Add element access, iteration, values, and JSON pointers to json_view

Give basic_json_view the read-only access functions of basic_json:
operator[] and at() with keys and indices, front()/back(), find(),
contains(), count(), begin()/end() and cbegin()/cend(), items()
with structured bindings from C++17 on, and type_name().

Exceptions have the ids and messages of the const functions of
basic_json. Where basic_json has undefined behavior the view
answers safely: operator[] with a missing key or an out-of-range
index returns a discarded view, and front()/back() of an empty
container throw invalid_iterator.214. Objects are iterated in
document order, and all members are visited; duplicate-key lookups
find the first member (as yyjson and simdjson do), while parse(),
materialize(), and the map conversions keep the last value, as
parse() does. Keys of up to 16 bytes are compared with two
overlapping loads.

Add value conversions: get<T>()/get_to() for arithmetic types,
bool, nullptr_t, strings (std::basic_string copied,
string_view_t without a copy), BasicJsonType, views, std::vector,
and maps with string keys; get_string() for the string without a
copy; number_token() for the number exactly as written in the
source; value() with keys and JSON pointers; and operator[]/at()/
contains() with JSON pointers. Everything else, including types
with from_json(), goes through materialize() of that subtree.
get<T>() of arithmetic types is inlined down to the conversion, so
reading an integer needs no call.

detail::json_pointer_access exposes a pointer's reference tokens
to code outside basic_json.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
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Niels Lohmann committed 2026-10-17 14:21:10 +02:00
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# <small>nlohmann::basic_json_view::</small>front
```cpp
basic_json_view front() const;
```
Returns the first element of an array, the first member value of an object, or the value itself if it is primitive
(as for [`BasicJsonType::front()`](../basic_json/front.md), a primitive value is a range of one element).
## Return value
The first element or member value. For a primitive value (number, string, boolean), the value itself.
## Exception safety
Strong exception safety: if an exception is thrown, there are no changes to the view or the document it refers to.
## Exceptions
Throws [`invalid_iterator.214`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptioninvalid_iterator214) if the view is
[null](is_null.md) or [discarded](is_discarded.md), or if it is an empty array or object.
This exception does not carry a [`JSON_DIAGNOSTICS`](../macros/json_diagnostics.md) path: the view has no
`BasicJsonType` value to point at, so the exception is created without one, even if `BasicJsonType` was built with
`JSON_DIAGNOSTICS` enabled.
## Complexity
Constant.
## Notes
Unlike [`BasicJsonType::front()`](../basic_json/front.md), which has undefined behavior for an empty array or
object, `front()` throws `invalid_iterator.214` in that case -- the same way it already does for `#!json null` and
for a discarded view, where `BasicJsonType::front()` also throws.
## Examples
??? example
The example below reads only the earliest entry of a build log with `front()`, without materializing the rest
of the (possibly long) log.
```cpp
--8<-- "examples/basic_json_view__front.cpp"
```
Output:
```json
--8<-- "examples/basic_json_view__front.output"
```
## See also
- [back](back.md) - access the last element
- [`BasicJsonType::front`](../basic_json/front.md) - the corresponding function of `basic_json`
## Version history
- Added in version 3.13.0.