Add std::format and fmt support (#5224)

* ✨ add std::format and fmt support Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * ♻️ reorganize PR Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * 🧛 fix build Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * 🧛 fix build Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * 🧛 fix build Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> --------- Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
2026-07-09 12:05:10 +00:00 · 2026-07-02 15:59:36 +02:00
parent ca49ab6123
commit 8d7e0046f4
21 changed files with 824 additions and 0 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+# format_as(basic_json)
+
+```cpp
+template <typename BasicJsonType>
+std::string format_as(const BasicJsonType& j);
+```
+
+This function implements the [`format_as`](https://fmt.dev/latest/api/#formatting-user-defined-types)
+customization point used by the [{fmt}](https://github.com/fmtlib/fmt) library (fmtlib). It has no
+dependency on any `fmt` header and no effect at all unless a caller's translation unit also includes
+`fmt` and calls `fmt::format`/`fmt::print` on a JSON value.
+
+## Template parameters
+
+`BasicJsonType`
+:   a specialization of [`basic_json`](index.md)
+
+## Return value
+
+string containing the serialization of the JSON value (same as [`dump()`](dump.md))
+
+## Exception safety
+
+Strong guarantee: if an exception is thrown, there are no changes to any JSON value.
+
+## Exceptions
+
+Throws [`type_error.316`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptiontype_error316) if a string stored inside the JSON value
+is not UTF-8 encoded
+
+## Complexity
+
+Linear.
+
+## Possible implementation
+
+```cpp
+template <typename BasicJsonType>
+std::string format_as(const BasicJsonType& j)
+{
+    return j.dump();
+}
+```
+
+## Notes
+
+!!! warning "Version-dependent effect on fmt"
+
+    `fmt` only picks up a `format_as` overload that returns a `std::string` in fmt **10.0.0 through
+    11.0.2**. Starting with fmt **11.1.0**, `fmt` restricts automatic `format_as` pickup to overloads that
+    return an arithmetic type, so this function has no effect there (it is simply unused, not a compile
+    error).
+
+    If you use fmt \>= 11.1.0, or want the same pretty-print spec support that
+    [`std::formatter<basic_json>`](std_formatter.md) has (`#!cpp "{:#}"`, a width to set the indent such
+    as `#!cpp "{:2}"`/`#!cpp "{:#2}"`, and fill-and-align to pick the indent character such as
+    `#!cpp "{:.>#}"`), define your own `fmt::formatter` specialization mirroring the same logic:
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "../../../tests/fmt_formatter/project/main.cpp:formatter_recipe"
+    ```
+
+    This recipe isn't shipped by the library itself, since doing so would make `fmt` a build dependency
+    (see the FAQ entry on
+    [using JSON values with `std::format` or `fmt`](../../home/faq.md#using-json-values-with-stdformat-or-fmt)
+    for more background) — but it *is* compiled and exercised against a real, current `fmt` release as
+    part of the library's own test suite (`tests/fmt_formatter`, via CMake `FetchContent`), so it's kept in
+    sync with `std::formatter<basic_json>` and verified to actually work, not just illustrative.
+
+## Examples
+
+??? example
+
+    The following code shows how the library's `format_as()` function integrates with `fmt::format`,
+    allowing argument-dependent lookup.
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/format_as.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```json
+    --8<-- "examples/format_as.output"
+    ```
+
+## See also
+
+- [dump](dump.md)
+- [std::formatter<basic_json>](std_formatter.md) - the `std::format` (C++20) equivalent
+
+## Version history
+
+- Added in version 3.12.x.
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ Access to the JSON value
 - [**operator<<(std::ostream&)**](../operator_ltlt.md) - serialize to stream
 - [**operator>>(std::istream&)**](../operator_gtgt.md) - deserialize from stream
 - [**to_string**](to_string.md) - user-defined `to_string` function for JSON values
+- [**format_as**](format_as.md) - user-defined `format_as` function for JSON values (fmt support)

 ## Literals

@@ -308,6 +309,7 @@ Access to the JSON value

 ## Helper classes

+- [**std::formatter&lt;basic_json&gt;**](std_formatter.md) - make JSON values formattable with `std::format`
 - [**std::hash&lt;basic_json&gt;**](std_hash.md) - return a hash value for a JSON object
 - [**std::swap&lt;basic_json&gt;**](std_swap.md) - exchanges the values of two JSON objects

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# <small>std::</small>formatter<nlohmann::basic_json\>
+
+```cpp
+namespace std {
+    template <>
+    struct formatter<nlohmann::basic_json, char>;
+}
+```
+
+Specialization to make JSON values formattable with [`std::format`](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/utility/format/format)
+(and the other members of C++20's `<format>` header, such as `std::format_to`).
+
+A subset of the [standard format spec grammar](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/utility/format/spec) is
+supported, repurposed for JSON pretty-printing; any other spec component (sign, the `0` flag, precision,
+`L`, a dynamic width such as `#!cpp "{:{}}"`, or a trailing type character) throws
+[`std::format_error`](https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/utility/format/format_error):
+
+- `#!cpp "{}"` serializes the value the same way as [`dump()`](dump.md) (compact, no whitespace).
+- `#!cpp "{:#}"` ("alternate form") serializes the value the same way as `#!cpp dump(4)` (pretty-printed
+  with an indent of 4).
+- A width, with or without `#!cpp "#"` (e.g. `#!cpp "{:2}"` or `#!cpp "{:#2}"`), serializes the value the
+  same way as `#!cpp dump(width)` — a width on its own implies pretty-printing, since an indent size has
+  no meaning for compact output.
+- `fill-and-align` (e.g. `#!cpp "{:.>#}"` or `#!cpp "{:.>3}"`) picks a custom indent character, the same
+  way as `#!cpp dump(indent, indent_char)`. The alignment direction itself (`#!cpp '<'`, `#!cpp '>'`,
+  `#!cpp '^'`) has no separate meaning for JSON values — only the fill character before it is used, and
+  any of the three directions is accepted.
+
+This specialization is only available for `#!cpp char`-based JSON values and only if the standard library
+provides `<format>`, controlled by the [`JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT`](../macros/json_has_std_format.md) macro.
+
+## Examples
+
+??? example
+
+    The example shows how to format JSON values with `std::format`.
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/std_formatter.c++20.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```json
+    --8<-- "examples/std_formatter.c++20.output"
+    ```
+
+## See also
+
+- [dump](dump.md) - serialization
+- [operator<<(std::ostream&)](../operator_ltlt.md) - serialize to stream
+- [format_as](format_as.md) - customization point used by `fmt::format` (fmtlib)
+
+## Version history
+
+- Added in version 3.12.x.
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ header. See also the [macro overview page](../../features/macros.md).
 - [**JSON_HAS_CPP_11**<br>**JSON_HAS_CPP_14**<br>**JSON_HAS_CPP_17**<br>**JSON_HAS_CPP_20**](json_has_cpp_11.md) - set supported C++ standard
 - [**JSON_HAS_FILESYSTEM**<br>**JSON_HAS_EXPERIMENTAL_FILESYSTEM**](json_has_filesystem.md) - control `std::filesystem` support
 - [**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_IO**](json_no_io.md) - switch off functions relying on certain C++ I/O headers
 - [**JSON_SKIP_UNSUPPORTED_COMPILER_CHECK**](json_skip_unsupported_compiler_check.md) - do not warn about unsupported compilers
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT
+
+```cpp
+#define JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT /* value */
+```
+
+This macro indicates whether the standard library has support for `std::format`/`std::formatter` (that
+is, the `<format>` header). Possible values are `1` when supported or `0` when unsupported.
+
+## Default definition
+
+The default value is detected based on the preprocessor macros `#!cpp JSON_HAS_CPP_20` and
+`#!cpp __cpp_lib_format`.
+
+When the macro is not defined, the library will define it to its default value.
+
+## Notes
+
+!!! info "Enabled functionality"
+
+    When this macro evaluates to `1`, the library provides a
+    [`std::formatter<basic_json>`](../basic_json/std_formatter.md) specialization so JSON values can be
+    used directly with `std::format`.
+
+## Examples
+
+??? example
+
+    The code below forces the library to disable support for `std::format`, even if the standard library
+    would otherwise support it:
+
+    ```cpp
+    #define JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT 0
+    #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+    ...
+    ```
+
+## Version history
+
+- Added in version 3.12.x.