kotlinx.serialization JSON replacing default serializers in gradle mpp multiplatform project - kotlin

I want to use my own custom KSerializer<LocalDateTime> with kotlinx.serialization and kotlinx.datetime
#ExperimentalSerializationApi
#Serializer(forClass = LocalDateTime::class)
object LocalDateTimeSerializer : KSerializer<LocalDateTime> {
...
I create my Json like this:
val JSON = Json {
prettyPrint = true; prettyPrintIndent = " ".repeat(2)
serializersModule = this.serializersModule.apply {
overwriteWith(
SerializersModule {
contextual(Instant::class, InstantSerializer)
contextual(LocalDateTime::class, LocalDateTimeSerializer)
}
)
}
}
but whatever I try, I cannot succeed to replace the default LocalDateTimeIso8601Serializer with mine:
val l = JSON.decodeFromString<LocalDateTime>(s) // does NOT(!) use my own Serializer
// have to give it explicitly to work, but that's not what I want
val l = JSON.decodeFromString<LocalDateTime>(LocalDateTimeSerializer, s) // works, but explicitly
is it possible to replace a default Serializer??
anyone?

This is not possible.
The closest to what you want to achieve is by specifying a default serializer for a full file.
If I'm not mistaken, the reason for this is kotlinx serialization is a reflectionless serializer; all serializers are defined at compile time. Applying #Contextual is a way to disable that behavior and determine a serializer at runtime based on context (not what you are after here). I guess you could request a feature to apply a default serializer to a full module (likely already requested), but I can see how it's harder to implement/can lead to more unexpected conflicts/behavior than on file scope, which is why it may currently not be supported.
As a hack, you could consider using a wrapper type for LocalDateTime which uses your custom serializer. But, I'd recommend against this. Essentially, this is the same as applying the annotation everywhere, in that at every occurrence you need to make sure to use the right type.

Related

Need to serialize Any to base64 string in Kotlin

I have the following code in Kotlin which I aim to use it to convert any instance to a base64 encoded string. The same is not working and it throws the following error :
Serializer for class 'Any' is not found.\nMark the class as #Serializable or provide the serializer explicitly
How can I fix this?
class SerializerAdapter: SerializerPort {
private val logger: Logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(javaClass.simpleName)
override fun toBase64(input: Any): String {
try {
val jsonString = Json.encodeToString(input)
return Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(jsonString.toByteArray())
}catch (ex: Exception) {
logger.error("[BASE64 Error] error converting json object to base64 encoded string: ${ex.stackTraceToString()}")
}finally {
return ""
}
}
}
Serializing just Any is not as simple as it sounds. Serialization framework has to know the type of the data to serialize. It can use either compile type (Any in your case) or runtime type (actual type provided to toBase64()). Both options have their drawbacks. Runtime type is incomplete due to type erasure, so e.g. List<Int> and List<String> are the same. On the other hand, compile-time type may be totally lost, e.g. in generics or in cases like yours.
Kotlin serialization generally prefers compile types, especially because reified parameters make them much more usable. Unfortunately, we can't use reified here, because toBase64() is a virtual function, so it can't be inlined.
My suggestion is to change the signature of this function to additionally receive KType of provided data and then create inline function to make it convenient to use:
override fun toBase64(input: Any, type: KType): String {
try {
val serializer = Json.serializersModule.serializer(type)
val jsonString = Json.encodeToString(serializer, input)
...
}
}
#OptIn(ExperimentalStdlibApi::class)
inline fun <reified T> SerializerPort.toBase64(input: Any) = toBase64(input, typeOf<T>())
Alternatively, we can serialize using the runtime type, but note the problems I mentioned earlier - it may not work well with generics.
val serializer = Json.serializersModule.serializer(input::class.starProjectedType)
val jsonString = Json.encodeToString(serializer, input)
kotlinx.serialization is a compile-time library, so you must know up front every object you want to serialise.
Depending on your use case;
You would either need to use a runtime library that uses reflection (such as one of the many JSON, or XML serialisers) to be able to use classes that are not your own.
Or if your requirement is more that you want to be able to serialise other peoples classes then you can use your own interface that others must implement along with #Serializable (see https://github.com/Kotlin/kotlinx.serialization/issues/1005).

Using a Jackson attribute to accumulate state as a byproduct of serialization

Here's my scenario:
I have a deep compositional tree of POJOs from various classes. I need to write a utility that can dynamically process this tree without having a baked in understanding of the class/composition structure
Some properties in my POJOs are annotated with a custom annotation #PIIData("phone-number") that declares that the property may contain PII, and optionally what kind of PII (e.g. phone number)
As a byproduct of serializing the root object, I'd like to accumulate a registry of PII locations based on their JSON path
Desired data structure:
path
type
household.primaryEmail
email-address
household.members[0].cellNumber
phone-number
household.members[0].firstName
first-name
household.members[1].cellNumber
phone-number
I don't care about the specific pathing/location language used (JSON Pointer, Json Path).
I could achieve this with some reflection and maintenance of my own path, but it feels like something I should be able to do with Jackson since it's already doing the traversal. I'm pretty sure that using Jackson's attributes feature is the right way to attach my object that will accumulate the data structure. However, I can't figure out a way to get at the path at runtime. Here's my current Scala attempt (hackily?) built on top of a filter that is applied to all objects through a mixin:
object Test {
#JsonFilter("pii")
class PiiMixin {
}
class PiiAccumulator {
val state = mutable.ArrayBuffer[String]()
def accumulate(test: String): Unit = state += test
}
def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = {
val filter = new SimpleBeanPropertyFilter() {
override def serializeAsField(pojo: Any, jgen: JsonGenerator, provider: SerializerProvider, writer: PropertyWriter): Unit = {
if (writer.getAnnotation(classOf[PiiData]) != null) {
provider.getAttribute("pii-accumulator").asInstanceOf[PiiAccumulator].accumulate(writer.getFullName.toString)
}
super.serializeAsField(pojo, jgen, provider, writer)
}
override def include(writer: BeanPropertyWriter): Boolean = true
override def include(writer: PropertyWriter): Boolean = true
}
val provider = new SimpleFilterProvider().addFilter("pii", filter)
val mapper = new ObjectMapper()
mapper.addMixIn(classOf[Object], classOf[PiiMixin])
val accum = new PiiAccumulator()
mapper.writer(provider)
.withAttributes("pii-accumulator", accum)
.writeValueAsString(null) // Pass in any arbitrary object here
}
}
This code has enabled me to dynamically buffer up a list of property names that contain PII, but I can't figure out how to get their locations within the resulting JSON doc. Perhaps the Jackson architecture somehow precludes knowing that at runtime. Is there some other place I can hook in to do something like this, perhaps while converting to a JsonNode?
Thanks!
Okay, found it. You can access the recursive path/location during serialization via JsonGenerator.getOutputContext.pathAsPointer(). So by changing my code above to the following:
if (writer.getAnnotation(classOf[PIIData]) != null) {
provider.getAttribute("pii").asInstanceOf[PiiAccumulator]
.accumulate(jgen.getOutputContext.pathAsPointer().toString + "/" + writer.getName)
}
I'm able to dynamically buffer a list of special locations in the resulting JSON document for further dynamic processing.

Should we avoid using typed arrays in Kotlin ? If yes, Is there any newer way to replace a typed array in Kotlin?

Here is my code where this class is used to inflate a view.
I am using typed array here. Is there any other way I could write this code
without using the typed array.
class CalculatorInputView(context: Context, attributeSet: AttributeSet) :
RelativeLayout(context, attributeSet) {
init {
LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.view_calculator_input,
this, true)
//attribute set
attributeSet.run {
val typedArray: TypedArray =
context.obtainStyledAttributes(
attributeSet,
R.styleable.CalculatorInputView
)
val textResource: String? =
typedArray.getString(R.styleable.CalculatorInputView_item_text)
}
}
}
Is there any other way I could write this code without using the typed array.
No, since the TypedArray class is responsible to contain the attributed values of Android resources.
However, you can use the Android KTX Core extensions in Kotlin to make it shorter:
context.withStyledAttributes(attributeSet, R.styleable.CalculatorInputView) {
val textResource = getString(R.styleable.CalculatorInputView_item_text)
}
Remember that you need to include them in your build.gradle:
implementation "androidx.core:core-ktx:1.2.0"

Validation Data Class Parameters Kotlin

If I am modeling my value objects using Kotlin data classes what is the best way to handle validation. Seems like the init block is the only logical place since it executes after the primary constructor.
data class EmailAddress(val address: String) {
init {
if (address.isEmpty() || !address.matches(Regex("^[a-zA-Z0-9]+#[a-zA-Z0-9]+(.[a-zA-Z]{2,})$"))) {
throw IllegalArgumentException("${address} is not a valid email address")
}
}
}
Using JSR-303 Example
The downside to this is it requires load time weaving
#Configurable
data class EmailAddress(#Email val address: String) {
#Autowired
lateinit var validator: Validator
init {
validator.validate(this)
}
}
It seems unreasonable to me to have object creation validation anywhere else but in the class constructor. This is the place responsible for the creation, so that is the place where the rules which define what is and isn't a valid instance should be. From a maintenance perspective it also makes sense to me as it would be the place where I would look for such rules if I had to guess.
I did make a comment, but I thought I would share my approach to validation instead.
First, I think it is a mistake to perform validation on instantiation. This will make the boundary between deserialization and handing over to your controllers messy. Also, to me, if you are sticking to a clean architecture, validation is part of your core logic, and you should ensure with tests on your core logic that it is happening.
So, to let me tackle this how I wish, I first define my own core validation api. Pure kotlin. No frameworks or libraries. Keep it clean.
interface Validatable {
/**
* #throws [ValidationErrorException]
*/
fun validate()
}
class ValidationErrorException(
val errors: List<ValidationError>
) : Exception() {
/***
* Convenience method for getting a data object from the Exception.
*/
fun toValidationErrors() = ValidationErrors(errors)
}
/**
* Data object to represent the data of an Exception. Convenient for serialization.
*/
data class ValidationErrors(
val errors : List<ValidationError>
)
data class ValidationError(
val path: String,
val message: String
)
Then I have a framework specific implementations. For example a javax.validation.Validation implementation:
open class ValidatableJavax : Validatable {
companion object {
val validator = Validation.buildDefaultValidatorFactory().validator!!
}
override fun validate() {
val violations = validator.validate(this)
val errors = violations.map {
ValidationError(it.propertyPath.toString(), it.message)
}.toMutableList()
if (errors.isNotEmpty()) {
throw ValidationErrorException(errors = errors)
}
}
}
The only problem with this, is that the javax annotations don't play so well with kotlin data objects - but here is an example of a class with validation:
import javax.validation.constraints.Positive
class MyObject(
myNumber: BigDecimal
) : ValidatableJavax() {
#get:Positive(message = "Must be positive")
val myNumber: BigDecimal = myNumber
}
Actually, it looks like that validation is not a responsibility of data classes. data tells for itself — it's used for data storage.
So if you would like to validate data class, it will make perfect sense to set #get: validation on arguments of the constructor and validate outside of data class in class, responsible for construction.
Your second option is not to use data class, just use simple class and implement whole logic in the constructor passing validator there
Also, if you use Spring Framework — you can make this class Bean with prototype scope, but chances are it will be absolutely uncomfortable to work with such kind of spaghetti-code :)
I disagree with your following statement :
Seems like the init block is the only logical place since it executes after the primary constructor.
Validation should not be done at construction time, because sometimes, you need to have intermediate steps before getting a valid object, and it does not work well with Spring MVC for example.
Maybe use a specific interface (like suggested in previous answer) with a method dedicated to executing validation.
For the validation framework, I personnaly use valiktor, as I found it a lot less cumbersome that JSR-303

How do I get the class name from a type name?

I am trying to deserialize a Json string into an object of type OperationResult<String> using Jackson with Kotlin.
I need to construct a type object like so:
val mapper : ObjectMapper = ObjectMapper();
val type : JavaType = mapper.getTypeFactory()
.constructParametricType(*/ class of OperationResult */,,
/* class of String */);
val result : OperationResult<String> = mapper.readValue(
responseString, type);
I've tried the following but they do not work.
val type : JavaType = mapper.getTypeFactory()
.constructParametricType(
javaClass<OperationResult>,
javaClass<String>); // Unresolved javaClass<T>
val type : JavaType = mapper.getTypeFactory()
.constructParametricType(
OperationResult::class,
String::class);
How do I get a java class from the type names?
You need to obtain instance of Class not KClass. To get it you simply use ::class.java instead of ::class.
val type : JavaType = mapper.typeFactory.constructParametricType(OperationResult::class.java, String::class.java)
Kotlin has a few things that become a concern when using Jackson, GSON or other libraries that instantiate Kotlin objects. One, is how do you get the Class, TypeToken, TypeReference or other specialized class that some libraries want to know about. The other is how can they construct classes that do not always have default constructors, or are immutable.
For Jackson, a module was built specifically to cover these cases. It is mentioned in #miensol's answer. He shows an example similar to:
import com.fasterxml.jackson.module.kotlin.* // added for clarity
val operationalResult: OperationalResult<Long> = mapper.readValue(""{"result":"5"}""")
This is actually calling an inline extension function added to ObjectMapper by the Kotlin module, and it uses the inferred type of the result grabbing the reified generics (available to inline functions) to do whatever is needed to tell Jackson about the data type. It creates a Jackson TypeReference behind the scenes for you and passes it along to Jackson. This is the source of the function:
inline fun <reified T: Any> ObjectMapper.readValue(content: String): T = readValue(content, object: TypeReference<T>() {})
You can easily code the same, but the module has a larger number of these helpers to do this work for you. In addition it handles being able to call non-default constructors and static factory methods for you as well. And in Jackson 2.8.+ it also can deal more intelligently with nullability and default method parameters (allowing the values to be missing in the JSON and therefore using the default value). Without the module, you will soon find new errors.
As for your use of mapper.typeFactory.constructParametricType you should use TypeReference instead, it is much easier and follows the same pattern as above.
val myTypeRef = object: TypeReference<SomeOtherClass>() {}
This code creates an anonymous instance of a class (via an object expression) that has a super type of TypeRefrence with your generic class specified. Java reflection can then query this information.
Be careful using Class directly because it erases generic type information, so using SomeOtherClass::class or SomeOtherClass::class.java all lose the generics and should be avoided for things that require knowledge of them.
So even if you can get away with some things without using the Jackson-Kotlin module, you'll soon run into a lot of pain later. Instead of having to mangle your Kotlin this module removes these types of errors and lets you do things more in the "Kotlin way."
The following works as expected:
val type = mapper.typeFactory.constructParametricType(OperationalResult::class.java, String::class.java)
val operationalResult = mapper.readValue<OperationalResult<String>>("""{"result":"stack"}""", type)
println(operationalResult.result) // -> stack
A simpler alternative to deserialize generic types using com.fasterxml.jackson.core.type.TypeReference:
val operationalResult = mapper.readValue<OperationalResult<Double>>("""{"result":"5.5"}""",
object : TypeReference<OperationalResult<Double>>() {})
println(operationalResult.result) // -> 5.5
And with the aid of jackson-kotlin-module you can even write:
val operationalResult = mapper.readValue<OperationalResult<Long>>("""{"result":"5"}""")
println(operationalResult.result)