docs: record the reduced string_t and array_t requirements

Drop c_str(), back(), find(str, pos), replace(), and substr() from the
StringType requirements and at(size_type) from the ArrayType ones, and
note the string assignment the JSON pointer code performs. Streaming a
json_pointer no longer needs assignability from a std::string.

Add the non-null-terminated data() to the list of violations that are not
diagnosed at compile time -- it was described in the StringType section
but missing from the summary at the top -- and correct the QString row,
which no longer fails for the c_str() it lacks.

JSON_CATCH_USER no longer wraps a catch of std::out_of_range: the last one
went away with array_t::at(). Describe what the library actually catches.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
This commit is contained in:
Niels Lohmann
2026-08-28 17:38:58 +00:00
parent ccb290facf
commit 0e4ad2e8da
2 changed files with 21 additions and 15 deletions
@@ -12,9 +12,11 @@
Controls how exceptions are handled by the library.
1. This macro overrides [`#!cpp catch`](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/try_catch) calls inside the library.
The argument is the type of the exception to catch. As of version 3.8.0, the library only catches `std::out_of_range`
exceptions internally to rethrow them as [`json::out_of_range`](../../home/exceptions.md#out-of-range) exceptions.
The macro is always followed by a scope.
The argument is the type of the exception to catch. The library uses it in a single place: to swallow any exception
escaping the parent-pointer check that [`JSON_DIAGNOSTICS`](json_diagnostics.md) adds to the class invariant. The
places where the library catches its own [`json::out_of_range`](../../home/exceptions.md#out-of-range) exceptions
use `JSON_INTERNAL_CATCH` instead, which `JSON_CATCH_USER` also overrides unless `JSON_INTERNAL_CATCH_USER` is
defined. The macro is always followed by a scope.
2. This macro overrides `#!cpp throw` calls inside the library. The argument is the exception to be thrown. Note that
`JSON_THROW_USER` should leave the current scope (e.g., by throwing or aborting), as continuing after it may yield
undefined behavior.
@@ -21,9 +21,11 @@ Requirements are split into two groups:
!!! warning "Requirements are not checked"
Apart from a `#!cpp static_assert` on the array iterator category, the requirements below are not diagnosed with
dedicated error messages. Violating most of them results in a compiler error somewhere inside the library. Five
dedicated error messages. Violating most of them results in a compiler error somewhere inside the library. Six
violations are not caught at compile time at all:
- A [`StringType`](#stringtype) whose `data()` is not null-terminated compiles and silently misparses numbers,
because the lexer hands the buffer to `#!cpp std::strtoull`/`#!cpp std::strtoll`/`#!cpp std::strtod`.
- A [`BinaryType`](#binarytype) whose `value_type` is wider than one byte compiles and silently produces wrong
results, because the readers and writers reinterpret its storage as raw bytes.
- A stateful [`AllocatorType`](#allocatortype) compiles and silently ignores its state: allocation, deallocation,
@@ -240,10 +242,11 @@ using array_t = ArrayType<basic_json, AllocatorType<basic_json>>;
- Member types `value_type` and `iterator`.
- Constructors: default, copy, and move; and from an iterator range `(first, last)`.
- Member functions `begin()`, `end()`, `cbegin()`, `cend()`, `empty()`, `size()`, `max_size()`, `clear()`,
`operator[](size_type)`, `at(size_type)`, `back()`, `push_back()`, `emplace_back()`, `pop_back()`, `resize()`,
`operator[](size_type)`, `back()`, `push_back()`, `emplace_back()`, `pop_back()`, `resize()`,
`insert()` (single element, count, and range), `erase(pos)`, and `erase(first, last)`.
`basic_json::insert(pos, initializer_list)` goes through the range overload, so no initializer-list `insert` is
needed.
needed. `at(size_type)` is **not** required: [`basic_json::at(size_type)`](../../api/basic_json/at.md) checks the
index itself and then uses `operator[]`.
- `iterator` must be default-constructible, and it as well as the type returned by `cbegin()`/`cend()` must satisfy
[LegacyRandomAccessIterator](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/named_req/RandomAccessIterator).
A `#!cpp static_assert` only checks for
@@ -302,9 +305,9 @@ using array_t = ArrayType<basic_json, AllocatorType<basic_json>>;
`#!cpp std::wstring`, `#!cpp std::u16string`, and `#!cpp std::u32string` are **not** valid choices; see the FAQ on
[wide string handling](../../home/faq.md#wide-string-handling).
- Constructors: default, copy, move, from `#!cpp const char*` (which must not be `#!cpp explicit`), from
`#!cpp (const char*, size_type)`, and from `#!cpp (size_type, char)`.
- Member functions `size()`, `clear()`, `resize(n, c)`, `back()`, `c_str()`, `data()`, `push_back(char)`, and
`operator[]` (const and non-const, returning references).
`#!cpp (const char*, size_type)`, and from `#!cpp (size_type, char)`; and copy or move assignment.
- Member functions `size()`, `clear()`, `resize(n, c)`, `data()`, `push_back(char)`, and `operator[]`
(const and non-const, returning references). `c_str()` and `back()` are **not** required.
- `data()` must return a pointer to a contiguous, **null-terminated** buffer -- the parser hands it to
`#!cpp std::strtoull`. A type whose `data()` is not null-terminated does not fail to compile; it silently
misparses numbers.
@@ -324,10 +327,11 @@ using array_t = ArrayType<basic_json, AllocatorType<basic_json>>;
### Required for JSON Pointer, `flatten`, and `diff`
- A static member `npos`, and the member functions `find(const StringType&, size_type)`,
`find_first_of(char, size_type)`, `substr(pos, count)`, and `replace(pos, count, const StringType&)` -- these
implement the escaping and unescaping of reference tokens described in RFC 6901.
- `empty()` and `reserve(n)`.
- A static member `npos` and the member function `find_first_of(char, size_type)` -- together with `data()`,
`reserve(n)`, and `append(const char*, size_type)` they implement the escaping and unescaping of reference tokens
described in RFC 6901. Neither `find(const StringType&, size_type)`, nor `substr(pos, count)`, nor
`replace(pos, count, const StringType&)` is required.
- `empty()`.
- `begin()` and `end()` -- used by
[`operator[](const json_pointer&)`](../../api/basic_json/operator%5B%5D.md) to decide whether a reference token
denotes an array index.
@@ -340,7 +344,7 @@ using array_t = ArrayType<basic_json, AllocatorType<basic_json>>;
| [`std::hash<basic_json>`](../../api/basic_json/std_hash.md) | additionally a specialization of `#!cpp std::hash<StringType>` |
| [`to_bson`](../../api/basic_json/to_bson.md) | `find(value_type)` and `npos` |
| [`parse`](../../api/basic_json/parse.md) from a `string_t` | the input adapters must accept it; otherwise pass a character range |
| `#!cpp operator<<(std::ostream&, const json_pointer&)` | streamability to `#!cpp std::ostream`, **and** assignability from a `#!cpp std::string`: it goes through `json_pointer::to_string()`, which accumulates a `#!cpp std::string`. An ADL `int_to_string` does not cover this |
| `#!cpp operator<<(std::ostream&, const json_pointer&)` | streamability to `#!cpp std::ostream` |
| exception messages | `data()` and `size()`, or `begin()` and `end()` |
### Compatible types
@@ -362,7 +366,7 @@ using array_t = ArrayType<basic_json, AllocatorType<basic_json>>;
| `#!cpp std::wstring`, `#!cpp std::u16string`, `#!cpp std::u32string` | the character type is not one byte wide |
| `#!cpp std::u8string` | one byte wide, but `#!cpp char8_t` is not `#!cpp char`-compatible |
| `absl::Cord` | no `value_type`, and the storage is not contiguous |
| `QString` | no `c_str()` and no `append(const char*, size_type)`; its `QChar` is also two bytes wide, though that is never diagnosed |
| `QString` | no `append(const char*, size_type)`; its `QChar` is also two bytes wide, though that is never diagnosed |
!!! warning "A `std::pmr::string` mostly does not use the memory resource you choose"