Rewrite the docs

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Batuhan Taskaya 2022-01-07 14:01:08 +03:00
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commit 980bd59e29

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@ -749,14 +749,9 @@ Other JSON types, however, are not allowed with `--form` or `--multipart`.
### Nested JSON fields
For creating nested JSON structures, you can simply declare the path for the object's new destination
and HTTPie will interpret it according to the [JSON form](https://www.w3.org/TR/html-json-forms/)
notation and create your object. It works directly with the existing data field (`=`) and raw JSON
field (`:=`) operators.
#### Path Declaration
A simple path can be a shallow key;
In the past (pre-3.0), HTTPie's data operators (`=`/`:=`) allowed you to
directly create basic JSON objects right from your terminal. Though this
functionality was limited to only top-level keys.
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
@ -769,228 +764,275 @@ $ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
}
```
As well as a nested one,
For embedding more complex JSON objects, you needed to use the `:=` operator.
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
result[type]=success
type=success \
'product:={"name":"something", "price":10}'
```
```json
{
"result": {"type": "success"}
"product": {
"name": "something",
"price": 10
},
"type": "success"
}
```
Or even multiple levels of nesting.
Starting with 3.0, we have embedded a mini language inside HTTPie's own syntax to
build complex JSON with ease. This syntax was inspired by the [JSON form](https://www.w3.org/TR/html-json-forms/)
proposal for HTML, though we have changed a lot of parts to offer the best experience
and reduce the number of typing-caused failures.
#### Introduction
Let's start with a simple introduction, and build the JSON object we have seen in the example
above:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
result[status][type]=ok
type=success \
product[name]=something \
product[price]:=10
```
With the new syntax, you can designate the path for the value. For example `product[name]` means
create a new object under the `product` key, and set the `name` field of that object to the given
value.
```json
{
"product": {
"name": "something",
"price": 10
},
"type": "success"
}
```
You can also build arrays, through `[]` suffix. Which means create a list, and append the value
to that list:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
search[keywords][]=soda \
search[keywords][]=fries
```
```json
{
"result": {
"status": {
"type": "ok"
}
"search": {
"keywords": [
"soda",
"fries"
]
}
}
```
The declaration also supports creating arrays; which can be either done by simply
assigning the same path multiple times
If you want to specify the direct index, that is also supported:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
ids:=1 ids:=2
search[keywords][0]=soda \
search[keywords][1]=fries
```
```json
{
"ids": [
1,
2
]
}
```
Or using the append suffix `[]`, which would create an array and append the items to the
end of it.
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
ids[]:=1
```
```json
{
"ids": [
1,
2
]
}
```
You can also use indexes to set items on an array,
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
items[0]=terminal items[1]=desktop
```
```json
{
"items": [
"terminal",
"desktop"
]
}
```
If you don't set value for the indexes between, then those will be nullified.
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
items[1]=terminal items[3]=desktop
```
```json
{
"items": [
null,
"terminal",
null,
"desktop"
]
}
```
It is permitted to mix index-access with append actions (`[]`), but be aware that appends will not fill
the voids but instead they will append after the last item.
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
items[1]=terminal items[3]=desktop items[]=web
```
```json
{
"items": [
null,
"terminal",
null,
"desktop",
"web"
]
}
```
If you need to send a top-level list (without any object that is encapsulating it), use the append operator (`[]`) without
any keys.
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
[]:=1 []:=2 []:=3
```
```json
[
1,
2,
3
]
```
Here is a slightly unified example
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post name=python version:=3 \
date[year]:=2021 date[month]=December \
systems=Linux systems=Mac systems=Windows \
people[known_ids][1]=1000 people[known_ids][5]=5000
```
```json
{
"date": {
"month": "December",
"year": 2021
},
"name": "python",
"people": {
"known_ids": [
null,
"1000",
null,
null,
null,
"5000"
"search": {
"keywords": [
"soda",
"fries"
]
},
"systems": [
"Linux",
"Mac",
"Windows"
],
"version": 3
}
}
```
And here is an even more comprehensive example to show all the features.
You can also create 'sparse arrays' (arrays where you set 2 non-consecutive indexes), which
the missing values gets nullified:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
search[keywords][2]=soda \
search[keywords][5]=fries \
search[keywords][]=fish
```
```json
{
"search": {
"keywords": [
null,
null,
"soda",
null,
null,
"fries",
"fish"
]
}
}
```
It is also possible to embed raw JSON to a nested structure, for example:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
invitation[type]=meetup \
'invitation[dates]:=[2021, 2022, 2023, 2024]' \
invitation[dates][]:=2025
```
```json
{
"invitation": {
"dates": [
2021,
2022,
2023,
2024,
2025
],
"type": "meetup"
}
}
```
And for the last, let's create a very deeply nested JSON object:
```bash
$ http PUT pie.dev/put \
'object=scalar' \ # Object — blank key
'object[0]=array 1' \ # Object — "0" key
'object[key]=key key' \ # Object — "key" key
'array:=1' \ # Array — first item
'array:=2' \ # Array — second item
'array[]:=3' \ # Array — append (third item)
'wow[such][deep][3][much][power][!]=Amaze' # Nested object
shallow=value \ # Shallow key-value pair
object[key]=value \ # Nested key-value pair
array[]:=1 \ # Array — first item
array[1]:=2 \ # Array — second item
array[2]:=3 \ # Array — append (third item)
very[nested][json][3][httpie][power][]=Amaze # Nested object
```
```http
PUT /person/1 HTTP/1.1
Accept: application/json, */*;q=0.5
Content-Type: application/json
Host: pie.dev
#### Advanced Usage
##### Escaping Behavior
Nested JSON syntax uses the same escaping rules [escaping rules](escaping-rules) as
the terminal. There are 3 special characters, and 1 special token that you can escape.
If you want to send a bracket as is, escape it with a backslash (`\`):
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
'foo\[bar\]:=1' \
'baz[\[]:=2' \
'baz[\]]:=3'
```
```json
{
"array": [
1,
2,
3
],
"object": {
"": "scalar",
"0": "array 1",
"key": "key key"
"baz": {
"[": 2,
"]": 3
},
"wow": {
"such": {
"deep": [
null,
null,
null,
{
"much": {
"power": {
"!": "Amaze"
}
}
}
]
}
"foo[bar]": 1
}
```
If you want the send the literal backslash character (`\`), escape it with another backslash:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
'backslash[\\]:=1'
```
```json
{
"backslash": {
"\\": 1
}
}
```
### Raw and complex JSON
A regular integer in a path (e.g `[10]`) means an array index; but if you want it to be treated as
a string, you can escape the whole number by using a backslash (`\`) prefix.
Please note that with the [request items](#request-items) data field syntax, commands can quickly become unwieldy when sending complex structures.
In such cases, its better to pass the full raw JSON data via [raw request body](#raw-request-body), for example:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
'object[\1]=stringified' \
'object[\100]=same' \
'array[1]=indexified'
```
```json
{
"array": [
null,
"indexified"
],
"object": {
"1": "stringified",
"100": "same"
}
}
```
##### Guiding Syntax Errors
If you make a typo or forget to close a bracket, the errors will guide you to fix it. For example:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
'foo[bar]=OK' \
'foo[baz][quux=FAIL'
```
```console
HTTPie Syntax Error: Expecting ']'
foo[baz][quux
^
```
You can follow to given instruction (adding a `]`) and repair your expression.
##### Type Safety
Each container path (e.g `x[y][z]` in `x[y][z][1]`) has a certain type, which gets defined with
the first usage and can't be changed after that. If you try to do a key-based access to an array or
an index-based access to an object, HTTPie will error out:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
'array[]:=1' \
'array[]:=2' \
'array[key]:=3'
HTTPie Type Error: Can't perform 'key' based access on 'array' which has a type of 'array' but this operation requires a type of 'object'.
array[key]
^^^^^
```
Type Safety does not apply to value overrides, for example:
```bash
$ http --offline --print=B pie.dev/post \
user[name]:=411 # Defined as an integer
user[name]=string # Overridden with a string
```
```json
{
"user": {
"name": "string"
}
}
```
### Raw JSON
Please note that on some very complex JSON structures, manually building the JSON object right from the terminal
might be more complicated compared to typing it on a file and directly sending it through HTTPie. Depending on your
use case, some of the following examples can help:
```bash
$ echo -n '{"hello": "world"}' | http POST pie.dev/post