how to add data to the repeatable fields in avro schema? - serialization

Question

I'm trying to test avro serde and deserde without code generation (I completed this task using code generation). Schema is as follows
{
"type": "record",
"name" : "person",
"namespace" : "avro",
"fields": [
{ "name" : "personname", "type": ["null","string"] },
{ "name" : "personId", "type": ["null","string"] },
{ "name" : "Addresses", "type": {
"type": "array",
"items": [ {
"type" : "record",
"name" : "Address",
"fields" : [
{ "name" : "addressLine1", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "addressLine2", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "city", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "state", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "zipcode", "type": ["null", "string"] }
]
}]
}
},
{ "name" : "contact", "type" : ["null", "string"]}
]
}
I understand this is how data is added to the schema.
Schema schema = new Schema.Parser().parse(new File("src/person.avsc.txt"));
GenericRecord person1 = new GenericData.Record(schema);
person1.put("personname", "goud");
But how do I add city, state etc to address and then add it to addresses?
GenericRecord address1 = new GenericData.Record(schema);
address1.put("city", "SanJose");
The above snippet doesn't work. I tried to look into GenericArray, but I couldn't get my head around it.

Answer 1

You need to describe inner complex type ("type" : "record", "name" : "Address") in separate schema, like this:
{
"type" : "record",
"name" : "Address",
"fields" : [
{ "name" : "addressLine1", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "addressLine2", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "city", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "state", "type": ["null", "string"] },
{ "name" : "zipcode", "type": ["null", "string"] }
]
}
Then you may create an inner object:
Schema innerSchema = new Schema.Parser().parse(new File("person_address.avsc"));
GenericRecord address = new GenericData.Record(innerSchema);
address.put("addressLine1", "adr_1");
address.put("addressLine2", "adr_2");
address.put("city", "test_city");
address.put("state", "test_state");
address.put("zipcode", "zipcode_00000");
Then add an inner object you created to ArrayList.
At last, create the main object and add all this staff in it.
Here is full example in java:
Schema innerSchema = new Schema.Parser().parse(new File("person_address.avsc"));
GenericRecord address = new GenericData.Record(innerSchema);
address.put("addressLine1", "adr_1");
address.put("addressLine2", "adr_2");
address.put("city", "test_city");
address.put("state", "test_state");
address.put("zipcode", "zipcode_00000");
ArrayList<GenericRecord> addresses = new ArrayList<>();
addresses.add(address);
Schema mainSchema = new Schema.Parser().parse(new File("person.avsc"));
GenericRecord person1 = new GenericData.Record(mainSchema);
person1.put("personname", "goud");
person1.put("personId", "123_id");
person1.put("Addresses", addresses);
Result:
{
"personname": "goud",
"personId": "123_id",
"Addresses": [
{
"addressLine1": "adr_1",
"addressLine2": "adr_2",
"city": "test_city",
"state": "test_state",
"zipcode": "zipcode_00000"
}
],
"contact": "test_contact"
}