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docs: document size-mismatch behavior of fixed-size conversions (#5352)
Conversions whose element count is fixed by the destination C++ type -- `std::pair`, `std::tuple`, `std::array<T, N>`, C arrays, and `std::map`/`std::unordered_map` with a non-string key -- read exactly the elements they need via `at` and never compare the JSON array's size to that number. Excess elements are silently discarded, while a shortfall throws `out_of_range.401` rather than a `type_error`. Neither direction was documented in `conversions.md`, `get.md`, or `from_json.md`. The existing warning covered only `std::array` and stated that a too-short JSON array leaves the remaining elements default-constructed with no exception thrown; that is not what happens. Generalize it to all fixed-size destinations and correct the shortfall direction. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
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@@ -122,17 +122,34 @@ which forces the explicit `get` form and can catch unintended conversions at com
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with a custom `adl_serializer<std::optional<T>>` specialization. Prefer `get<std::optional<T>>()`/`get_to()`
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over `static_cast` for optional types.
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!!! warning "Converting to a fixed-size `std::array` does not check length"
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!!! warning "Converting to a fixed-size destination does not check the array size"
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Converting a JSON array to `#!cpp std::array<T, N>` does not check that the JSON array's size matches `N`:
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if the JSON array is longer, the extra elements are silently dropped; if it is shorter, the remaining
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`std::array` elements are left default-constructed. No exception is thrown in either case.
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Some destination types have a size that is fixed by their C++ type rather than by the JSON value:
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`#!cpp std::pair<A, B>`, `#!cpp std::tuple<Ts...>`, `#!cpp std::array<T, N>`, C arrays `#!cpp T[N]`, and
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`#!cpp std::map`/`#!cpp std::unordered_map` with a non-string key type (which is read from an array of
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two-element arrays). All of them read exactly as many elements as they need via
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[`at`](../api/basic_json/at.md) and **never compare the JSON array's size to that number**. The two
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mismatch directions therefore behave differently:
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- The JSON array has **too many** elements: the surplus is **silently discarded**, and no exception is
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thrown.
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- The JSON array has **too few** elements: `at` throws
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[`out_of_range.401`](../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range401) for the first missing index --
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an out-of-range error, not a [`type_error`](../home/exceptions.md#type-errors), even though the cause
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is a shape mismatch.
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```cpp
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json j = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
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auto a = j.get<std::array<int, 3>>(); // {1, 2, 3} -- elements 4 and 5 silently dropped
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auto a = j.get<std::array<int, 3>>(); // {1, 2, 3} -- elements 4 and 5 silently dropped
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auto p = j.get<std::pair<int, int>>(); // (1, 2) -- elements 3, 4, and 5 silently dropped
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json k = {1};
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auto q = k.get<std::pair<int, int>>(); // ❌ throws out_of_range.401
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```
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If a size mismatch is an error in your application, check the size yourself before converting.
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## Omitting a field when serializing `std::optional`
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By default, `to_json` for `std::optional<T>` writes either the value or `#!json null` -- there is no built-in way
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