Docs: fill documentation gaps found in user questions (#5907)

* Docs: fill documentation gaps found in user questions

Add pages on class-hierarchy/smart-pointer/variant/chrono recipes, working
without exceptions, and large, streamed and partial input. Extend the FAQ
(23 entries, Known bugs first), parse error documentation (empty-input
checklist, line/column, diagnostic positions), element access, conversions,
creating values, ADL troubleshooting, memory, and build/distribution notes.
Add 14 examples with generated output. Correct the statement that parse errors
cannot be recovered from with -fno-exceptions.

The topics come from recurring questions on Stack Overflow, Reddit, Hacker
News, YouTube, and the project's GitHub discussions and issues.

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

* docs: declare range-for lists in variables to keep astyle quiet

astyle reformats a braced init list placed directly in a range-for
header; declare the list first so check_amalgamation passes.

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

---------

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

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/parsing/index.md

@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ json data = json::parse(f);
 The input must be encoded in UTF-8; other encodings are not supported. The exception is wide-character input, which
 is read as UTF-16 or UTF-32 -- depending on the character type -- and converted to UTF-8; see the
 [`parse`](../../api/basic_json/parse.md) page for an example. A single input may contain only one JSON value.
-Inputs consisting of multiple values separated by newlines are handled by the [JSON Lines](json_lines.md) format.
+Inputs consisting of multiple values separated by newlines are handled by the [JSON Lines](json_lines.md) format; input
+that arrives in chunks or contains several values is covered in
+[Large, streamed, and partial input](large_and_partial_input.md).
 
 By default, the library rejects comments and trailing commas. Both can be enabled with parameters of the `parse`
 function — see [comments](../comments.md) and [trailing commas](../trailing_commas.md).
@@ -92,7 +94,7 @@ again without changing any result.
 
 ## SAX vs. DOM parsing
 
-The library offers two parsing models:
+The library offers two parsing models, and a third, read-only alternative:
 
 - **DOM parsing** (the default): the complete input is read and stored as an in-memory `basic_json` value that can be
   traversed and modified freely. This is what [`parse`](../../api/basic_json/parse.md) does, and it is the right choice
@@ -102,6 +104,13 @@ The library offers two parsing models:
   inputs or when you only need to extract parts of the input. See the [SAX interface](sax_interface.md) for details and
   [`sax_parse`](../../api/basic_json/sax_parse.md) for the API.
 
+- **Document and views** (`#!cpp <nlohmann/json_view.hpp>`, added in version 3.13.0): [`json_document::parse`](../../api/basic_json_document/parse.md)
+  reads the same JSON grammar but builds a flat, read-only index of the values instead of a `basic_json` tree. Strings and
+  floating-point numbers are read from the text on demand, and only the parts you
+  [`materialize()`](../../api/basic_json_view/materialize.md) become `basic_json` values. This avoids most of the work when you
+  need only a few values from a large or frequently parsed text; see [Zero-copy JSON views](../json_view.md). It is read-only, so use
+  `parse` when you need to modify the value.
+
 You can influence a DOM parse without switching to the SAX interface by passing a
 [parser callback](parser_callbacks.md), which is called during parsing and can, for example, discard parts of the input.
 
@@ -139,8 +148,10 @@ options.
 - [`accept`](../../api/basic_json/accept.md) - check if the input is valid JSON
 - [`sax_parse`](../../api/basic_json/sax_parse.md) - generate SAX events
 - [JSON Lines](json_lines.md) - parse newline-delimited JSON
+- [Large, streamed, and partial input](large_and_partial_input.md) - chunked, concatenated, and very large input
 - [parser callbacks](parser_callbacks.md) - influence the parsing by a callback function
 - [SAX interface](sax_interface.md) - implement a custom SAX handler
+- [Zero-copy JSON views](../json_view.md) - parse into a read-only document and read it through views
 - [parsing and exceptions](parse_exceptions.md) - control error handling
 - [parsing untrusted input](untrusted_input.md) - what to consider when parsing input from untrusted sources
 - [Zero-copy JSON views](../json_view.md) - parse into a document and read it through a view

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/parsing/large_and_partial_input.md

@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+# Large, Streamed, and Partial Input
+
+[`parse`](../../api/basic_json/parse.md) reads exactly one complete JSON value and builds it in memory. It cannot be
+paused and resumed, and it does not hand back a half-parsed value when the input ends early. This page shows what to do
+when the input does not fit that model: it arrives in pieces, it contains several values, or it is too large to hold
+as a `json` value.
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    A["my input is..."] --> B{"several JSON values in one stream?"}
+    B -->|"yes"| C["read them one at a time"]
+    A --> D{"arriving in chunks (socket, pipe)?"}
+    D -->|"yes"| E["frame the messages, or buffer until complete"]
+    A --> F{"too large to keep in memory?"}
+    F -->|"yes"| G["discard parts with a callback, or use SAX"]
+    A --> H{"only a small part is needed?"}
+    H -->|"yes"| I["stop early with SAX, or read through a view"]
+```
+
+## Several values in one stream
+
+For newline-delimited input, read line by line and parse each line, as described in [JSON Lines](json_lines.md). For
+values that are simply concatenated, [`operator>>`](../../api/operator_gtgt.md) reads one value and leaves the stream
+positioned after it. Check for the end of the stream before each read, because a read at the end throws:
+
+??? example "Example: read concatenated values"
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_concatenated.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_concatenated.output"
+    ```
+
+The same works for binary formats. [`from_cbor`](../../api/basic_json/from_cbor.md) and its relatives accept
+`#!cpp strict = false` to stop after the first value and leave the rest of the stream untouched; `tellg()` then reports
+how many bytes the value took:
+
+??? example "Example: read one CBOR value and find out how many bytes it used"
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_cbor.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_cbor.output"
+    ```
+
+## Input arriving in chunks
+
+A socket, pipe, or HTTP body hands over data in pieces of arbitrary size, and a piece can end in the middle of a
+number, a string, or an object. The parser does not keep state between calls, so there are two ways to deal with this.
+
+**Frame the messages.** The most robust approach is a protocol that says where a value ends: one value per line
+([JSON Lines](json_lines.md)), a length prefix, or a delimiter. Collect the bytes of one message and parse them when
+the frame is complete. Prefer this whenever you control the protocol.
+
+**Buffer until the value is complete.** If the data has no framing, append every chunk to a buffer and try to parse
+it. A parse error at the very end of the buffer means that the input ended prematurely, while an error anywhere else is
+a real syntax error. The member `byte` of the [`parse_error`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error101)
+exception is one past the buffer size in the first case:
+
+??? example "Example: buffer chunks until the value is complete"
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_buffering.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_buffering.output"
+    ```
+
+The example feeds a document in five chunks. The first four are reported as incomplete, and a syntax error is reported as
+such, not as missing data.
+
+!!! warning "Limits of buffering"
+
+    - The buffer must contain exactly one value. Data that belongs to the next value is a syntax error. Use framing if
+      values follow each other without a separator.
+    - A number at the end of the buffer is a complete value, even if more digits are still to come (`12` may be the
+      start of `123`). Buffering cannot detect this; use framing for top-level numbers.
+    - Every attempt parses the buffer from the beginning, so the total work grows quadratically with the size of the
+      value. Limit the size of the buffer for input you do not trust (see [untrusted input](untrusted_input.md)).
+
+## Input too large for memory
+
+The input does not have to become one huge `json` value. The two tools below process it piece by piece.
+
+### Handle and discard elements with a callback
+
+A [parser callback](parser_callbacks.md) is called for every finished value. If it returns `#!cpp false`, the value is
+discarded and its memory is released at once. For a file that consists of one huge array (or one huge object) of
+records, handle each record at depth 1 and discard it:
+
+??? example "Example: handle and discard each record of a large array"
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_discard_records.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_discard_records.output"
+    ```
+
+Only one record is in memory at any time. The same recipe, with more detail, is in the
+[parser callbacks](parser_callbacks.md#recipe-streaming-a-large-homogeneous-array) page. To skip entire members you do not
+need, discard them when their key is read; see the [example](parser_callbacks.md) for `parse_event_t::key`.
+
+### Extract a few values and stop with SAX
+
+With the [SAX interface](sax_interface.md), no value is built at all, and **returning `#!cpp false` from any handler
+function stops the parser**. [`sax_parse`](../../api/basic_json/sax_parse.md) then returns `#!cpp false`, and the rest
+of the input is not read. The example finds the first `id` in a document without parsing the remainder:
+
+??? example "Example: stop parsing as soon as a value is found"
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_sax_stop.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```
+    --8<-- "examples/partial_input_sax_stop.output"
+    ```
+
+Note that `sax_parse` returns `#!cpp false` both when a handler stopped the parse and when the input is invalid, so
+record the reason in the handler (here: `id`) if you need to tell the two apart.
+
+### Read parts of a large document with a view
+
+If the whole text is available and you only need to read some of it, a [`json_document`](../json_view.md) from
+`<nlohmann/json_view.hpp>` (added in version 3.13.0) avoids the `basic_json` tree altogether: it keeps the text, builds a flat index of the values,
+and gives read-only [views](../../api/basic_json_view/index.md) of the parts you look at. Only what you
+[`materialize()`](../../api/basic_json_view/materialize.md) becomes a `basic_json` value. See
+[Zero-copy JSON views](../json_view.md) for details and for the lifetime rules.
+
+## See also
+
+- [Parsing](index.md) - overview of the parsing functions
+- [JSON Lines](json_lines.md) - newline-delimited JSON
+- [Parser callbacks](parser_callbacks.md) - discard values while parsing
+- [SAX interface](sax_interface.md) - event-based parsing
+- [Zero-copy JSON views](../json_view.md) - read parts of a large document without building a tree
+- [Untrusted input](untrusted_input.md) - limits for input you do not control

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/parsing/parse_exceptions.md

@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ catch (json::parse_error& ex)
 In case exceptions are undesired or not supported by the environment, there are different ways to proceed:
 
 
+!!! tip
+
+    [Working without exceptions](../no_exceptions.md) also covers accessing values and converting to your own types.
+
 ## Switch off exceptions
 
 The [`parse()`](../../api/basic_json/parse.md) function accepts a `#!cpp bool` parameter `allow_exceptions` which
@@ -81,3 +85,61 @@ The return value indicates whether the parsing should continue, so the function
     ```
     --8<-- "examples/sax_no_exception.output"
     ```
+
+## Where did the error occur?
+
+The message of a [`parse_error`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error101) for JSON text contains the line
+and column of the error:
+
+```
+[json.exception.parse_error.101] parse error at line 3, column 8: syntax error while parsing value - unexpected ']'; expected '[', '{', or a literal
+```
+
+The exception object itself only stores the **byte index** of the last read character in the member `byte` (the first
+byte of the input has index 1). The same index is passed to `parse_error` in the [SAX interface](sax_interface.md). If
+you need the line and column as numbers, for example to show them in an editor, compute them from the input:
+
+??? example "Example: compute line and column of a parse error"
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/parse_error_position.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```
+    --8<-- "examples/parse_error_position.output"
+    ```
+
+Columns count bytes, so a line with multi-byte UTF-8 characters before the error may differ from the column your editor
+shows.
+
+### Where is the value that caused a later error?
+
+A `parse_error` is raised while the text is read. Many mistakes show up later: the text is valid JSON, but a value has
+the wrong type when you convert it (`type_error.302`), or a key is missing (`out_of_range.403`). The exception then says
+what is wrong, but not where in the input the value was. Define
+[`JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS`](../../api/macros/json_diagnostic_positions.md) before including the library to add the
+byte range of the offending value to such messages (since version 3.12.0), and to query the range of any value with
+[`start_pos()`](../../api/basic_json/start_pos.md) and [`end_pos()`](../../api/basic_json/end_pos.md):
+
+??? example "Example: locate a value with diagnostic positions"
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/parse_error_position_diagnostic.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```
+    --8<-- "examples/parse_error_position_diagnostic.output"
+    ```
+
+Positions are only available for values created by [`parse`](../../api/basic_json/parse.md), they are not updated when a
+value is changed, and the macro makes every value 16 bytes larger on 64-bit platforms, so use it where the cost is
+acceptable, for example for configuration files. Note that `start_pos()` is a 0-based index into the input, whereas
+`byte` of a `parse_error` starts at 1.
+
+For binary formats such as CBOR, there are no lines; `byte` is the position in the byte sequence. To find out how many
+bytes a successfully parsed value used, see
+[Several values in one stream](large_and_partial_input.md#several-values-in-one-stream).

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/parsing/untrusted_input.md

@@ -26,9 +26,11 @@ several alternatives; see [Parsing and exceptions](parse_exceptions.md) for the
   [example](parse_exceptions.md#user-defined-sax-interface) that overrides it to print instead of throw.
 
 If exceptions are unavailable entirely (`-fno-exceptions`, or [`JSON_NOEXCEPTION`](../../api/macros/json_noexception.md)
-defined), every `#!cpp throw` in the library becomes a call to `std::abort()` -- there is no way to recover from a
-parse error of untrusted input in that configuration; see
-[Switch off exceptions](../../home/exceptions.md#switch-off-exceptions) for the details and for overriding this with
+defined), every `#!cpp throw` in the library becomes a call to `std::abort()`. The alternatives above do not throw, so
+`parse()` with `allow_exceptions` set to `#!cpp false` (and likewise `accept()` and the `from_*` functions with
+`allow_exceptions` set to `#!cpp false`) can still reject invalid input in that configuration; a plain `parse()` call
+aborts on invalid input. See [Working without exceptions](../no_exceptions.md) and
+[Switch off exceptions](../../home/exceptions.md#switch-off-exceptions) for the details and for overriding the abort with
 `JSON_THROW_USER`.
 
 ## Nesting depth