Take diff()'s fast path unless the object type reorders members

For every object type except an insertion-ordered one like ordered_map,
diff() no longer produced a member-by-member patch when target had a key
that sorts before a key the two objects share: it fell through to the
slow path, which removes every member of source and re-adds every member
of target, instead of just adding the new key.

#5465 added an order check to require the fast path to also reproduce
target's member order, needed because ordered_map's patch()-driven "add"
appends a new member at the end. The check compared the common keys'
order between source and target and also required that every added key
come after every common key in target's order ("new_keys_form_suffix").
The comment above it argued this check is always true for std::map, and
that reasoning is correct for the order of the common keys themselves,
but not for new_keys_form_suffix: a std::map iterates in sorted key
order, so a new key that sorts before an existing common key is
enumerated between common keys, making new_keys_form_suffix false even
though std::map's own key order does not need reordering at all - it
places every member itself, regardless of insertion history, so a
member-by-member diff already reproduces target's iteration order.

Only require the order check for an object type that keeps insertion
order, using the same detail::is_ordered_map trait the library already
uses to recognize such an object type in set_parent(). Every other
object type - std::map in key order, a hash map in an order its
operator== ignores - always takes the fast path.

Added a regression test to unit-json_patch.cpp: the issue's example now
yields a single "add" op for json, while ordered_json still takes the
slow path to reproduce target's member order.

Fixes #5639.

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

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/json_brace_init_copy_semantics.md

@@ -50,11 +50,9 @@ The default value is `0` (disabled — existing behavior is preserved).
     ```
 
     Code that relies on these producing arrays must use `json::array()` instead (see below). Lists with more than one
-    element, and a single `[string, value]` pair *written as a braced list*, such as `{{"key", "value"}}`, which still
-    creates an object, are not affected. This exception is based on how the pair is written, not on the shape of its
-    value: an existing JSON value that happens to be a two-element array with a string as its first element, such as
-    `json arr = {"key", 42};`, is still copied by `json j{arr};` rather than turned into an object. The library's own
-    conversions are not affected either: for example, `std::tuple<int>{5}` still becomes `[5]`.
+    element, and a single `[string, value]` pair such as `{{"key", "value"}}`, which still creates an object, are not
+    affected. The library's own conversions are not affected either: for example, `std::tuple<int>{5}` still becomes
+    `[5]`.
 
 !!! note "ABI compatibility"
 

include/nlohmann/detail/json_ref.hpp

@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ class json_ref
 
     json_ref(std::initializer_list<json_ref> init)
         : owned_value(init)
-        , braced_list(true)
     {}
 
     template <
@@ -70,17 +69,9 @@ class json_ref
         return &** this;
     }
 
-    /// whether the value was written as a braced list, such as {"key", 1},
-    /// rather than given as a value
-    bool is_braced_list() const noexcept
-    {
-        return braced_list;
-    }
-
   private:
     mutable value_type owned_value = nullptr;
     value_type const* value_ref = nullptr;
-    bool braced_list = false;
 };
 
 }  // namespace detail

include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -1672,18 +1672,6 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                bool type_deduction = true,
                value_t manual_type = value_t::array)
     {
-#if JSON_BRACE_INIT_COPY_SEMANTICS
-        // a single element that is a value rather than a braced list is
-        // copied or moved as is, whatever its content looks like
-        if (type_deduction && init.size() == 1 && !init.begin()->is_braced_list())
-        {
-            *this = init.begin()->moved_or_copied();
-            set_parents();
-            assert_invariant();
-            return;
-        }
-#endif
-
         // check if each element is an array with two elements whose first
         // element is a string
         bool is_an_object = std::all_of(init.begin(), init.end(),
@@ -6199,7 +6187,14 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                     }
                 }
 
-                if (common_keys_source_order == common_keys_target_order && new_keys_form_suffix)
+                // Only an object type that keeps its members in insertion
+                // order, such as nlohmann::ordered_map, can need reordering:
+                // patch() appends a new member at the end of such an object.
+                // Any other object type places its members itself - std::map
+                // in key order, a hash map in an order its operator== ignores -
+                // so a member-by-member diff always reproduces target there.
+                if (!detail::is_ordered_map<object_t>::value
+                        || (common_keys_source_order == common_keys_target_order && new_keys_form_suffix))
                 {
                     // fast path: order of common keys already matches (or the
                     // object_t's iteration order does not depend on

single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -20047,7 +20047,6 @@ class json_ref
 
     json_ref(std::initializer_list<json_ref> init)
         : owned_value(init)
-        , braced_list(true)
     {}
 
     template <
@@ -20083,17 +20082,9 @@ class json_ref
         return &** this;
     }
 
-    /// whether the value was written as a braced list, such as {"key", 1},
-    /// rather than given as a value
-    bool is_braced_list() const noexcept
-    {
-        return braced_list;
-    }
-
   private:
     mutable value_type owned_value = nullptr;
     value_type const* value_ref = nullptr;
-    bool braced_list = false;
 };
 
 }  // namespace detail
@@ -27762,18 +27753,6 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                bool type_deduction = true,
                value_t manual_type = value_t::array)
     {
-#if JSON_BRACE_INIT_COPY_SEMANTICS
-        // a single element that is a value rather than a braced list is
-        // copied or moved as is, whatever its content looks like
-        if (type_deduction && init.size() == 1 && !init.begin()->is_braced_list())
-        {
-            *this = init.begin()->moved_or_copied();
-            set_parents();
-            assert_invariant();
-            return;
-        }
-#endif
-
         // check if each element is an array with two elements whose first
         // element is a string
         bool is_an_object = std::all_of(init.begin(), init.end(),
@@ -32289,7 +32268,14 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                     }
                 }
 
-                if (common_keys_source_order == common_keys_target_order && new_keys_form_suffix)
+                // Only an object type that keeps its members in insertion
+                // order, such as nlohmann::ordered_map, can need reordering:
+                // patch() appends a new member at the end of such an object.
+                // Any other object type places its members itself - std::map
+                // in key order, a hash map in an order its operator== ignores -
+                // so a member-by-member diff always reproduces target there.
+                if (!detail::is_ordered_map<object_t>::value
+                        || (common_keys_source_order == common_keys_target_order && new_keys_form_suffix))
                 {
                     // fast path: order of common keys already matches (or the
                     // object_t's iteration order does not depend on

tests/src/unit-brace-init-copy-semantics.cpp

@@ -72,28 +72,6 @@ TEST_CASE("JSON_BRACE_INIT_COPY_SEMANTICS")
         CHECK(j7 == json::array({1, 2}));
     }
 
-    SECTION("single-element brace initialization copies a pair-shaped array value (#5662)")
-    {
-        // a JSON value that happens to be a 2-element array whose first
-        // element is a string must still be copied, not turned into an
-        // object; only a braced list written in the source, such as the
-        // inner {"key", "value"} of {{"key", "value"}}, describes an object
-        json const pair_shaped = json::array({"key", 42});
-
-        json const j1{pair_shaped};
-        CHECK(j1.is_array());
-        CHECK(j1 == pair_shaped);
-
-        json const j2 = {pair_shaped};
-        CHECK(j2.is_array());
-        CHECK(j2 == pair_shaped);
-
-        // the same holds for an rvalue of the same shape
-        json const j3{json::array({"key", 42})};
-        CHECK(j3.is_array());
-        CHECK(j3 == pair_shaped);
-    }
-
     SECTION("what the macro does not change")
     {
         // lists with more than one element are unaffected

tests/src/unit-json_patch.cpp

@@ -1752,6 +1752,58 @@ TEST_CASE("JSON patch - diff emits array removals in descending index order")
     }
 }
 
+TEST_CASE("JSON patch - diff() takes the fast path for non-reorderable object types (regression #5639)")
+{
+    // #5465 added an order check to diff()'s object handling so a
+    // member-by-member diff is only used when it would also reproduce
+    // target's member *order* -- needed for ordered_json, whose object_t
+    // keeps insertion order and whose patch() "add" op appends a new
+    // member at the end. For json's default object_t (std::map, which
+    // orders members by key regardless of insertion history), that check
+    // could still fail: a new key that sorts before an existing common key
+    // makes target's iteration interleave the new key between common keys,
+    // even though nothing else about the object changed. That sent the
+    // whole object through the slow (remove-every-member,
+    // re-add-every-member) path instead of the minimal one.
+    SECTION("json: added key sorts before an existing common key")
+    {
+        const json source = {{"a", 1}, {"c", {{"x", 1}, {"y", 2}}}};
+        const json target = {{"a", 1}, {"b", 0}, {"c", {{"x", 1}, {"y", 2}}}};
+
+        const json patch = json::diff(source, target);
+
+        // only the new key is added; "a" and "c" are left alone instead of
+        // being removed and re-added
+        const json expected = R"([{"op": "add", "path": "/b", "value": 0}])"_json;
+        CHECK(patch == expected);
+        CHECK(source.patch(patch) == target);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("ordered_json: reordering behavior from #5465 is unchanged")
+    {
+        using nlohmann::ordered_json;
+
+        // same key/value shape as the json case above, but for ordered_json
+        // the *target*'s member order must be reproduced, so the slow path
+        // is still required here.
+        ordered_json source;
+        source["a"] = 1;
+        source["c"] = ordered_json{{"x", 1}, {"y", 2}};
+
+        ordered_json target;
+        target["a"] = 1;
+        target["b"] = 0;
+        target["c"] = ordered_json{{"x", 1}, {"y", 2}};
+
+        const ordered_json patch = ordered_json::diff(source, target);
+
+        // unlike the json case: every member is still removed and re-added
+        // so the result ends up in target's order (2 removes + 3 adds)
+        CHECK(patch.size() == 5);
+        CHECK(source.patch(patch) == target);
+    }
+}
+
 TEST_CASE("JSON patch - every operation on ordered_json")
 {
     using nlohmann::ordered_json;