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json/api/basic_json/patch_inplace.md
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2026-10-27 12:14:00 +00:00

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# <small>nlohmann::basic_json::</small>patch_inplace
```cpp
void patch_inplace(const basic_json& json_patch);
```
[JSON Patch](http://jsonpatch.com) defines a JSON document structure for expressing a sequence of operations to apply to
a JSON document. With this function, a JSON Patch is applied to the current JSON value by executing all operations from
the patch. This function applies a JSON patch in place and returns void.
## Parameters
`json_patch` (in)
: JSON patch document
## Exception safety
No guarantees, value may be corrupted by an unsuccessful patch operation.
## Exceptions
- Throws [`parse_error.104`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error104) if the JSON patch does not consist of
an array of objects.
- Throws [`parse_error.105`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error105) if the JSON patch is malformed (e.g.,
mandatory attributes are missing); example: `"operation 'add' must have member 'path'"`.
- Throws [`out_of_range.401`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range401) if an array index is out of range.
- Throws [`parse_error.106`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error106) if an array index in a "path" or
"from" member begins with '0'; example: `"array index '01' must not begin with '0'"`.
- Throws [`parse_error.107`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error107) if a "path" or "from" member is not
empty and does not begin with a slash (`/`); example: `"JSON pointer must be empty or begin with '/' - was: 'a'"`.
- Throws [`parse_error.108`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error108) if a tilde (`~`) in a "path" or
"from" member is not followed by `0` or `1`; example: `"escape character '~' must be followed with '0' or '1'"`.
- Throws [`parse_error.109`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error109) if an array index in a "path" or
"from" member is not a number; example: `"array index 'foo' is not a number"`.
- Throws [`out_of_range.402`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range402) if the array index `-` is used
where an existing element is required (the "path" of "replace", the "from" of "move" and "copy"); example:
`"array index '-' (3) is out of range"`.
- Throws [`out_of_range.403`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range403) if a JSON pointer inside the patch
could not be resolved successfully in the current JSON value; example: `"key 'baz' not found"`.
- Throws [`out_of_range.404`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range404) if a reference token of a JSON
pointer inside the patch cannot be resolved, e.g., `-` in a "remove" operation or `1a` for an array; example:
`"unresolved reference token '-'"`.
- Throws [`out_of_range.405`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range405) if JSON pointer has no parent
("remove", "move")
- Throws [`out_of_range.411`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range411) if an "add" operation's target
location has a parent that is neither an object nor an array.
- Throws [`out_of_range.413`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range413) if a "remove" operation's target
location has a parent that is neither an object nor an array.
- Throws [`out_of_range.414`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range414) if a "move" operation's "from"
location is a proper prefix of its "path" location.
- Throws [`other_error.501`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionother_error501) if "test" operation was
unsuccessful. A "test" operation whose "path" does not exist is unsuccessful, too: the failed lookup is reported as a
failed test, even if the operation has no "value" member (which would otherwise be
[`parse_error.105`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error105)). Which of the two errors is reported for
this combination depends on the order in which the operands of a comparison are evaluated, so do not rely on it.
## Complexity
Linear in the size of the JSON value and the length of the JSON patch. As usually the patch affects only a fraction of
the JSON value, the complexity can usually be neglected.
## Notes
Unlike [`patch`](patch.md), `patch_inplace` applies the operation "in place" and no copy of the JSON value is created.
That makes it faster for large documents by avoiding the copy. However, the JSON value might be corrupted if the
function throws an exception.
Duplicate member names inside an operation object are resolved by the parser before the patch is applied (the last one
is kept, see [`object_t`](object_t.md#behavior)), so `#!json {"op": "add", "op": "remove", "path": "/a"}` is a
`remove` operation.
## Examples
??? example "Example: apply a JSON patch in place"
The following code shows how a JSON patch is applied to a value.
```cpp
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
using nlohmann::json;
using namespace nlohmann::literals;
int main()
{
// the original document
json doc = R"(
{
"baz": "qux",
"foo": "bar"
}
)"_json;
// the patch
json patch = R"(
[
{ "op": "replace", "path": "/baz", "value": "boo" },
{ "op": "add", "path": "/hello", "value": ["world"] },
{ "op": "remove", "path": "/foo"}
]
)"_json;
// output original document
std::cout << "Before\n" << std::setw(4) << doc << '\n';
// apply the patch
doc.patch_inplace(patch);
// output patched document
std::cout << "\nAfter\n" << std::setw(4) << doc << '\n';
}
```
Output:
```json
Before
{
"baz": "qux",
"foo": "bar"
}
After
{
"baz": "boo",
"hello": [
"world"
]
}
```
??? example "Example: out_of_range.403 exception with a partially applied patch"
The following code shows a patch whose first operation succeeds and whose second operation fails. Because
`patch_inplace` applies each operation directly to the value, the first operation's effect is still visible after
the exception is caught, unlike [`patch`](patch.md).
```cpp
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
using nlohmann::json;
using namespace nlohmann::literals;
int main()
{
// the original document
json doc = R"(
{
"a": 1,
"b": 2
}
)"_json;
// a patch whose second operation fails
json patch = R"(
[
{ "op": "replace", "path": "/a", "value": 99 },
{ "op": "remove", "path": "/nonexistent" }
]
)"_json;
// exception out_of_range.403
try
{
doc.patch_inplace(patch);
}
catch (const json::out_of_range& e)
{
std::cout << e.what() << '\n';
}
// the first operation has already been applied to doc
std::cout << std::setw(4) << doc << '\n';
}
```
Output:
```json
[json.exception.out_of_range.403] key 'nonexistent' not found
{
"a": 99,
"b": 2
}
```
## See also
- [RFC 6902 (JSON Patch)](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6902) - specification of JSON Patch
- [RFC 6901 (JSON Pointer)](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6901) - specification of JSON Pointer
- [`patch`](patch.md) - applies a JSON Patch
- [`merge_patch`](merge_patch.md) - applies a JSON Merge Patch
- [JSON Patch and Diff](../../features/json_patch.md) - the article on JSON Patch
## Version history
- Added in version 3.11.0.
- Added [`out_of_range.411`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range411) and stopped relying on an internal assertion when an "add" operation's
target location has a non-object/non-array parent in version 3.13.0.
This includes a `null` parent, which was previously silently converted to an object, in version 3.13.0.
- Added [`out_of_range.413`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range413) and stopped silently ignoring a "remove" operation whose target
location has a non-object/non-array parent in version 3.13.0.
- Added [`out_of_range.414`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range414) and rejected a "move" operation whose "from" location is a proper
prefix of its "path" location instead of silently producing a corrupted result in version 3.13.0.
- Throws [`parse_error.109`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error109) instead of
[`out_of_range.404`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range404) for a one-character array index that is
not a digit (e.g., `/x`) in version 3.13.0, as it already did for longer ones.