Fox Labs | JSONParsing

JSONParsing is a wrapper around SwiftyJSON to Parse JSON with even more understandability.

Usage

Let’s take an example of a JSON:

{
"name": "John",
"age": 27
}

To parse(or to say de-serialize) this JSON, create a class:

final public class User {
var name: String
var age: Int

init(name: String, age: Int) {
self.name = name
self.age = age
}
}

and confirm this class to JSONParseable protocol

extension User: JSONParseable {
public static func parse(_ json: JSON) throws -> User {
return try User(name: json["name"]^,
age: json["age"]^)
}  
}

To Serialize(encode) User object to this JSON:

extension User {
public var toJSON: [String: Any] {
["name": self.name,
"age": self.age]
}

Operators

• ^ to infer and parse associated non optional data types automatically.
• ^^ to infer and parse array values of any type automatically.
• ^? to infer and parse optional values
• ^! to try to force parse json value into respective data type.

Advanced Examples

Nested JSON

Let’s take another example of a complex JSON:

{
"name": "John",
"age": 27,
"address": {
"house_number": "B51",
"street": "Street 21",
"city": "Woodland",
"country": "Singapore"
}
}

To parse this JSON, create two different classes like this:

final public class User {
var name: String
var age: Int
var address: Address

init(name: String, age: Int, address: Address) {
self.name = name
self.age = age
self.address = address
}
}

final public class Address {
var houseNumber: String
var street: String
var city: String
var country: String

init(houseNumber: String, street: String, city: String, country: String) {
self.houseNumber = houseNumber
self.street = street
self.city = city
self.country = country
}
}

and confirm to protocol JSONParseable like this:

extension User: JSONParseable {
public static func parse(_ json: JSON) throws -> User {
return try User(name: json["name"]^,
age: json["age"]^,
address: json["address"]^)
}  
}

extension Address: JSONParseable {
public static func parse(_ json: JSON) throws -> Address {
return try User(houseNumber: json["house_number"]^,
street: json["street"]^,
city: json["city"]^,
country: json["country"]^)
}
}

Nested JSON with Array

Another example of a more complex JSON:

{
"name": "John",
"age": 27,
"addresses": [
{
"house_number": "B51",
"street": "Street 21",
"city": "Woodland",
"country": "Singapore"
},
{
"house_number": "C42",
"street": "Street 21",
"city": "Woodland",
"country": "Singapore"
},
{
"house_number": "71",
"street": "Street 82",
"city": "Woodland",
"country": "Singapore"
}
]
}

To parse this JSON, create two different classes like this:

final public class User {
var name: String
var age: Int
var address: [Address]

init(name: String, age: Int, address: Address) {
self.name = name
self.age = age
self.address = address
}
}

final public class Address {
var houseNumber: String
var street: String
var city: String
var country: String

init(houseNumber: String, street: String, city: String, country: String) {
self.houseNumber = houseNumber
self.street = street
self.city = city
self.country = country
}
}

and confirm to protocol JSONParseable like this:

extension User: JSONParseable {
public static func parse(_ json: JSON) throws -> User {
return try User(name: json["name"]^,
age: json["age"]^,
address: json["addresses"]^^)
}  
}

extension Address: JSONParseable {
public static func parse(_ json: JSON) throws -> Address {
return try User(houseNumber: json["house_number"]^,
street: json["street"]^,
city: json["city"]^,
country: json["country"]^)
}
}

Transformations

JSONParsing also supports transformations that let you treat any value or object as if it was a raw JSON type.

It comes with default String -> URL transformation, which lets you parse any URL property from a string describing an URL without writing any transformation code.

And so is for String -> Int, Double, Float transformations. If you’re parsing a number type and a string was found, that string will automatically be converted to that number type (if possible).

To enable your own types to be parseable using a transformation, all you have to do is make your type conform to JSONParseTransformable and implement its protocol methods.

Here’s an example that makes Date type parseable using a transformation:

To parse Date, first confirm Date to JSONParseTransformable:

extension Date: JSONParseTransformable {

public typealias RawValue = String

public static func transform(_ value: String) -> Date? {
let formatter = DateFormatter()
formatter.dateFormat = "d MMM, yyyy"
return formatter.date(from: value)
}
}

Now, let's take an example of a class User:

final public class User {
var name: String
var age: Int
var dob: Date?

init(name: String, age: Int, dob: Date?) {
self.name = name
self.age = age
self.date = date
}
}

and confirm this class to JSONParseable protocol

extension User: JSONParseable {
public static func parse(_ json: JSON) throws -> User {
return try User(name: json["name"]^,
age: json["age"]^),
date: Date.transform(json["dob"]^)
}  
}

Supported types

JSONParsing supports parsing of all standard JSON types, like:

• Bool
• Int, Double, Float
• String
• Array
• Dictionary
• URL

It also supports all possible combinations of nested arrays & dictionaries as you can see in the examples above.

Finally, it also supports associated types through the use of a transformer, if required confirm that type to JSONParseTransformable, just like the example above to parse Date.

Installation

CocoaPods

CocoaPods is the dependency manager for Cocoa Libraries. You can install Cocoapods using the following command:

$ sudo gem install cocoapods

If you wish to integrate JSONParsing in your project, then make following changes in your Podfile:

platform :ios, '9.0'
use_frameworks!
target 'YourAppName' do
pod 'JSONParsing'
end

After saving Podfile. Run the following command:

pod install

Manually

If you don't want to use any dependency manager in your project, you can install this library manually too. Just download and add the Source folder to your project.