Move the user-defined string literals to <nlohmann/json_literals.hpp> and add JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS (#5610)

* Add JSON_NO_UDLS to leave out the user-defined string literals

The bodies of operator""_json and operator""_json_pointer call the
parser, so every translation unit including the library instantiates it,
even if it never parses anything. Defining JSON_NO_UDLS leaves the
literals out entirely, which saves 15-35% compile time for such
translation units (#5294). Nothing changes if the macro is not defined.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

* Mention JSON_NO_UDLS in the list of exported module symbols

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

* Move the user-defined string literals to <nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>

Following the review in #5294, the literals now live in their own header
instead of being removed entirely: <nlohmann/json.hpp> includes it at the
end unless JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS (renamed from JSON_NO_UDLS) is defined,
so a project can opt out globally and include the header only where the
literals are used.

The header only uses public and standard macros, because the library's
internal macros are undefined at the end of json.hpp and the amalgamation
inlines macro_scope.hpp only once. For the same reason, the library no
longer defines and undefines JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS, so a user's definition
is still visible to the header. The single-header copy is identical to
the multi-header one, as it only includes <nlohmann/json.hpp>. The module
always exports the literals.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

* Fix CI: include cycle, GCC 4.8 literal operator spacing, and global UDLs off in the JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS test

- Suppress clang-tidy misc-header-include-cycle on the intentional mutual
  include of json.hpp and json_literals.hpp.
- Use operator"" _json with a space for GCC 4.8 in the test's detection
  aliases, as the header does.
- Only test the global literal operators when JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS is on.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

* Declare the literal operators through a local macro

The GCC 4.8 spacing condition was repeated for both operator definitions
and the global using-declarations. NLOHMANN_JSON_LITERAL_OPERATOR(suffix)
now selects operator""##suffix or operator"" suffix in one place and is
undefined at the end of json_literals.hpp.

Suggested by gregmarr in review.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

---------

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/index.md

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ header. See also the [macro overview page](../../features/macros.md).
 - [**JSON_HAS_RANGES**](json_has_ranges.md) - control `std::ranges` support
 - [**JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT**](json_has_std_format.md) - control `std::format`/`std::formatter` support
 - [**JSON_HAS_THREE_WAY_COMPARISON**](json_has_three_way_comparison.md) - control 3-way comparison support
+- [**JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS**](json_no_automatic_udls.md) - do not include the user-defined string literals (UDLs) automatically
 - [**JSON_NO_IO**](json_no_io.md) - switch off functions relying on certain C++ I/O headers
 - [**JSON_NO_THREAD_LOCAL**](json_no_thread_local.md) - switch off the use of `thread_local` storage
 - [**JSON_SKIP_UNSUPPORTED_COMPILER_CHECK**](json_skip_unsupported_compiler_check.md) - do not warn about unsupported compilers

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+# JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS
+
+```cpp
+#define JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS
+```
+
+When defined, `<nlohmann/json.hpp>` does not include `<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>`, so the user-defined string
+literals [`operator""_json`](../operator_literal_json.md) and
+[`operator""_json_pointer`](../operator_literal_json_pointer.md) are not declared. Include
+`<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>` in the files that use them.
+
+The literals are ordinary inline functions whose bodies call the parser, so every translation unit that includes them
+instantiates the parser — even if it never parses anything itself. Defining `JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS` for a whole project
+avoids this cost in translation units that do not parse (e.g., ones that only define types and conversions or pass
+`json` values around) and reduces their compile time.
+
+## Default definition
+
+By default, `#!cpp JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS` is not defined, and `<nlohmann/json.hpp>` includes
+`<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>`.
+
+```cpp
+#undef JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS
+```
+
+## Notes
+
+!!! info "Header `<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>`"
+
+    The header includes `<nlohmann/json.hpp>` itself and places the literals according to
+    [`JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS`](json_use_global_udls.md). It is part of the multi-header sources (`include/nlohmann`)
+    and of the single-header sources (`single_include/nlohmann`), next to `json.hpp`.
+
+!!! info "C++ modules"
+
+    The `nlohmann.json` [module](../../features/modules.md) always exports the literals, regardless of this macro.
+
+## Examples
+
+??? example
+
+    The code below includes the library without the literals and adds them in a single translation unit.
+
+    ```cpp
+    // compiled with -DJSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS for the whole project
+    #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+    // this file uses the literals, so it includes them explicitly
+    #include <nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>
+
+    int main()
+    {
+        auto j = R"({"foo": 42})"_json;
+        return j.at("/foo"_json_pointer) == 42 ? 0 : 1;
+    }
+    ```
+
+    Without the include of `<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>`, the code would fail to compile.
+
+## See also
+
+- [`operator""_json`](../operator_literal_json.md)
+- [`operator""_json_pointer`](../operator_literal_json_pointer.md)
+- [`JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS`](json_use_global_udls.md) - place user-defined string literals (UDLs) into the global namespace
+
+## Version history
+
+- Added in version 3.13.0.

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/json_use_global_udls.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ The default value is `1`.
 #define JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS 1
 ```
 
-When the macro is not defined, the library will define it to its default value.
+When the macro is not defined, the library behaves as if it were defined to its default value.
 
 ## Notes
 
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ When the macro is not defined, the library will define it to its default value.
     [`JSON_GlobalUDLs`](../../integration/cmake.md#json_globaludls) (`ON` by default) which defines
     `JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS` accordingly.
 
+!!! info "Leaving out the literals"
+
+    If [`JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`](json_no_automatic_udls.md) is defined, the literals are only declared where
+    `<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>` is included; this macro then applies to that header.
+
 ## Examples
 
 ??? example "Example 1: Default behavior"
@@ -92,6 +97,7 @@ When the macro is not defined, the library will define it to its default value.
 
 - [`operator""_json`](../operator_literal_json.md)
 - [`operator""_json_pointer`](../operator_literal_json_pointer.md)
+- [`JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`](json_no_automatic_udls.md) - do not include the user-defined string literals automatically
 - [:simple-cmake: JSON_GlobalUDLs](../../integration/cmake.md#json_globaludls) - CMake option to control the macro
 
 ## Version history

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/operator_literal_json.md

@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ using namespace nlohmann;
 ```
 
 This is suggested to ease migration to the next major version release of the library. See
-[`JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS`](macros/json_use_global_udls.md#notes) for details.
+[`JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS`](macros/json_use_global_udls.md#notes) for details. The operator is declared in header
+`<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>`, which `<nlohmann/json.hpp>` includes unless
+[`JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`](macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md) is defined.
 
 ## Parameters
 
@@ -59,6 +61,8 @@ Linear.
 ## See also
 
 - [Creating JSON values](../features/creating_values.md) - the article on creating JSON values
+- [JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS](macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md) - do not include the user-defined string literals
+  automatically
 
 ## Version history
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/operator_literal_json_pointer.md

@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ using namespace nlohmann::literals::json_literals;
 using namespace nlohmann;
 ```
 This is suggested to ease migration to the next major version release of the library. See
-[`JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS`](macros/json_use_global_udls.md#notes) for details.
+[`JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS`](macros/json_use_global_udls.md#notes) for details. The operator is declared in header
+`<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>`, which `<nlohmann/json.hpp>` includes unless
+[`JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`](macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md) is defined.
 
 ## Parameters
 
@@ -58,6 +60,8 @@ Linear.
 ## See also
 
 - [json_pointer](json_pointer/index.md) - type to represent JSON Pointers
+- [JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS](macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md) - do not include the user-defined string literals
+  automatically
 
 ## Version history
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/macros.md

@@ -83,6 +83,15 @@ When defined, default parse and serialize functions for enums are excluded and h
 
 See [full documentation of `JSON_DISABLE_ENUM_SERIALIZATION`](../api/macros/json_disable_enum_serialization.md).
 
+## `JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`
+
+When defined, `<nlohmann/json.hpp>` does not include `<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>` with the user-defined string literals
+`operator""_json` and `operator""_json_pointer`. This reduces the compile time of translation units that do not use
+them, because the literals instantiate the parser in every translation unit that includes them. Include
+`<nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>` where the literals are needed.
+
+See [full documentation of `JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`](../api/macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md).
+
 ## `JSON_NO_IO`
 
 When defined, headers `<cstdio>`, `<ios>`, `<iosfwd>`, `<istream>`, and `<ostream>` are not included and parse functions

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/modules.md

@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ Only the following symbols are exported from `nlohmann.json`:
 - `nlohmann::literals::json_literals::operator""_json`
 - `nlohmann::literals::json_literals::operator""_json_pointer`
 
+The module always exports the two user-defined string literals, even if
+[`JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`](../api/macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md) is defined when building it.
+
 Additionally, the following `nlohmann::detail` symbols are exported, solely to work around an MSVC compilation issue
 ([#3970](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/3970)). They are implementation details, not part of the public API,
 and should not be used directly:

docs/mkdocs/docs/integration/index.md

@@ -15,4 +15,7 @@ Clang).
 
 You can further use file
 [`single_include/nlohmann/json_fwd.hpp`](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/blob/develop/single_include/nlohmann/json_fwd.hpp)
-for forward declarations.
+for forward declarations, and file
+[`single_include/nlohmann/json_literals.hpp`](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/blob/develop/single_include/nlohmann/json_literals.hpp)
+for the user-defined string literals if you define
+[`JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS`](../api/macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md).

docs/mkdocs/mkdocs.yml

@@ -293,6 +293,7 @@ nav:
           - 'JSON_HAS_STATIC_RTTI': api/macros/json_has_static_rtti.md
           - 'JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT': api/macros/json_has_std_format.md
           - 'JSON_HAS_THREE_WAY_COMPARISON': api/macros/json_has_three_way_comparison.md
+          - 'JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS': api/macros/json_no_automatic_udls.md
           - 'JSON_NOEXCEPTION': api/macros/json_noexception.md
           - 'JSON_NO_IO': api/macros/json_no_io.md
           - 'JSON_NO_THREAD_LOCAL': api/macros/json_no_thread_local.md