docs: qualify push_back({value}) and += {value} brace-init behavior (#6091)

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/operator+=.md

@@ -27,6 +27,16 @@ reference operator+=(initializer_list_t init);
     `init` is converted into an object element and added using `operator+=(const typename object_t::value_type&)`.
     Otherwise, `init` is converted to a JSON value and added using `operator+=(basic_json&&)`.
 
+    !!! note "Single braced JSON value"
+
+        For a call such as `#!cpp arr += {obj}`, where the initializer list contains a single JSON value `obj`,
+        compilers may disagree unless
+        [`JSON_BRACE_INIT_COPY_SEMANTICS`](../macros/json_brace_init_copy_semantics.md) is defined to `1`: GCC, for
+        example, selects this overload and appends a single-element array `[obj]`, whereas Clang selects the
+        `basic_json` overload and appends a copy of `obj`. With the macro, GCC and Clang both append a copy of `obj`.
+        To get a portable result without the macro, write `#!cpp arr += obj` to append a copy, or
+        `#!cpp arr += json::array({obj})` to append a single-element array.
+
 ## Iterator invalidation
 
 For all cases where an element is added to an **array**, a reallocation can happen, in which case all iterators (including

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/push_back.md

@@ -27,6 +27,16 @@ void push_back(initializer_list_t init);
     `init` is converted into an object element and added using `push_back(const typename object_t::value_type&)`.
     Otherwise, `init` is converted to a JSON value and added using `push_back(basic_json&&)`.
 
+    !!! note "Single braced JSON value"
+
+        For a call such as `#!cpp arr.push_back({obj})`, where the initializer list contains a single JSON value `obj`,
+        compilers may disagree unless
+        [`JSON_BRACE_INIT_COPY_SEMANTICS`](../macros/json_brace_init_copy_semantics.md) is defined to `1`: GCC, for
+        example, selects this overload and appends a single-element array `[obj]`, whereas Clang selects the
+        `basic_json` overload and appends a copy of `obj`. With the macro, GCC and Clang both append a copy of `obj`.
+        To get a portable result without the macro, write `#!cpp arr.push_back(obj)` to append a copy, or
+        `#!cpp arr.push_back(json::array({obj}))` to append a single-element array.
+
 ## Iterator invalidation
 
 For all cases where an element is added to an **array**, a reallocation can happen, in which case all iterators (including

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/json_brace_init_copy_semantics.md

@@ -27,9 +27,13 @@ The default value is `0` (disabled — existing behavior is preserved).
     json j{obj};
     ```
 
-    creates a single-element **array** `[{"key":"value"}]` instead of a copy of `obj`. This behavior is
+    creates a single-element **array** `[{"key":"value"}]` instead of a copy of `obj`. For this constructor, the
-    compiler-dependent for older compilers (GCC wrapped, Clang did not), but starting from Clang 20, both compilers
+    behavior was compiler-dependent for older compilers (GCC wrapped, Clang did not), but starting from Clang 20, both
-    behave the same way.
+    compilers behave the same way.
+
+    The calls `#!cpp arr.push_back({obj})` and `#!cpp arr += {obj}` are still compiler-dependent without the macro,
+    even with Clang 20 and later: GCC converts `{obj}` to a single-element array and appends that array, whereas Clang
+    appends a copy of `obj`. With the macro defined to `1`, both compilers append a copy of `obj`.
 
     Enabling this macro opts into copy/move semantics for this case
     (see [#5074](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/5074)).

tests/src/unit-brace-init-copy-semantics.cpp

@@ -94,6 +94,37 @@ TEST_CASE("JSON_BRACE_INIT_COPY_SEMANTICS")
         CHECK(j3 == pair_shaped);
     }
 
+    SECTION("push_back and operator+= with a single braced JSON value")
+    {
+        // with the macro, the result does not depend on the compiler;
+        // without it, GCC wraps a JSON value and Clang does not (a literal
+        // such as {1} is wrapped by both)
+        json const obj = {{"key", "value"}};
+        json const arr = {1, 2};
+
+        json a1 = json::array();
+        a1.push_back({obj});
+        CHECK(a1 == json::array({obj}));
+
+        json a2 = json::array();
+        a2 += {obj};
+        CHECK(a2 == json::array({obj}));
+
+        json b1 = json::array();
+        b1.push_back({arr});
+        CHECK(b1 == json::array({arr}));
+
+        json b2 = json::array();
+        b2 += {arr};
+        CHECK(b2 == json::array({arr}));
+
+        // a literal is copied as well
+        json c = json::array();
+        c.push_back({1});
+        c += {2};
+        CHECK(c == json::array({1, 2}));
+    }
+
     SECTION("what the macro does not change")
     {
         // lists with more than one element are unaffected