Files
json/docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/to_msgpack.md
T
5379e04ce4 Throw type_error.321 when serializing discarded values to binary formats (#5761)
* Throw type_error.321 when serializing discarded values to binary formats

The CBOR, MessagePack, UBJSON, BJData, and BSON writers silently
skipped the payload of a value_t::discarded value nested in an array
or object, while still writing its slot in the element/member count
(and, for BSON, its entry header), producing a binary document whose
declared size does not match what was actually written.

Throw type_error.321 instead, for a discarded value anywhere in the
tree, including at the top level.

Rewritten from the original PR against the current (non-recursive
option aside) binary_writer.hpp, which has changed substantially since
this was first proposed; the out_of_range.412 MessagePack size check
and unrelated test reformatting from that PR are dropped as out of
scope here.

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

* Document and test type_error.321 for discarded binary values

Add docs for the new exception (home/exceptions.md and the Exceptions
sections of to_cbor/to_msgpack/to_ubjson/to_bjdata/to_bson) and test
coverage for a discarded value nested in an array or object, nested
deeper, and (for UBJSON/BJData) inside an optimized same-type array,
for each of CBOR, MessagePack, UBJSON, BJData, and BSON. Adjust the
three pre-existing "discarded" tests that asserted the old silent
behavior (empty/short output) to expect type_error.321 instead.

Co-authored-by: ameliabarnabyhub <312084480+ameliabarnabyhub@users.noreply.github.com>
Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

---------

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
Co-authored-by: ameliabarnabyhub <ameliabarnabyhub@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: ameliabarnabyhub <312084480+ameliabarnabyhub@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-10-06 07:33:34 +02:00

4.6 KiB

nlohmann::basic_json::to_msgpack

// (1)
static std::vector<std::uint8_t> to_msgpack(const basic_json& j,
                                            const error_handler_t error_handler = error_handler_t::keep);

// (2)
static void to_msgpack(const basic_json& j, detail::output_adapter<std::uint8_t> o,
                       const error_handler_t error_handler = error_handler_t::keep);
static void to_msgpack(const basic_json& j, detail::output_adapter<char> o,
                       const error_handler_t error_handler = error_handler_t::keep);

Serializes a given JSON value j to a byte vector using the MessagePack serialization format. MessagePack is a binary serialization format that aims to be more compact than JSON itself, yet more efficient to parse.

  1. Returns a byte vector containing the MessagePack serialization.
  2. Writes the MessagePack serialization to an output adapter.

The exact mapping and its limitations are described on a dedicated page.

Parameters

j (in)
JSON value to serialize
o (in)
output adapter to write serialization to
error_handler (in)
how to treat a string or object key in j that is not valid UTF-8; see error_handler_t. The default, keep, writes the ill-formed bytes to the output as is, as every version of to_msgpack did before this parameter was added and as the MessagePack specification allows; strict throws; replace/ignore sanitize it the same way dump would. Unlike the other binary writers, the default stays keep even if JSON_STRICT_BINARY_UTF8 is enabled.

Return value

  1. MessagePack serialization as a byte vector
  2. (none)

Exception safety

Strong guarantee: if an exception is thrown, there are no changes in the JSON value.

Exceptions

  • Throws out_of_range.412 if the length of a string, binary value, array, or object exceeds 4294967295, the maximum MessagePack can store; example: "MessagePack length 4294967296 exceeds maximum of 4294967295"
  • Throws out_of_range.415 if the subtype of a binary value exceeds 255, the maximum of the MessagePack ext type; example: "subtype 70000 is too large for the MessagePack ext type (max 255)"
  • Throws type_error.316 if a string or object key in j is not valid UTF-8 and error_handler is strict
  • Throws type_error.321 if j or a value nested in it is discarded; example: "cannot serialize discarded value to MessagePack"

Complexity

Linear in the size of the JSON value j.

Examples

??? example "Example: serialize a JSON value to MessagePack"

The example shows the serialization of a JSON value to a byte vector in MessagePack format.
 
```cpp
--8<-- "examples/to_msgpack.cpp"
```

Output:

```json
--8<-- "examples/to_msgpack.output"
```

??? example "Example: out_of_range.415 exception"

The example shows how serializing a binary value whose subtype exceeds 255 throws an exception, because the
MessagePack ext type stores the subtype in a single byte.

```cpp
--8<-- "examples/to_msgpack__exception.cpp"
```

Output:

```json
--8<-- "examples/to_msgpack__exception.output"
```

See also

  • from_msgpack create a JSON value from an input in MessagePack format
  • to_cbor create a CBOR serialization of a JSON value
  • to_bson create a BSON serialization of a JSON value
  • to_ubjson create a UBJSON serialization of a JSON value
  • to_bjdata create a BJData serialization of a JSON value
  • to_bon8 create a BON8 serialization of a JSON value

Version history

  • Added in version 2.0.9.
  • Throws out_of_range.412 and out_of_range.415 since version 3.13.0.
  • Added error_handler parameter in version 3.13.0. Its default, keep, writes the bytes of a string or object key that is not valid UTF-8 unchanged, as before.
  • Fixed in version 3.13.0 to serialize number_integer_t/number_unsigned_t pairs of different width correctly; before, integers could be serialized with the wrong value if number_integer_t was narrower than number_unsigned_t.
  • Throws type_error.321 for a discarded value since version 3.13.0; previously, a discarded value nested in an array or object was silently skipped, producing invalid MessagePack.