Fl4m3Ph03n1x

Fl4m3Ph03n1x

How to have custom enconding for struct using Jason?

Background

I am trying to encode a structure into json format using the Jason library. However, this is not working as expected.

Code

Let’s assume I have this struct:

defmodule Test do
   defstruct [:foo, :bar, :baz]
end

And that when using Jason.enconde(%Test{foo: 1, bar: 2, baz:3 }) I want this json to be created:

%{"foo" => 1, "banana" => 5}

Error

It is my understanding that to achieve this I need to implement the Jason.Enconder protocol in my struct:
https://hexdocs.pm/jason/Jason.Encoder.html

defmodule Test do
   defstruct [:foo, :bar, :baz]
   
   defimpl Jason.Encoder do
      @impl Jason.Encoder 
      def encode(value, opts) do
         Jason.Encode.map(%{foo: Map.get(value, :foo), banana: Map.get(value, :bar, 0) + Map.get(value, :baz, 0)}, opts)
      end
   end
end

However, this will not work:

Jason.encode(%Test{foo: 1, bar: 2, baz: 3})
{:error,
 %Protocol.UndefinedError{
   description: "Jason.Encoder protocol must always be explicitly implemented.\n\nIf you own the struct, you can derive the implementation specifying which fields should be encoded to JSON:\n\n    @derive {Jason.Encoder, only: [....]}\n    defstruct ...\n\nIt is also possible to encode all fields, although this should be used carefully to avoid accidentally leaking private information when new fields are added:\n\n    @derive Jason.Encoder\n    defstruct ...\n\nFinally, if you don't own the struct you want to encode to JSON, you may use Protocol.derive/3 placed outside of any module:\n\n    Protocol.derive(Jason.Encoder, NameOfTheStruct, only: [...])\n    Protocol.derive(Jason.Encoder, NameOfTheStruct)\n",
   protocol: Jason.Encoder,
   value: %Test{bar: 2, baz: 3, foo: 1}
 }}

From what I understand, it looks like I can only select/exclude keys to serialize, I cannot transform/add new keys.
Since I own the structure in question, using Protocol.derive is not necessary.

However I fail to understand how I can leverage the Jason.Encoder protocol to achieve what I want.

Questions

  1. Is my objective possible using the Jason library, or is this a limitation?
  2. Am I miss understanding the documentation and doing something incorrect?

Marked As Solved

Fl4m3Ph03n1x

Fl4m3Ph03n1x

Answer

Turns out there is nothing wrong with the code itself.

The issue here is that I was trying these examples in the iex shell. Due to Protocol Consolidation this means that the protocol will be consolidated at compile time. Therefore, because when I launch iex there is nothing regarding the Jason.Encoder protocol compiled, I loose the chance to do it runtime (and iex is runtime).

This also affects tests in an interesting way, to fix them you can either disable Protocol Consolidation wen running under Mix.env() == :test (but it will absolutely hammer your test’s performance) or you can do it at compile time with some extra options.

A very good answer was also given by the community:

And I recommend you read the full thread if you want all the juicy details that I have quickly summarized here.

Where Next?

Popular Backend topics Top

dimitarvp
Hey everyone, I resumed work on my Elixir <=> SQLite library (which uses a Rust NIF underneath) and I am in a need of small and we...
New
andrea
Can Phoenix LiveView be used in multi-page applications, unlike React/Vue/Blazor which seems to be targeted for SPA?
New
GermaVinsmoke
Reading Programming Elixir 1.6 book, I’ve completed part 1 of the book. Now I’m thinking of reading Elixir in Action. What do you all sug...
New
Jsdr3398
I’ve been working on and rewriting my messaging platform several times for the past two years. With Discords new rebranding, it has reall...
New
JimmyCarterSon
I am confused about the Schema setup, I am setting up a new application and I want to seed files in it as well. I tried to mix to create...
New
JimmyCarterSon
Hello, I am working on a new application with Elixir, Dish_out. I want to see Data I follow this tutorial with Elixir Casts. However, I ...
New
harwind
In C, how they are different? char str[] = "xyz"; // statement //and char str[4] = "xyz"; // statement The first, i...
/c
New
harwind
I’m presently working on a backend development project to build a RESTful API using Python and Flask. The Scaler backend developer site h...
New
jaeyson
Hi! I have clarifications (please correct me, as I mostly mix/confuse this details) with the following: The term RAG here where it read...
New
Patricia-Mendes13
Hi guys!! I´m studying and got a Full stack course but the course lacked a lot of support and and info to learn as it´s a course after wo...
New

Other popular topics Top

AstonJ
A thread that every forum needs! Simply post a link to a track on YouTube (or SoundCloud or Vimeo amongst others!) on a separate line an...
New
AstonJ
If it’s a mechanical keyboard, which switches do you have? Would you recommend it? Why? What will your next keyboard be? Pics always w...
New
AstonJ
Just done a fresh install of macOS Big Sur and on installing Erlang I am getting: asdf install erlang 23.1.2 Configure failed. checking ...
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Learn different ways of writing concurrent code in Elixir and increase your application's performance, without sacrificing scalability or...
New
rustkas
Intensively researching Erlang books and additional resources on it, I have found that the topic of using Regular Expressions is either c...
New
AstonJ
We’ve talked about his book briefly here but it is quickly becoming obsolete - so he’s decided to create a series of 7 podcasts, the firs...
New
New
RobertRichards
Hair Salon Games for Girls Fun Girls Hair Saloon game is mainly developed for kids. This game allows users to select virtual avatars to ...
New
PragmaticBookshelf
A concise guide to MySQL 9 database administration, covering fundamental concepts, techniques, and best practices. Neil Smyth MySQL...
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Use advanced functional programming principles, practical Domain-Driven Design techniques, and production-ready Elixir code to build scal...
New