Re: BUG #7620: array_to_json doesn't support heterogeneous arrays - Mailing list pgsql-bugs

From Merlin Moncure
Subject Re: BUG #7620: array_to_json doesn't support heterogeneous arrays
Date
Msg-id CAHyXU0ykN_fK5Sy7FXSJhj3W8sCRPMRYJKgEX8LK=hwfv_zXAw@mail.gmail.com
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: BUG #7620: array_to_json doesn't support heterogeneous arrays  (Craig Ringer <ringerc@ringerc.id.au>)
List pgsql-bugs
On Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 2:21 AM, Craig Ringer <ringerc@ringerc.id.au> wrote:
> On 10/24/2012 07:32 AM, ghazel@gmail.com wrote:
>> The following bug has been logged on the website:
>>
>> Bug reference:      7620
>> Logged by:          Greg Hazel
>> Email address:      ghazel@gmail.com
>> PostgreSQL version: 9.2.1
>> Operating system:   Amazon Linux
>> Description:
>>
>> array_to_json(ARRAY['foo', 100, true]) complains because arrays can't have
>> mixed types, but json arrays can.
>
> The issue here isn't array_to_json, it's PostgreSQL arrays.
>
> What you appear to want is a way to call row_to_json so that it produces
> a json array instead of a json object as it currently does. That way you
> could pass it a ROW() construct, composite type, or record, and have it
> output a heterogeneous JSON array.
>
> This isn't a bug, but it's a perfectly reasonable feature request if
> re-interpreted a little. It will never work with PostgreSQL arrays,
> though, because the arrays themselves cannot contain mixed types:
>
> regress=# SELECT ARRAY[1,'test'];
> ERROR:  invalid input syntax for integer: "test"
> LINE 1: SELECT ARRAY[1,'test'];
>                        ^
> Instead you want a way to take this:
>
> regress=# SELECT ROW(1,'test');
>    row
> ----------
>  (1,test)
> (1 row)
>
> and output the json:
>
>   [1,"test"]
>
> instead of a json object:
>
>   regress=# SELECT row_to_json(ROW(1,'test'));
>      row_to_json
> ----------------------
>  {"f1":1,"f2":"test"}
> (1 row)
>
>
> Would a version of `row_to_json` that output a json array satisfy your
> needs?

That's an interesting idea, but I'd like to see the OP make a
convincing case why the data must be returned as an array.  In
javascript there isn't much difference...but maybe there's an
important point I'm missing.

merlin

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