JsonImmutable

Immutable.JS structure-aware JSON serializer/deserializer built around the native JSON API.

Motivation

By using the native JSON API, Immutable.JS structures are serialized as plain objects and arrays with no type information. The goal was to preserve both Immutable.JS Iterable types (maps, lists, etc.) and Record types. immutable.Map supports and preserves key types while plain JavaScript object keys are coerced to strings. These types should also preserved.

Usage

Plain Objects and Primitive Types

const data = { 'a': 'b', 'c': 123, 'd': true }

// Serialize
const json = serialize(data)
// json == '{"a":"b","c":123,"d":true}'

// Deserialize
const result = deserialize(json)

Native Object Types

const data = { 'created_at': new Date('2016-09-08'), 'pattern': /iamnative/g }

// Serialize
const json = serialize(data)
// json == '{"created_at":{"__date":"2016-09-08T00:00:00Z"},"pattern":{"__regexp":"/iamnative/g"}}'

// Deserialize
const result = deserialize(json)

Immutable Records

const SampleRecord = immutable.Record(
  { 'a': 3, 'b': 4 },
  'SampleRecord'
)

const data = {
  'x': SampleRecord({ 'a': 5 }),
}

// Serialize
const json = serialize(data)
// json == '{"x":{"__record":"SampleRecord","data":{"a":5}}}'

// Deserialize
const result = deserialize(json, {
  recordTypes: {
    'SampleRecord': SampleRecord
  }
})

Record types can be named. This is utilized by the serializer/deserializer to revive immutable.Record objects. See the SampleRecord name passed into immutable.Record() as the second argument.

Unknown Records

const SampleRecord = immutable.Record(
  { 'a': 3, 'b': 4 },
  'SampleRecord'
)

const data = {
  'x': SampleRecord({ 'a': 5 }),
}

// Serialize
const json = serialize(data)
// json == '{"x":{"__record":"SampleRecord","data":{"a":5}}}'

// Deserialize
const result = deserialize(json, {
  parseUnknownRecords: true
})

const UnnamedRecord = immutable.Record(
  { 'a': 3, 'b': 4 }
)

const data = {
  'x': UnnamedRecord({ 'a': 5 }),
}

// Serialize
const json = serialize(data)
// json == '{"x":{"a":5}}'
const json2 = serialize(data, { storeUnknownRecords: true })
// json == '{"x":{"__record":"__unknown","data":{"a":5}}}'

// Deserialize
const result = deserialize(json2, {
  parseUnknownRecords: true
})

General Immutable Structures

const data = {
  'x': immutable.Map({
    'y': immutable.List.of(1, 2, 3)
  }),
}

// Serialization
const json = serialize(data)
// json == '{"x":{"__iterable":"Map","data":[["y",{"__iterable":"List","data":[1,2,3]"}]]}}'

// Deserialize
const result = deserialize(json)

• Immutable structures, plain objects and primitive data can be safely composed together.

• immutable.Map key type information is preserved as opposed to the bare JSON API.

NOTE: When an unknown Immutable iterable type is encountered during deserialization, an error is thrown. The supported types are List, Map, OrderedMap, Set, OrderedSet and Stack.

API

• serialize()

  Arguments:

  • data: The data to serialize.
  • options={}: Serialization options.
    • pretty=false: Whether to pretty-print the result (2 spaces).
    • storeUnknownRecords=false: Whether to save unnamed records as objects or records

  Return value:

  • string: The JSON representation of the input (data).

• deserialize()

  Arguments:

  • json: A JSON representation of data.
  • options={}: Deserialization options.
    • recordTypes={}: immutable.Record factories.
    • parseUnknownRecords=true: deserialize unknown immutable.Record

  Return value:

  • any: Deserialized data.

Running Tests

1. Clone the repository.
2. npm install
3. npm test