https://github.com/chuyeow/jsonifier

Better ActiveRecord#to_json (for Rails pre-2.0 only). See http://blog.codefront.net/2007/07/11/better-json-output-from-rails-with-the-jsonifier-plugin/
https://github.com/chuyeow/jsonifier

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Better ActiveRecord#to_json (for Rails pre-2.0 only). See http://blog.codefront.net/2007/07/11/better-json-output-from-rails-with-the-jsonifier-plugin/

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/chuyeow/jsonifier
• Owner: chuyeow
• License: mit
• Created: 2008-12-15T13:22:42.000Z (about 16 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2008-12-15T13:26:26.000Z (about 16 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-11-07T20:16:14.797Z (3 months ago)
• Homepage: http://blog.codefront.net/2007/07/11/better-json-output-from-rails-with-the-jsonifier-plugin/
• Size: 82 KB
• Stars: 5
• Watchers: 3
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 1
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README
  • License: MIT-LICENSE

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README

        
Jsonifier

=========

Adds options to the ActiveRecord#to_json method similar to ActiveRecord#to_xml.

The :only, :except, :methods, and :include options are supported.

ActiveRecord#to_json will no longer return you "attributes" as part of the JSON - i.e. no more

  {attributes: {id: 1, name: "Konata"}

The 'attributes' part is often unnecessary cruft when consuming ActiveRecord objects as JSON.

You get this instead:

  {id: 1, name: "Konata"}

Assuming User and Post models where User has_many Posts:

  david = User.find(1)

  david.to_json  # {id: 1, name: "David", awesome: true, created_at: "07/01/2007"}

By the way, the created_at date attribute is in MM/DD/YYYY format (which is evil in my opinion for

being US-centric but that's another matter).

OK some examples. :only and :except work the same way that as for ActiveRecord#to_xml:

  david.to_json(:only => :name)                 # {name: "David"}

  david.to_json(:only => [:id, :name])          # {id: 1, name: "David"}

  david.to_json(:except => :created_at)         # {id: 1, name: "David", awesome: true}

  david.to_json(:except => [:id, :created_at])  # {name: "David", awesome: true}

You can use the :methods options as well to include any methods on the object.

  david.to_json(:methods => :permalink)

    # {id: 1, name: "David", awesome: true, created_at: "07/01/2007", permalink => "1-David"}

  david.to_json(:methods => [:permalink, :interestingness])

    # {id: 1, name: "David", awesome: true, created_at: "07/01/2007", \

        permalink => "1-David", :interestingness => 666}

The :include option lets you include associations.

  david.to_json(:include => :posts)

    # {id: 1, name: "David", awesome: true, created_at: "07/01/2007", \

         posts: [{id: 1, author_id: 1, title: "Welcome to the weblog"}, \

                 {id: 2, author_id: 1, title: "So I was thinking"}]}

:only, :except, and :methods works on the included associations as well:

  david.to_json(:include => { :posts => { :only => :title } })

    # {id: 1, name: "David", awesome: true, created_at: "07/01/2007", \

         posts: [{title: "Welcome to the weblog"}, \

                 {title: "So I was thinking"}]}

Of course, 2nd level (and higher order) associations work too:

  david.to_json(:include => { :posts => { \

                                :include => { :comments => { \

                                                :only => :body } }, \

                                :only => :title } })

    # {id: 1, name: "David", awesome: true, created_at: "07/01/2007", \

         posts: [{comments: [{body: "1st post!"}, {body: "OMGWTFBBQ!"}], \

                  title: "Welcome to the weblog"}, \

                 {comments: [{body: "Don't think too hard"}], \

                  title: "So I was thinking"}]}

Check out Rails patch for more details and tests (which I intend to add to the plugin real soon!):

http://dev.rubyonrails.org/ticket/8920

A note on valid JSON

--------------------

Note: the JSON Rails spits out by default is not strictly valid JSON since the JSON

specifications require keys to be double quoted. To get strictly valid JSON, add

  ActiveSupport::JSON.unquote_hash_key_identifiers = false

in your environment.rb (or in the Rails initializers directory if you're on edge).

See http://blog.codefront.net/2007/06/20/how-to-get-strictly-valid-json-from-rails/ for more info.

Copyright (c) 2007 Cheah Chu Yeow, released under the MIT license