* guile-json

guile-json is a JSON module for Guile. It supports parsing and building JSON
documents according to the http://json.org specification.

- Complies with http://json.org specification.

- Builds JSON documents programmatically using scheme data types.

- Allows JSON pretty printing.


* Installation

Download the latest tarball and untar it:

- [[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/guile-json/guile-json-4.4.0.tar.gz][guile-json-4.4.0.tar.gz]]

If you are cloning the repository make sure you run this first:

    : $ autoreconf -vif

Then, run the typical sequence:

    : $ ./configure --prefix=<guile-prefix>
    : $ make
    : $ sudo make install

Where <guile-prefix> should preferably be the same as your system Guile
installation directory (e.g. /usr).

If everything installed successfully you should be up and running:

    : $ guile
    : scheme@(guile-user)> (use-modules (json))
    : scheme@(guile-user)> (scm->json #(1 2 3))
    : [1,2,3]

It might be that you installed guile-json somewhere differently than your
system's Guile. If so, you need to indicate Guile where to find guile-json,
for example:

    : $ GUILE_LOAD_PATH=/usr/local/share/guile/site guile

A pkg-list.scm file is also provided for users of the Guildhall/Dorodango
packaging system.


* Usage

guile-json provides a few procedures to parse and build a JSON document. A
JSON document is transformed into or from native Guile values according to the
following table:

| JSON   | Guile  |
|--------+--------|
| string | string |
| number | number |
| object | alist  |
| array  | vector |
| true   | #t     |
| false  | #f     |
| null   | 'null  |

Why are JSON arrays converted to vectors and JSON objects to alists? See this
[[https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guile-user/2018-12/msg00039.html][discussion]]
for details.

By default the value of JSON "null" is mapped to the symbol 'null. However,
all guile-json functions allow changing the default null value by specifying
the #:null keyword argument with another value. This other value needs to be
recognized by /eq?/.

To start using guile-json procedures and macros you first need to load
the module:

    : scheme@(guile-user)> (use-modules (json))


** Procedures

- *(json->scm #:optional port #:key null)* : Reads a JSON document from the
  given port, or from the current input port if none is given.

  Optional arguments:

  - /port/ : is optional, it defaults to the current input port.

  Keyword arguments:

  - /null/ : value for JSON's null, it defaults to the 'null symbol.

- *(json-string->scm str  #:key null)* : Reads a JSON document from the given
  string.

  Keyword arguments:

  - /null/ : value for JSON's null, it defaults to the 'null symbol.

- *(scm->json native #:optional port #:key escape unicode pretty validate null)* :
  Creates a JSON document from the given native Guile value. The JSON document
  is written into the given port, or to the current output port if non is
  given.

  Optional arguments:

  - /port/ : it defaults to the current output port.

  Keyword arguments:

  - /solidus/ : if true, the slash (/ solidus) character will be escaped
    (defaults to false).

  - /unicode/ : if true, additional to control characters, non-ASCII
    characters will be escaped as well (defaults to false).

  - /null/ : value for JSON's null (defaults to the 'null symbol).

  - /validate/ : if true, the native value will be validated before starting
    to print the JSON document (defaults to true).

  - /pretty/ : if true, the JSON document will be pretty printed (defaults to
    false).

- *(scm->json-string native #:key escape unicode pretty validate)* : Creates a
  JSON document from the given native Guile value into a string.

  Keyword arguments:

  - /solidus/ : if true, the slash (/ solidus) character will be escaped
    (defaults to false).

  - /unicode/ : if true, additional to control characters, non-ASCII
    characters will be escaped as well (defaults to false).

  - /null/ : value for JSON's null (defaults to the 'null symbol).

  - /validate/ : if true, the native value will be validated before starting
    to print the JSON document (defaults to true).

  - /pretty/ : if true, the JSON document will be pretty printed (defaults to
    false).

  Note that when using alists to build JSON objects, symbols or numbers might
  be used as keys and they both will be converted to strings.


** Exceptions

A /json-invalid/ exception is thrown if an error is found during the JSON
parsing with a single port argument. The line or column where the error
occured can be easily obtained from the port by calling /port-line/ or
/port-column/.

When building a JSON document from a native type a /json-invalid/ exception
might be thrown with the offending value as an argument (see table above for
supported types).


** JSON Objects and Records

guile-json 4.2.0 introduces a new feature to allow converting a JSON object
into a record type and vice versa. This feature works very well, for example,
when creating REST APIs.

- *(define-json-mapping rtd ctor pred json->record [<=> record->json [<=> scm->record <=> record->scm]]
                        (field getter spec ...) ...)* :
  Define a new mapping between a JSON object and a record type, à la SRFI-9.

  - /rtd/ : the name of the record type.

  - /ctor/ : the name for the record constructor procedure.

  - /pred/ : a predicate procedure to check if a given argument holds a record
    of this type.

  - /json->record/ : the name of the procedure to convert a JSON object into a
    record of this type.

  - /<=> record->json/ : optional name of the procedure to convert a record of
    this type to JSON object.

  - /<=> scm->record/ : optional name of the procedure to convert an alist
    representation of this record into a record of this type.

  - /<=> record->scm/ : optional name of the procedure to convert a record of
    this type to a native alist whose values should be compatible with
    guile-json's supported type. This might be used when record fields contain
    other records.

  - /((field getter spec ...) ...)/ : a series of field specifications.

    - /field/ : the name of a JSON object field.

    - /getter/ : the name of the procedure to get the value of this field
      given a record of this type.

    - /spec/ : a different name for the field of this JSON object. If given,
      this name will be used instead of field.

    - /json->value/ : an optional procedure that will be used to convert the
      JSON value to the value contained in the record.

    - /value->scm/ : an optional procedure that will be used to convert the
      value contained in the record to one of the native Guile values
      supported by guile-json.

When serializing a record to JSON it is possible to set a field to the
=*unspecified*= value in order to omit it from serialization.

*** Example

- A simple example that defines an account type with two fields: /id/ and
  /username/:

    : > (define-json-mapping <account>
    :     make-account
    :     account?
    :     json->account <=> account->json
    :     (id       account-id)
    :     (username account-username))

- We can create a new account and check its contents as with regular records:

    : > (define my-account (make-account "11111" "user-one"))
    : > (account-id my-account)
    : "11111"
    : > (account-username my-account)
    : "user-one"

- Now we can convert it to a JSON object:

    : > (account->json my-account)
    : "{\"id\":\"11111\",\"username\":\"user-one\"}"

- Or, given a JSON object we can create a new record:

    : > (define json-account "{\"id\":\"22222\",\"username\":\"user-two\"}")
    : > (define my-other-account (json->account json-account))
    : > (account-id my-other-account)
    : "22222"
    : > (account-username my-other-account)
    : "user-two"


** Examples

- Build the string "hello world":

    : > (scm->json "hello world")
    : "hello world"

- Build the [1, 2, 3] array:

    : > (scm->json #(1 2 3))
    : [1,2,3]

- Build the object { "project" : "foo", "author" : "bar" } using an alist:

    : > (scm->json '(("project" . "foo") ("author" . "bar")))
    : {"project":"foo","author":"bar"}

- Build the same object but this time using symbols:

    : > (scm->json '((project . foo) ("author" . "bar")))
    : {"project":"foo","author":"bar"}

- Build the object { "values" : [ 234, 98.56 ] }:

    : > (scm->json '(("values" . #(234 98.56))))
    : {"values":[234,98.56]}

- Build the object { "values" : [ 234, 98.56 ] } again, this time using
  a variable:

    : > (define values #(234 98.56))
    : > (scm->json `(("values" . ,values)))
    : {"values":[234,98.56]}

- Default null value is the 'null symbol:

    : > (scm->json 'null)
    : null

- The default null value can be changed to something else:

    : > (scm->json #nil #:null #nil)
    : null


* License

Copyright (C) 2013-2020 Aleix Conchillo Flaque <aconchillo@gmail.com>

guile-json is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your
option) any later version.

guile-json is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with guile-json. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.
