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json/docs/mkdocs/docs/api/view_mode.md
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Niels Lohmann 6a852ab96d Split the json_view feature page into sub-pages (#6018)
* Split the json_view feature page into sub-pages

The single features/json_view.md page grew to ~600 lines covering eight
topics. Split it into features/json_view/ with an overview page and
pages for ownership and lifetime, differences from basic_json, reading
values, generic code, editing, and images.

The new differences page collects what was spread over several sections
("What is the same", "What is different", "Duplicate keys", and notes in
the conversion and serialization sections) under one summary table, and
adds the parts of the basic_json interface a view does not have. The
other pages now link to it instead of restating the rules.

Internal links across the documentation point to the new pages.

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

* Docs: fix stale comments and trim repeated text in json_view pages

- fig-jsonview.js/.css: point the header comments at the new pages
- reading.md: views' strings are valid as long as the document (and a
  borrowed source text), as lifetime.md says
- reading.md, generic_code.md: link to differences.md instead of
  restating the member-order and repeated-key rules
- differences.md: drop the third mention of ordering comparisons, name
  rbegin()/rend() in the iterator row
- exceptions.md: link editable documents to editing.md

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

---------

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
2026-11-09 08:12:00 +01:00

3.7 KiB

nlohmann::view_mode

Defined in header <nlohmann/json_view.hpp>

enum class view_mode : std::uint8_t
{
    read_only,
    editable
};

The second template parameter of basic_json_document and basic_json_view: whether a document can be changed after parsing, and whether a view is of such a document.

read_only
the default: the document is parsed once and then only read. It carries none of the bookkeeping edits need, and calling set, push_back, insert, or erase on it fails to compile.
editable
the document also offers set, push_back, insert, and erase; its views see every edit, see Edits.

The shortcuts name both modes: json_document and json_view are read-only, json_editable_document and json_editable_view are editable (and likewise for ordered_json).

Notes

The mode is a compile-time property of the document's and the view's type, not a setting of a call. A read-only view reads a container in place, while a view of an editable document follows the links that edits leave behind. A view of a read-only document converts implicitly to a view of an editable document of the same BasicJsonType: a read-only document has no edits, so the converted view reads it like an editable document before its first edit (at the cost of one check per access). There is no conversion the other way, because a read-only view of an editable document would read wrong values after the next edit.

A function that takes a json_editable_view therefore accepts the views of both modes. A function template deduces the mode from its argument instead, without conversions, so it names the modes it accepts in its signature:

// views of editable documents only
template<typename BasicJsonType>
void f(basic_json_view<BasicJsonType, view_mode::editable> v);

// views of read-only documents only
template<typename BasicJsonType>
void f(basic_json_view<BasicJsonType, view_mode::read_only> v);

// views of either document type
template<typename BasicJsonType, view_mode Mode>
void f(basic_json_view<BasicJsonType, Mode> v);

A function that takes a json_view accepts neither an ordered_json_view nor a json_editable_view. Views of the two modes compare with operator==.

Examples

??? example

The example below shows a function template that accepts the views of both modes, one that accepts only views of
editable documents, and a function taking a `json_editable_view` that also accepts a view of a read-only document.

```cpp
--8<-- "examples/view_mode.cpp"
```

Output:

```
--8<-- "examples/view_mode.output"
```

See also

Version history

Added in version 3.13.0.