
204If you have UTF-8 encoded data, it is no longer a Unicode string, but a
205Unicode string encoded in UTF-8, giving you a binary string.
206
207=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string.
208
209It's a fact. Learn to live with it.
210
211=back
212
213I hope this helps :)
214
215
141=head1 OBJECT-ORIENTED INTERFACE 216=head1 OBJECT-ORIENTED INTERFACE
142 217
143The object oriented interface lets you configure your own encoding or 218The object oriented interface lets you configure your own encoding or
144decoding style, within the limits of supported formats. 219decoding style, within the limits of supported formats.
145 220
156 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]}) 231 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after->encode ({a => [1,2]})
157 => {"a": [1, 2]} 232 => {"a": [1, 2]}
158 233
159=item $json = $json->ascii ([$enable]) 234=item $json = $json->ascii ([$enable])
160 235
236=item $enabled = $json->get_ascii
237
161If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not 238If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not
162generate characters outside the code range C<0..127> (which is ASCII). Any 239generate characters outside the code range C<0..127> (which is ASCII). Any
163unicode characters outside that range will be escaped using either a 240Unicode characters outside that range will be escaped using either a
164single \uXXXX (BMP characters) or a double \uHHHH\uLLLLL escape sequence, 241single \uXXXX (BMP characters) or a double \uHHHH\uLLLLL escape sequence,
165as per RFC4627. The resulting encoded JSON text can be treated as a native 242as per RFC4627. The resulting encoded JSON text can be treated as a native
166unicode string, an ascii-encoded, latin1-encoded or UTF-8 encoded string, 243Unicode string, an ascii-encoded, latin1-encoded or UTF-8 encoded string,
167or any other superset of ASCII. 244or any other superset of ASCII.
168 245
169If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode 246If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode
170characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. This results 247characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. This results
171in a faster and more compact format. 248in a faster and more compact format.
172 249
250See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
251document.
252
173The main use for this flag is to produce JSON texts that can be 253The main use for this flag is to produce JSON texts that can be
174transmitted over a 7-bit channel, as the encoded JSON texts will not 254transmitted over a 7-bit channel, as the encoded JSON texts will not
175contain any 8 bit characters. 255contain any 8 bit characters.
176 256
177 JSON::XS->new->ascii (1)->encode ([chr 0x10401]) 257 JSON::XS->new->ascii (1)->encode ([chr 0x10401])
178 => ["\ud801\udc01"] 258 => ["\ud801\udc01"]
179 259
180=item $json = $json->latin1 ([$enable]) 260=item $json = $json->latin1 ([$enable])
181 261
262=item $enabled = $json->get_latin1
263
182If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode 264If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode
183the resulting JSON text as latin1 (or iso-8859-1), escaping any characters 265the resulting JSON text as latin1 (or iso-8859-1), escaping any characters
184outside the code range C<0..255>. The resulting string can be treated as a 266outside the code range C<0..255>. The resulting string can be treated as a
185latin1-encoded JSON text or a native unicode string. The C<decode> method 267latin1-encoded JSON text or a native Unicode string. The C<decode> method
186will not be affected in any way by this flag, as C<decode> by default 268will not be affected in any way by this flag, as C<decode> by default
187expects unicode, which is a strict superset of latin1. 269expects Unicode, which is a strict superset of latin1.
188 270
189If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode 271If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not escape Unicode
190characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags. 272characters unless required by the JSON syntax or other flags.
273
274See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
275document.
191 276
192The main use for this flag is efficiently encoding binary data as JSON 277The main use for this flag is efficiently encoding binary data as JSON
193text, as most octets will not be escaped, resulting in a smaller encoded 278text, as most octets will not be escaped, resulting in a smaller encoded
194size. The disadvantage is that the resulting JSON text is encoded 279size. The disadvantage is that the resulting JSON text is encoded
195in latin1 (and must correctly be treated as such when storing and 280in latin1 (and must correctly be treated as such when storing and
196transfering), a rare encoding for JSON. It is therefore most useful when 281transferring), a rare encoding for JSON. It is therefore most useful when
197you want to store data structures known to contain binary data efficiently 282you want to store data structures known to contain binary data efficiently
198in files or databases, not when talking to other JSON encoders/decoders. 283in files or databases, not when talking to other JSON encoders/decoders.
199 284
200 JSON::XS->new->latin1->encode (["\x{89}\x{abc}"] 285 JSON::XS->new->latin1->encode (["\x{89}\x{abc}"]
201 => ["\x{89}\\u0abc"] # (perl syntax, U+abc escaped, U+89 not) 286 => ["\x{89}\\u0abc"] # (perl syntax, U+abc escaped, U+89 not)
202 287
203=item $json = $json->utf8 ([$enable]) 288=item $json = $json->utf8 ([$enable])
289
290=item $enabled = $json->get_utf8
204 291
205If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode 292If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will encode
206the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the 293the JSON result into UTF-8, as required by many protocols, while the
207C<decode> method expects to be handled an UTF-8-encoded string. Please 294C<decode> method expects to be handled an UTF-8-encoded string. Please
208note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the 295note that UTF-8-encoded strings do not contain any characters outside the
209range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future 296range C<0..255>, they are thus useful for bytewise/binary I/O. In future
210versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16 297versions, enabling this option might enable autodetection of the UTF-16
211and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627. 298and UTF-32 encoding families, as described in RFC4627.
212 299
213If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will return the JSON 300If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will return the JSON
214string as a (non-encoded) unicode string, while C<decode> expects thus a 301string as a (non-encoded) Unicode string, while C<decode> expects thus a
215unicode string. Any decoding or encoding (e.g. to UTF-8 or UTF-16) needs 302Unicode string. Any decoding or encoding (e.g. to UTF-8 or UTF-16) needs
216to be done yourself, e.g. using the Encode module. 303to be done yourself, e.g. using the Encode module.
304
305See also the section I<ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES> later in this
306document.
217 307
218Example, output UTF-16BE-encoded JSON: 308Example, output UTF-16BE-encoded JSON:
219 309
220 use Encode; 310 use Encode;
221 $jsontext = encode "UTF-16BE", JSON::XS->new->encode ($object); 311 $jsontext = encode "UTF-16BE", JSON::XS->new->encode ($object);
242 ] 332 ]
243 } 333 }
244 334
245=item $json = $json->indent ([$enable]) 335=item $json = $json->indent ([$enable])
246 336
337=item $enabled = $json->get_indent
338
247If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will use a multiline 339If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will use a multiline
248format as output, putting every array member or object/hash key-value pair 340format as output, putting every array member or object/hash key-value pair
249into its own line, identing them properly. 341into its own line, indenting them properly.
250 342
251If C<$enable> is false, no newlines or indenting will be produced, and the 343If C<$enable> is false, no newlines or indenting will be produced, and the
252resulting JSON text is guarenteed not to contain any C<newlines>. 344resulting JSON text is guaranteed not to contain any C<newlines>.
253 345
254This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 346This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
255 347
256=item $json = $json->space_before ([$enable]) 348=item $json = $json->space_before ([$enable])
349
350=item $enabled = $json->get_space_before
257 351
258If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra 352If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra
259optional space before the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects. 353optional space before the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects.
260 354
261If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not add any extra 355If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will not add any extra
267Example, space_before enabled, space_after and indent disabled: 361Example, space_before enabled, space_after and indent disabled:
268 362
269 {"key" :"value"} 363 {"key" :"value"}
270 364
271=item $json = $json->space_after ([$enable]) 365=item $json = $json->space_after ([$enable])
366
367=item $enabled = $json->get_space_after
272 368
273If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra 369If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will add an extra
274optional space after the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects 370optional space after the C<:> separating keys from values in JSON objects
275and extra whitespace after the C<,> separating key-value pairs and array 371and extra whitespace after the C<,> separating key-value pairs and array
276members. 372members.
282 378
283Example, space_before and indent disabled, space_after enabled: 379Example, space_before and indent disabled, space_after enabled:
284 380
285 {"key": "value"} 381 {"key": "value"}
286 382
383=item $json = $json->relaxed ([$enable])
384
385=item $enabled = $json->get_relaxed
386
387If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<decode> will accept some
388extensions to normal JSON syntax (see below). C<encode> will not be
389affected in anyway. 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
391parse application-specific files written by humans (configuration files,
392resource files etc.)
393
394If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<decode> will only accept
395valid JSON texts.
396
397Currently accepted extensions are:
398
399=over 4
400
401=item * list items can have an end-comma
402
403JSON I<separates> array elements and key-value pairs with commas. This
404can be annoying if you write JSON texts manually and want to be able to
405quickly append elements, so this extension accepts comma at the end of
406such items not just between them:
407
408 [
409 1,
410 2, <- this comma not normally allowed
411 ]
412 {
413 "k1": "v1",
414 "k2": "v2", <- this comma not normally allowed
415 }
416
417=item * shell-style '#'-comments
418
419Whenever JSON allows whitespace, shell-style comments are additionally
420allowed. They are terminated by the first carriage-return or line-feed
421character, after which more white-space and comments are allowed.
422
423 [
424 1, # this comment not allowed in JSON
425 # neither this one...
426 ]
427
428=back
429
287=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable]) 430=item $json = $json->canonical ([$enable])
431
432=item $enabled = $json->get_canonical
288 433
289If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects 434If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects
290by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead. 435by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead.
291 436
292If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value 437If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value
293pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs 438pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs
294of the same script). 439of the same script).
295 440
296This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as 441This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as
297the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled, 442the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled,
298the same hash migh be encoded differently even if contains the same data, 443the same hash might be encoded differently even if contains the same data,
299as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl. 444as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl.
300 445
301This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 446This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
302 447
303=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable]) 448=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable])
449
450=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_nonref
304 451
305If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a 452If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a
306non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value, 453non-reference into its corresponding string, number or null JSON value,
307which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON 454which is an extension to RFC4627. Likewise, C<decode> will accept those JSON
308values instead of croaking. 455values instead of croaking.
318 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!") 465 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!")
319 => "Hello, World!" 466 => "Hello, World!"
320 467
321=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable]) 468=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable])
322 469
470=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_blessed
471
323If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not 472If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will not
324barf when it encounters a blessed reference. Instead, the value of the 473barf when it encounters a blessed reference. Instead, the value of the
325B<convert_blessed> option will decide wether C<null> (C<convert_blessed> 474B<convert_blessed> option will decide whether C<null> (C<convert_blessed>
326disabled or no C<to_json> method found) or a representation of the 475disabled or no C<TO_JSON> method found) or a representation of the
327object (C<convert_blessed> enabled and C<to_json> method found) is being 476object (C<convert_blessed> enabled and C<TO_JSON> method found) is being
328encoded. Has no effect on C<decode>. 477encoded. Has no effect on C<decode>.
329 478
330If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an 479If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an
331exception when it encounters a blessed object. 480exception when it encounters a blessed object.
332 481
333=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable]) 482=item $json = $json->convert_blessed ([$enable])
483
484=item $enabled = $json->get_convert_blessed
334 485
335If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a 486If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode>, upon encountering a
336blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method 487blessed object, will check for the availability of the C<TO_JSON> method
337on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context 488on the object's class. If found, it will be called in scalar context
338and the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object. If no 489and the resulting scalar will be encoded instead of the object. If no
342The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON> 493The C<TO_JSON> method may safely call die if it wants. If C<TO_JSON>
343returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same 494returns other blessed objects, those will be handled in the same
344way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle 495way. C<TO_JSON> must take care of not causing an endless recursion cycle
345(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other 496(== crash) in this case. The name of C<TO_JSON> was chosen because other
346methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are 497methods called by the Perl core (== not by the user of the object) are
347usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with the C<to_json> 498usually in upper case letters and to avoid collisions with any C<to_json>
348function. 499function or method.
349 500
350This setting does not yet influence C<decode> in any way, but in the 501This setting does not yet influence C<decode> in any way, but in the
351future, global hooks might get installed that influence C<decode> and are 502future, global hooks might get installed that influence C<decode> and are
352enabled by this setting. 503enabled by this setting.
353 504
354If C<$enable> is false, then the C<allow_blessed> setting will decide what 505If C<$enable> is false, then the C<allow_blessed> setting will decide what
355to do when a blessed object is found. 506to do when a blessed object is found.
356 507
508=item $json = $json->filter_json_object ([$coderef->($hashref)])
509
510When C<$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
512newly-created hash. If the code references returns a single scalar (which
513need not be a reference), this value (i.e. a copy of that scalar to avoid
514aliasing) is inserted into the deserialised data structure. If it returns
515an empty list (NOTE: I<not> C<undef>, which is a valid scalar), the
516original deserialised hash will be inserted. This setting can slow down
517decoding considerably.
518
519When C<$coderef> is omitted or undefined, any existing callback will
520be removed and C<decode> will not change the deserialised hash in any
521way.
522
523Example, convert all JSON objects into the integer 5:
524
525 my $js = JSON::XS->new->filter_json_object (sub { 5 });
526 # returns [5]
527 $js->decode ('[{}]')
528 # throw an exception because allow_nonref is not enabled
529 # so a lone 5 is not allowed.
530 $js->decode ('{"a":1, "b":2}');
531
532=item $json = $json->filter_json_single_key_object ($key [=> $coderef->($value)])
533
534Works remotely similar to C<filter_json_object>, but is only called for
535JSON objects having a single key named C<$key>.
536
537This C<$coderef> is called before the one specified via
538C<filter_json_object>, if any. It gets passed the single value in the JSON
539object. If it returns a single value, it will be inserted into the data
540structure. If it returns nothing (not even C<undef> but the empty list),
541the callback from C<filter_json_object> will be called next, as if no
542single-key callback were specified.
543
544If C<$coderef> is omitted or undefined, the corresponding callback will be
545disabled. There can only ever be one callback for a given key.
546
547As this callback gets called less often then the C<filter_json_object>
548one, decoding speed will not usually suffer as much. Therefore, single-key
549objects make excellent targets to serialise Perl objects into, especially
550as single-key JSON objects are as close to the type-tagged value concept
551as JSON gets (it's basically an ID/VALUE tuple). Of course, JSON does not
552support this in any way, so you need to make sure your data never looks
553like a serialised Perl hash.
554
555Typical names for the single object key are C<__class_whatever__>, or
556C<$__dollars_are_rarely_used__$> or C<}ugly_brace_placement>, or even
557things like C<__class_md5sum(classname)__>, to reduce the risk of clashing
558with real hashes.
559
560Example, decode JSON objects of the form C<< { "__widget__" => <id> } >>
561into the corresponding C<< $WIDGET{<id>} >> object:
562
563 # return whatever is in $WIDGET{5}:
564 JSON::XS
565 ->new
566 ->filter_json_single_key_object (__widget__ => sub {
567 $WIDGET{ $_[0] }
568 })
569 ->decode ('{"__widget__": 5')
570
571 # this can be used with a TO_JSON method in some "widget" class
572 # for serialisation to json:
573 sub WidgetBase::TO_JSON {
574 my ($self) = @_;
575
576 unless ($self->{id}) {
577 $self->{id} = ..get..some..id..;
578 $WIDGET{$self->{id}} = $self;
579 }
580
581 { __widget__ => $self->{id} }
582 }
583
357=item $json = $json->shrink ([$enable]) 584=item $json = $json->shrink ([$enable])
585
586=item $enabled = $json->get_shrink
358 587
359Perl usually over-allocates memory a bit when allocating space for 588Perl usually over-allocates memory a bit when allocating space for
360strings. This flag optionally resizes strings generated by either 589strings. This flag optionally resizes strings generated by either
361C<encode> or C<decode> to their minimum size possible. This can save 590C<encode> or C<decode> to their minimum size possible. This can save
362memory when your JSON texts are either very very long or you have many 591memory when your JSON texts are either very very long or you have many
380strings that look like integers or floats into integers or floats 609strings that look like integers or floats into integers or floats
381internally (there is no difference on the Perl level), saving space. 610internally (there is no difference on the Perl level), saving space.
382 611
383=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth]) 612=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth])
384 613
614=item $max_depth = $json->get_max_depth
615
385Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding 616Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding
386or decoding. If the JSON text or Perl data structure has an equal or 617or decoding. If the JSON text or Perl data structure has an equal or
387higher nesting level then this limit, then the encoder and decoder will 618higher nesting level then this limit, then the encoder and decoder will
388stop and croak at that point. 619stop and croak at that point.
389 620
400used, which is rarely useful. 631used, which is rarely useful.
401 632
402See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 633See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
403 634
404=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size]) 635=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size])
636
637=item $max_size = $json->get_max_size
405 638
406Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is 639Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is
407being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode> 640being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode>
408is called on a string longer then this number of characters it will not 641is called on a string longer then this number of characters it will not
409attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no 642attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no
448 => ([], 3) 681 => ([], 3)
449 682
450=back 683=back
451 684
452 685
686=head1 INCREMENTAL PARSING
687
688[This section is still EXPERIMENTAL]
689
690In some cases, there is the need for incremental parsing of JSON
691texts. While this module always has to keep both JSON text and resulting
692Perl data structure in memory at one time, it does allow you to parse a
693JSON stream incrementally. It does so by accumulating text until it has
694a full JSON object, which it then can decode. This process is similar to
695using C<decode_prefix> to see if a full JSON object is available, but is
696much more efficient (JSON::XS will only attempt to parse the JSON text
697once it is sure it has enough text to get a decisive result, using a very
698simple but truly incremental parser).
699
700The following two methods deal with this.
701
702=over 4
703
704=item [void, scalar or list context] = $json->incr_parse ([$string])
705
706This is the central parsing function. It can both append new text and
707extract objects from the stream accumulated so far (both of these
708functions are optional).
709
710If C<$string> is given, then this string is appended to the already
711existing JSON fragment stored in the C<$json> object.
712
713After that, if the function is called in void context, it will simply
714return without doing anything further. This can be used to add more text
715in as many chunks as you want.
716
717If the method is called in scalar context, then it will try to extract
718exactly I<one> JSON object. If that is successful, it will return this
719object, otherwise it will return C<undef>. If there is a parse error,
720this method will croak just as C<decode> would do (one can then use
721C<incr_skip> to skip the errornous part). This is the most common way of
722using the method.
723
724And finally, in list context, it will try to extract as many objects
725from the stream as it can find and return them, or the empty list
726otherwise. For this to work, there must be no separators between the JSON
727objects or arrays, instead they must be concatenated back-to-back. If
728an error occurs, an exception will be raised as in the scalar context
729case. Note that in this case, any previously-parsed JSON texts will be
730lost.
731
732If there is a parse
733
734=item $lvalue_string = $json->incr_text
735
736This method returns the currently stored JSON fragment as an lvalue, that
737is, you can manipulate it. This I<only> works when a preceding call to
738C<incr_parse> in I<scalar context> successfully returned an object. Under
739all other circumstances you must not call this function (I mean it.
740although in simple tests it might actually work, it I<will> fail under
741real world conditions). As a special exception, you can also call this
742method before having parsed anything.
743
744This function is useful in two cases: a) finding the trailing text after a
745JSON object or b) parsing multiple JSON objects separated by non-JSON text
746(such as commas).
747
748=back
749
750=head2 LIMITATIONS
751
752All options that affect decoding are supported, except
753C<allow_nonref>. The reason for this is that it cannot be made to
754work sensibly: JSON objects and arrays are self-delimited, i.e. you can concatenate
755them back to back and still decode them perfectly. This does not hold true
756for JSON numbers, however.
757
758For example, is the string C<1> a single JSON number, or is it simply the
759start of C<12>? Or is C<12> a single JSON number, or the concatenation
760of C<1> and C<2>? In neither case you can tell, and this is why JSON::XS
761takes the conservative route and disallows this case.
762
763=head2 EXAMPLES
764
765Some examples will make all this clearer. First, a simple example that
766works similarly to C<decode_prefix>: We want to decode the JSON object at
767the start of a string and identify the portion after the JSON object:
768
769 my $text = "[1,2,3] hello";
770
771 my $json = new JSON::XS;
772
773 my $obj = $json->incr_parse ($text)
774 or die "expected JSON object or array at beginning of string";
775
776 my $tail = $json->incr_text;
777 # $tail now contains " hello"
778
779Easy, isn't it?
780
781Now for a more complicated example: Imagine a hypothetical protocol where
782you read some requests from a TCP stream, and each request is a JSON
783array, without any separation between them (in fact, it is often useful to
784use newlines as "separators", as these get interpreted as whitespace at
785the start of the JSON text, which makes it possible to test said protocol
786with C<telnet>...).
787
788Here is how you'd do it (it is trivial to write this in an event-based
789manner):
790
791 my $json = new JSON::XS;
792
793 # read some data from the socket
794 while (sysread $socket, my $buf, 4096) {
795
796 # split and decode as many requests as possible
797 for my $request ($json->incr_parse ($buf)) {
798 # act on the $request
799 }
800 }
801
802Another complicated example: Assume you have a string with JSON objects
803or arrays, all separated by (optional) comma characters (e.g. C<[1],[2],
804[3]>). To parse them, we have to skip the commas between the JSON texts,
805and here is where the lvalue-ness of C<incr_text> comes in useful:
806
807 my $text = "[1],[2], [3]";
808 my $json = new JSON::XS;
809
810 # void context, so no parsing done
811 $json->incr_parse ($text);
812
813 # now extract as many objects as possible. note the
814 # use of scalar context so incr_text can be called.
815 while (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
816 # do something with $obj
817
818 # now skip the optional comma
819 $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* , //x;
820 }
821
822Now lets go for a very complex example: Assume that you have a gigantic
823JSON array-of-objects, many gigabytes in size, and you want to parse it,
824but you cannot load it into memory fully (this has actually happened in
825the real world :).
826
827Well, you lost, you have to implement your own JSON parser. But JSON::XS
828can still help you: You implement a (very simple) array parser and let
829JSON decode the array elements, which are all full JSON objects on their
830own (this wouldn't work if the array elements could be JSON numbers, for
831example):
832
833 my $json = new JSON::XS;
834
835 # open the monster
836 open my $fh, "<bigfile.json"
837 or die "bigfile: $!";
838
839 # first parse the initial "["
840 for (;;) {
841 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
842 or die "read error: $!";
843 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
844
845 # Exit the loop once we found and removed(!) the initial "[".
846 # In essence, we are (ab-)using the $json object as a simple scalar
847 # we append data to.
848 last if $json->incr_text =~ s/^ \s* \[ //x;
849 }
850
851 # now we have the skipped the initial "[", so continue
852 # parsing all the elements.
853 for (;;) {
854 # in this loop we read data until we got a single JSON object
855 for (;;) {
856 if (my $obj = $json->incr_parse) {
857 # do something with $obj
858 last;
859 }
860
861 # add more data
862 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
863 or die "read error: $!";
864 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
865 }
866
867 # in this loop we read data until we either found and parsed the
868 # separating "," between elements, or the final "]"
869 for (;;) {
870 # first skip whitespace
871 $json->incr_text =~ s/^\s*//;
872
873 # if we find "]", we are done
874 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^\]//) {
875 print "finished.\n";
876 exit;
877 }
878
879 # if we find ",", we can continue with the next element
880 if ($json->incr_text =~ s/^,//) {
881 last;
882 }
883
884 # if we find anything else, we have a parse error!
885 if (length $json->incr_text) {
886 die "parse error near ", $json->incr_text;
887 }
888
889 # else add more data
890 sysread $fh, my $buf, 65536
891 or die "read error: $!";
892 $json->incr_parse ($buf); # void context, so no parsing
893 }
894
895This is a complex example, but most of the complexity comes from the fact
896that we are trying to be correct (bear with me if I am wrong, I never ran
897the above example :).
898
899
900
453=head1 MAPPING 901=head1 MAPPING
454 902
455This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and 903This section describes how JSON::XS maps Perl values to JSON values and
456vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most 904vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most
457circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics 905circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics
458(what you put in comes out as something equivalent). 906(what you put in comes out as something equivalent).
459 907
460For the more enlightened: note that in the following descriptions, 908For the more enlightened: note that in the following descriptions,
461lowercase I<perl> refers to the Perl interpreter, while uppcercase I<Perl> 909lowercase I<perl> refers to the Perl interpreter, while uppercase I<Perl>
462refers to the abstract Perl language itself. 910refers to the abstract Perl language itself.
463 911
464 912
465=head2 JSON -> PERL 913=head2 JSON -> PERL
466 914
467=over 4 915=over 4
468 916
469=item object 917=item object
470 918
471A JSON object becomes a reference to a hash in Perl. No ordering of object 919A JSON object becomes a reference to a hash in Perl. No ordering of object
472keys is preserved (JSON does not preserver object key ordering itself). 920keys is preserved (JSON does not preserve object key ordering itself).
473 921
474=item array 922=item array
475 923
476A JSON array becomes a reference to an array in Perl. 924A JSON array becomes a reference to an array in Perl.
477 925
481are represented by the same codepoints in the Perl string, so no manual 929are represented by the same codepoints in the Perl string, so no manual
482decoding is necessary. 930decoding is necessary.
483 931
484=item number 932=item number
485 933
486A JSON number becomes either an integer or numeric (floating point) 934A JSON number becomes either an integer, numeric (floating point) or
487scalar in perl, depending on its range and any fractional parts. On the 935string scalar in perl, depending on its range and any fractional parts. On
488Perl level, there is no difference between those as Perl handles all the 936the Perl level, there is no difference between those as Perl handles all
489conversion details, but an integer may take slightly less memory and might 937the conversion details, but an integer may take slightly less memory and
490represent more values exactly than (floating point) numbers. 938might represent more values exactly than floating point numbers.
939
940If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent
941it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as
942a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of
943precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value (in
944which case you lose roundtripping ability, as the JSON number will be
945re-encoded toa JSON string).
946
947Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be
948represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of
949precision (in which case you might lose perfect roundtripping ability, but
950the JSON number will still be re-encoded as a JSON number).
491 951
492=item true, false 952=item true, false
493 953
494These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>, 954These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>,
495respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers 955respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers
496C<1> and C<0>. You can check wether a scalar is a JSON boolean by using 956C<1> and C<0>. You can check whether a scalar is a JSON boolean by using
497the C<JSON::XS::is_bool> function. 957the C<JSON::XS::is_bool> function.
498 958
499=item null 959=item null
500 960
501A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl. 961A JSON null atom becomes C<undef> in Perl.
532Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an 992Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an
533exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and 993exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and
534C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can 994C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can
535also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability. 995also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability.
536 996
537 to_json [\0,JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true] 997 encode_json [\0,JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true]
538 998
539=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false 999=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false
540 1000
541These special values become JSON true and JSON false values, 1001These special values become JSON true and JSON false values,
542respectively. You cna alos use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want. 1002respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want.
543 1003
544=item blessed objects 1004=item blessed objects
545 1005
546Blessed objects are not allowed. JSON::XS currently tries to encode their 1006Blessed objects are not directly representable in JSON. See the
547underlying representation (hash- or arrayref), but this behaviour might 1007C<allow_blessed> and C<convert_blessed> methods on various options on
548change in future versions. 1008how to deal with this: basically, you can choose between throwing an
1009exception, encoding the reference as if it weren't blessed, or provide
1010your own serialiser method.
549 1011
550=item simple scalars 1012=item simple scalars
551 1013
552Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most 1014Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the most
553difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as 1015difficult objects to encode: JSON::XS will encode undefined scalars as
554JSON null value, scalars that have last been used in a string context 1016JSON C<null> values, scalars that have last been used in a string context
555before encoding as JSON strings and anything else as number value: 1017before encoding as JSON strings, and anything else as number value:
556 1018
557 # dump as number 1019 # dump as number
558 to_json [2] # yields [2] 1020 encode_json [2] # yields [2]
559 to_json [-3.0e17] # yields [-3e+17] 1021 encode_json [-3.0e17] # yields [-3e+17]
560 my $value = 5; to_json [$value] # yields [5] 1022 my $value = 5; encode_json [$value] # yields [5]
561 1023
562 # used as string, so dump as string 1024 # used as string, so dump as string
563 print $value; 1025 print $value;
564 to_json [$value] # yields ["5"] 1026 encode_json [$value] # yields ["5"]
565 1027
566 # undef becomes null 1028 # undef becomes null
567 to_json [undef] # yields [null] 1029 encode_json [undef] # yields [null]
568 1030
569You can force the type to be a string by stringifying it: 1031You can force the type to be a JSON string by stringifying it:
570 1032
571 my $x = 3.1; # some variable containing a number 1033 my $x = 3.1; # some variable containing a number
572 "$x"; # stringified 1034 "$x"; # stringified
573 $x .= ""; # another, more awkward way to stringify 1035 $x .= ""; # another, more awkward way to stringify
574 print $x; # perl does it for you, too, quite often 1036 print $x; # perl does it for you, too, quite often
575 1037
576You can force the type to be a number by numifying it: 1038You can force the type to be a JSON number by numifying it:
577 1039
578 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string 1040 my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string
579 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number 1041 $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number
580 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choise is yours. 1042 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours.
581 1043
582You can not currently output JSON booleans or force the type in other, 1044You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. Tell me
583less obscure, ways. Tell me if you need this capability. 1045if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why it's needed
1046:).
584 1047
585=back 1048=back
586 1049
587 1050
588=head1 COMPARISON 1051=head1 ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES
589 1052
590As already mentioned, this module was created because none of the existing 1053The interested reader might have seen a number of flags that signify
591JSON modules could be made to work correctly. First I will describe the 1054encodings or codesets - C<utf8>, C<latin1> and C<ascii>. There seems to be
592problems (or pleasures) I encountered with various existing JSON modules, 1055some confusion on what these do, so here is a short comparison:
593followed by some benchmark values. JSON::XS was designed not to suffer 1056
594from any of these problems or limitations. 1057C<utf8> controls whether the JSON text created by C<encode> (and expected
1058by C<decode>) is UTF-8 encoded or not, while C<latin1> and C<ascii> only
1059control whether C<encode> escapes character values outside their respective
1060codeset range. Neither of these flags conflict with each other, although
1061some combinations make less sense than others.
1062
1063Care has been taken to make all flags symmetrical with respect to
1064C<encode> and C<decode>, that is, texts encoded with any combination of
1065these flag values will be correctly decoded when the same flags are used
1066- in general, if you use different flag settings while encoding vs. when
1067decoding you likely have a bug somewhere.
1068
1069Below comes a verbose discussion of these flags. Note that a "codeset" is
1070simply an abstract set of character-codepoint pairs, while an encoding
1071takes those codepoint numbers and I<encodes> them, in our case into
1072octets. Unicode is (among other things) a codeset, UTF-8 is an encoding,
1073and ISO-8859-1 (= latin 1) and ASCII are both codesets I<and> encodings at
1074the same time, which can be confusing.
595 1075
596=over 4 1076=over 4
597 1077
598=item JSON 1.07 1078=item C<utf8> flag disabled
599 1079
600Slow (but very portable, as it is written in pure Perl). 1080When C<utf8> is disabled (the default), then C<encode>/C<decode> generate
1081and expect Unicode strings, that is, characters with high ordinal Unicode
1082values (> 255) will be encoded as such characters, and likewise such
1083characters are decoded as-is, no canges to them will be done, except
1084"(re-)interpreting" them as Unicode codepoints or Unicode characters,
1085respectively (to Perl, these are the same thing in strings unless you do
1086funny/weird/dumb stuff).
601 1087
602Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling (how JSON handles unicode values is 1088This is useful when you want to do the encoding yourself (e.g. when you
603undocumented. One can get far by feeding it unicode strings and doing 1089want to have UTF-16 encoded JSON texts) or when some other layer does
604en-/decoding oneself, but unicode escapes are not working properly). 1090the encoding for you (for example, when printing to a terminal using a
1091filehandle that transparently encodes to UTF-8 you certainly do NOT want
1092to UTF-8 encode your data first and have Perl encode it another time).
605 1093
606No roundtripping (strings get clobbered if they look like numbers, e.g. 1094=item C<utf8> flag enabled
607the string C<2.0> will encode to C<2.0> instead of C<"2.0">, and that will
608decode into the number 2.
609 1095
610=item JSON::PC 0.01 1096If the C<utf8>-flag is enabled, C<encode>/C<decode> will encode all
1097characters using the corresponding UTF-8 multi-byte sequence, and will
1098expect your input strings to be encoded as UTF-8, that is, no "character"
1099of the input string must have any value > 255, as UTF-8 does not allow
1100that.
611 1101
612Very fast. 1102The C<utf8> flag therefore switches between two modes: disabled means you
1103will get a Unicode string in Perl, enabled means you get an UTF-8 encoded
1104octet/binary string in Perl.
613 1105
614Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling. 1106=item C<latin1> or C<ascii> flags enabled
615 1107
616No roundtripping. 1108With C<latin1> (or C<ascii>) enabled, C<encode> will escape characters
1109with ordinal values > 255 (> 127 with C<ascii>) and encode the remaining
1110characters as specified by the C<utf8> flag.
617 1111
618Has problems handling many Perl values (e.g. regex results and other magic 1112If C<utf8> is disabled, then the result is also correctly encoded in those
619values will make it croak). 1113character sets (as both are proper subsets of Unicode, meaning that a
1114Unicode string with all character values < 256 is the same thing as a
1115ISO-8859-1 string, and a Unicode string with all character values < 128 is
1116the same thing as an ASCII string in Perl).
620 1117
621Does not even generate valid JSON (C<{1,2}> gets converted to C<{1:2}> 1118If C<utf8> is enabled, you still get a correct UTF-8-encoded string,
622which is not a valid JSON text. 1119regardless of these flags, just some more characters will be escaped using
1120C<\uXXXX> then before.
623 1121
624Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not 1122Note that ISO-8859-1-I<encoded> strings are not compatible with UTF-8
625getting fixed). 1123encoding, while ASCII-encoded strings are. That is because the ISO-8859-1
1124encoding is NOT a subset of UTF-8 (despite the ISO-8859-1 I<codeset> being
1125a subset of Unicode), while ASCII is.
626 1126
627=item JSON::Syck 0.21 1127Surprisingly, C<decode> will ignore these flags and so treat all input
1128values as governed by the C<utf8> flag. If it is disabled, this allows you
1129to decode ISO-8859-1- and ASCII-encoded strings, as both strict subsets of
1130Unicode. If it is enabled, you can correctly decode UTF-8 encoded strings.
628 1131
629Very buggy (often crashes). 1132So neither C<latin1> nor C<ascii> are incompatible with the C<utf8> flag -
1133they only govern when the JSON output engine escapes a character or not.
630 1134
631Very inflexible (no human-readable format supported, format pretty much 1135The main use for C<latin1> is to relatively efficiently store binary data
632undocumented. I need at least a format for easy reading by humans and a 1136as JSON, at the expense of breaking compatibility with most JSON decoders.
633single-line compact format for use in a protocol, and preferably a way to
634generate ASCII-only JSON texts).
635 1137
636Completely broken (and confusingly documented) Unicode handling (unicode 1138The main use for C<ascii> is to force the output to not contain characters
637escapes are not working properly, you need to set ImplicitUnicode to 1139with values > 127, which means you can interpret the resulting string
638I<different> values on en- and decoding to get symmetric behaviour). 1140as UTF-8, ISO-8859-1, ASCII, KOI8-R or most about any character set and
639 11418-bit-encoding, and still get the same data structure back. This is useful
640No roundtripping (simple cases work, but this depends on wether the scalar 1142when your channel for JSON transfer is not 8-bit clean or the encoding
641value was used in a numeric context or not). 1143might be mangled in between (e.g. in mail), and works because ASCII is a
642 1144proper subset of most 8-bit and multibyte encodings in use in the world.
643Dumping hashes may skip hash values depending on iterator state.
644
645Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not
646getting fixed).
647
648Does not check input for validity (i.e. will accept non-JSON input and
649return "something" instead of raising an exception. This is a security
650issue: imagine two banks transfering money between each other using
651JSON. One bank might parse a given non-JSON request and deduct money,
652while the other might reject the transaction with a syntax error. While a
653good protocol will at least recover, that is extra unnecessary work and
654the transaction will still not succeed).
655
656=item JSON::DWIW 0.04
657
658Very fast. Very natural. Very nice.
659
660Undocumented unicode handling (but the best of the pack. Unicode escapes
661still don't get parsed properly).
662
663Very inflexible.
664
665No roundtripping.
666
667Does not generate valid JSON texts (key strings are often unquoted, empty keys
668result in nothing being output)
669
670Does not check input for validity.
671 1145
672=back 1146=back
673 1147
674 1148
675=head2 JSON and YAML 1149=head2 JSON and YAML
676 1150
677You often hear that JSON is a subset (or a close subset) of YAML. This is, 1151You often hear that JSON is a subset of YAML. This is, however, a mass
678however, a mass hysteria and very far from the truth. In general, there is 1152hysteria(*) and very far from the truth (as of the time of this writing),
679no way to configure JSON::XS to output a data structure as valid YAML. 1153so let me state it clearly: I<in general, there is no way to configure
1154JSON::XS to output a data structure as valid YAML> that works in all
1155cases.
680 1156
681If you really must use JSON::XS to generate YAML, you should use this 1157If you really must use JSON::XS to generate YAML, you should use this
682algorithm (subject to change in future versions): 1158algorithm (subject to change in future versions):
683 1159
684 my $to_yaml = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after (1); 1160 my $to_yaml = JSON::XS->new->utf8->space_after (1);
685 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n"; 1161 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n";
686 1162
687This will usually generate JSON texts that also parse as valid 1163This will I<usually> generate JSON texts that also parse as valid
688YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key 1164YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key
689lengths that JSON doesn't have, so you should make sure that your hash 1165lengths that JSON doesn't have and also has different and incompatible
1166unicode handling, so you should make sure that your hash keys are
690keys are noticably shorter than the 1024 characters YAML allows. 1167noticeably shorter than the 1024 "stream characters" YAML allows and that
1168you do not have characters with codepoint values outside the Unicode BMP
1169(basic multilingual page). YAML also does not allow C<\/> sequences in
1170strings (which JSON::XS does not I<currently> generate, but other JSON
1171generators might).
691 1172
692There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of. In general 1173There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of (or the YAML
1174specification has been changed yet again - it does so quite often). In
693you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice versa, 1175general you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice
694or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are high 1176versa, or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are
695that you will run into severe interoperability problems. 1177high that you will run into severe interoperability problems when you
1178least expect it.
1179
1180=over 4
1181
1182=item (*)
1183
1184I have been pressured multiple times by Brian Ingerson (one of the
1185authors of the YAML specification) to remove this paragraph, despite him
1186acknowledging that the actual incompatibilities exist. As I was personally
1187bitten by this "JSON is YAML" lie, I refused and said I will continue to
1188educate people about these issues, so others do not run into the same
1189problem again and again. After this, Brian called me a (quote)I<complete
1190and worthless idiot>(unquote).
1191
1192In my opinion, instead of pressuring and insulting people who actually
1193clarify issues with YAML and the wrong statements of some of its
1194proponents, I would kindly suggest reading the JSON spec (which is not
1195that difficult or long) and finally make YAML compatible to it, and
1196educating users about the changes, instead of spreading lies about the
1197real compatibility for many I<years> and trying to silence people who
1198point out that it isn't true.
1199
1200=back
696 1201
697 1202
698=head2 SPEED 1203=head2 SPEED
699 1204
700It seems that JSON::XS is surprisingly fast, as shown in the following 1205It seems that JSON::XS is surprisingly fast, as shown in the following
701tables. They have been generated with the help of the C<eg/bench> program 1206tables. They have been generated with the help of the C<eg/bench> program
702in the JSON::XS distribution, to make it easy to compare on your own 1207in the JSON::XS distribution, to make it easy to compare on your own
703system. 1208system.
704 1209
705First comes a comparison between various modules using a very short 1210First comes a comparison between various modules using
706single-line JSON string: 1211a very short single-line JSON string (also available at
1212L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/short.json>).
707 1213
708 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1", "we were just talking"], \ 1214 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1", "we were just talking"], \
709 "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7, true, false]} 1215 "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7, true, false]}
710 1216
711It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses 1217It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses
713with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables 1219with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables
714shrink). Higher is better: 1220shrink). Higher is better:
715 1221
716 module | encode | decode | 1222 module | encode | decode |
717 -----------|------------|------------| 1223 -----------|------------|------------|
718 JSON | 7645.468 | 4208.613 | 1224 JSON 1.x | 4990.842 | 4088.813 |
719 JSON::DWIW | 40721.398 | 77101.176 | 1225 JSON::DWIW | 51653.990 | 71575.154 |
720 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 78251.940 | 1226 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 74631.744 |
721 JSON::Syck | 22844.793 | 26479.192 | 1227 JSON::PP | 8931.652 | 3817.168 |
1228 JSON::Syck | 24877.248 | 27776.848 |
722 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 199728.762 | 1229 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 227951.304 |
723 JSON::XS/2 | 218453.333 | 192399.266 | 1230 JSON::XS/2 | 227951.304 | 218453.333 |
724 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 192399.266 | 1231 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 218453.333 |
725 Storable | 15779.925 | 14169.946 | 1232 Storable | 16500.016 | 135300.129 |
726 -----------+------------+------------+ 1233 -----------+------------+------------+
727 1234
728That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding, 1235That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding,
729about three times faster on decoding, and over fourty times faster 1236about three times faster on decoding, and over forty times faster
730than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares 1237than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares
731favourably to Storable for small amounts of data. 1238favourably to Storable for small amounts of data.
732 1239
733Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals 1240Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals
734search API (http://nanoref.com/yahooapis/mgPdGg): 1241search API (L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/long.json>).
735 1242
736 module | encode | decode | 1243 module | encode | decode |
737 -----------|------------|------------| 1244 -----------|------------|------------|
738 JSON | 254.685 | 37.665 | 1245 JSON 1.x | 55.260 | 34.971 |
739 JSON::DWIW | 843.343 | 1049.731 | 1246 JSON::DWIW | 825.228 | 1082.513 |
740 JSON::PC | 3602.116 | 2307.352 | 1247 JSON::PC | 3571.444 | 2394.829 |
1248 JSON::PP | 210.987 | 32.574 |
741 JSON::Syck | 505.107 | 787.899 | 1249 JSON::Syck | 552.551 | 787.544 |
742 JSON::XS | 5747.196 | 3690.220 | 1250 JSON::XS | 5780.463 | 4854.519 |
743 JSON::XS/2 | 3968.121 | 3676.634 | 1251 JSON::XS/2 | 3869.998 | 4798.975 |
744 JSON::XS/3 | 6105.246 | 3662.508 | 1252 JSON::XS/3 | 5862.880 | 4798.975 |
745 Storable | 4417.337 | 5285.161 | 1253 Storable | 4445.002 | 5235.027 |
746 -----------+------------+------------+ 1254 -----------+------------+------------+
747 1255
748Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly 1256Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly
749decodes faster). 1257decodes faster).
750 1258
751On large strings containing lots of high unicode characters, some modules 1259On large strings containing lots of high Unicode characters, some modules
752(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result 1260(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result
753will be broken due to missing (or wrong) unicode handling. Others refuse 1261will be broken due to missing (or wrong) Unicode handling. Others refuse
754to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair 1262to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair
755comparison table for that case. 1263comparison table for that case.
756 1264
757 1265
758=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 1266=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
764any buffer overflows. Obviously, this module should ensure that and I am 1272any buffer overflows. Obviously, this module should ensure that and I am
765trying hard on making that true, but you never know. 1273trying hard on making that true, but you never know.
766 1274
767Second, you need to avoid resource-starving attacks. That means you should 1275Second, you need to avoid resource-starving attacks. That means you should
768limit the size of JSON texts you accept, or make sure then when your 1276limit the size of JSON texts you accept, or make sure then when your
769resources run out, thats just fine (e.g. by using a separate process that 1277resources run out, that's just fine (e.g. by using a separate process that
770can crash safely). The size of a JSON text in octets or characters is 1278can crash safely). The size of a JSON text in octets or characters is
771usually a good indication of the size of the resources required to decode 1279usually a good indication of the size of the resources required to decode
772it into a Perl structure. While JSON::XS can check the size of the JSON 1280it into a Perl structure. While JSON::XS can check the size of the JSON
773text, it might be too late when you already have it in memory, so you 1281text, it might be too late when you already have it in memory, so you
774might want to check the size before you accept the string. 1282might want to check the size before you accept the string.
775 1283
776Third, JSON::XS recurses using the C stack when decoding objects and 1284Third, JSON::XS recurses using the C stack when decoding objects and
777arrays. The C stack is a limited resource: for instance, on my amd64 1285arrays. The C stack is a limited resource: for instance, on my amd64
778machine with 8MB of stack size I can decode around 180k nested arrays but 1286machine with 8MB of stack size I can decode around 180k nested arrays but
779only 14k nested JSON objects (due to perl itself recursing deeply on croak 1287only 14k nested JSON objects (due to perl itself recursing deeply on croak
780to free the temporary). If that is exceeded, the program crashes. to be 1288to free the temporary). If that is exceeded, the program crashes. To be
781conservative, the default nesting limit is set to 512. If your process 1289conservative, the default nesting limit is set to 512. If your process
782has a smaller stack, you should adjust this setting accordingly with the 1290has a smaller stack, you should adjust this setting accordingly with the
783C<max_depth> method. 1291C<max_depth> method.
784 1292
785And last but least, something else could bomb you that I forgot to think 1293Something else could bomb you, too, that I forgot to think of. In that
786of. In that case, you get to keep the pieces. I am always open for hints, 1294case, you get to keep the pieces. I am always open for hints, though...
787though... 1295
1296Also keep in mind that JSON::XS might leak contents of your Perl data
1297structures in its error messages, so when you serialise sensitive
1298information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by JSON::XS
1299will not end up in front of untrusted eyes.
788 1300
789If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption 1301If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption
790by javascript scripts in a browser you should have a look at 1302by JavaScript scripts in a browser you should have a look at
791L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see wether 1303L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see whether
792you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser 1304you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser
793design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major 1305design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major
794browser developers care only for features, not about doing security 1306browser developers care only for features, not about getting security
795right). 1307right).
796 1308
797 1309
1310=head1 THREADS
1311
1312This module is I<not> guaranteed to be thread safe and there are no
1313plans to change this until Perl gets thread support (as opposed to the
1314horribly slow so-called "threads" which are simply slow and bloated
1315process simulations - use fork, it's I<much> faster, cheaper, better).
1316
1317(It might actually work, but you have been warned).
1318
1319
798=head1 BUGS 1320=head1 BUGS
799 1321
800While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does 1322While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does
801not mean its bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. It is 1323not mean it's bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. It is
802still relatively early in its development. If you keep reporting bugs they 1324still relatively early in its development. If you keep reporting bugs they
803will be fixed swiftly, though. 1325will be fixed swiftly, though.
1326
1327Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting
1328service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason.
804 1329
805=cut 1330=cut
806 1331
807our $true = do { bless \(my $dummy = 1), "JSON::XS::Boolean" }; 1332our $true = do { bless \(my $dummy = 1), "JSON::XS::Boolean" };
808our $false = do { bless \(my $dummy = 0), "JSON::XS::Boolean" }; 1333our $false = do { bless \(my $dummy = 0), "JSON::XS::Boolean" };
825 "--" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} - 1 }, 1350 "--" => sub { $_[0] = ${$_[0]} - 1 },
826 fallback => 1; 1351 fallback => 1;
827 1352
8281; 13531;
829 1354
1355=head1 SEE ALSO
1356
1357The F<json_xs> command line utility for quick experiments.
1358
830=head1 AUTHOR 1359=head1 AUTHOR
831 1360
832 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1361 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
833 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1362 http://home.schmorp.de/
834 1363

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