Create a method like indented to XML serialization

[renanigt]

Allways the result.use(xml()).from(object).serialize() brings in a pretty format what may difficult the tests and we may don't want for any reason.

What about create some method like indented of JSONSerialization ?

[Turini]

did you mean remove Gson prettyPrint() option by default?
And just use prettyPrint() if we do something like this? :

result.use(xml()).from(object).indent().serialize()

If so, I don't like this... I'd prefer +human readable output by default.

[Turini]

and it will break compability on it's released version.

[Turini]

ops.. forgot about Gson (you are talking about XStream).
but my point is the same... what do you think?

[renanigt]

I think the just impact is on tests and don't is big, but is really too specific.

So may close this issue. 😃

[Turini]

what do you think @garcia-jj and @lucascs?

[garcia-jj]

@Turini, we already have this discussion 2 or 3 years ago when develop
vraptor 3.

Json and XML are made to machine exchange, not to humans read. With no
spaces and break lines performance are increased a lot. And our decision
was made based on this.

If some dev needs to debug, there are many tools that already do this job
like firebug. And all browsers have tools that do this job too.

[Turini]

With no spaces and break lines performance are increased a lot.
And our decision was made based on this.

so why it appears formatted until now? Or it does not? (I'm really not sure)

[garcia-jj]

Good question. I'm not in my computer right now. But later I can see this
case.

[renanigt]

It's appear just formatted.

[Turini]

yeap... this is my point. Until now XML output is formatted.

[garcia-jj]

May a bug. As you see we don't have "without indentation" method, only
"indented". So all serialization result should not indented.

Can you do a test to us? Create two methods that serializes to XML, one
that calls indented and another that don't call. How result XML appears?

And the same with json.

[renanigt]

I'm not at home now, but after I'll do this.

[garcia-jj]

Hmm, now I'm on a computer :happy:.

I remember that I ask this behavior on dev mailing list. And after a long discussion we decide that all serializations should be without indentation. Why? Because JSON and XML is just to machine exchange, not to be user readable. Without indentation we have more performance when download the JSON and XML. For a XML or Json, spaces/tabs/linebreaks is usefulness.

And now all browsers have native tools to pretty debug JSON or XML.

As you see there is no method to remove indentation, only methods to add indentation. Because by default serialization isn't indented. I did this code in vraptor 3, so I think that this code was missed. See this: caelum/vraptor@9a11124

Take a look in GsonJSONSerializationTest class. The method shouldSerializeAllBasicFields is not indented. But shouldSerializeAllBasicFieldsIdented is indented because indented method was called. By default our JSON serialization isn't indented.

But XStreamXMLSerializationTest, method shouldSerializeAllBasicFields don't calls indented, and the result is indented. Analyzing the code I see that indented has no effect. So it's a bug (or undesired behavior).

I think that we can change this behavior now, because this change wont break applications because spaces/tabs/linebreaks are not relevant to JSON/XML processors (it's just ignored). But can impact is users have tests comparing strings, so we can add a text explain this change in release notes.

[garcia-jj]

I found the thread :) https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/caelum-vraptor-dev/FpVYFlzMNMI

But I think that we only change for JSON, not to XML :(

[mariofts]

Can we have both worlds? In production the code is not identeted, and in
any other environment is, what do you think?

My other sugestion is not ident by default at all, like V3. Change the
default behaviour now and put a release note. This make a lot of difference
to apps with tons of requests.

Mário do Amaral Gonçalves

2014-06-18 11:35 GMT-03:00 Otávio Garcia notifications@github.com:

I found the thread :)
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/caelum-vraptor-dev/FpVYFlzMNMI

But I think that we only change for JSON, not to XML :(

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#612 (comment).

[garcia-jj]

Yes Mário, this is my point. Today we have not indented by default, and dev can call method indented if he wants indentation. It works fine with JSON, but in XML this option is not implemented (I think that we miss to do this).

[garcia-jj]

Mário, what you think about a option like indentedIf(AN_ENVIRONMENT)?

[renanigt]

It's a good idea @garcia-jj ! 👍

[felipeweb]

i think we can create a environment option.
if in the file. properties are not explicitly which the developer's choice, we set not indened by default

what do you think?

[renanigt]

I prefer something like indentedIf(AN_ENVIRONMENT) as was cited by @garcia-jj !
It's cleaner and simple to use it.

[mariofts]

I prefer the Felipe approach. Something like identXml=false/identJson=false
in the default properties file. I can think in a situation where someone
need the output idented based on environment other than debug in
development, which is the environment responsability.

What I mean is this options shouldn't be in the code, if the purpose is
explicity debug.

Mário do Amaral Gonçalves

2014-06-18 12:25 GMT-03:00 Renan Montenegro notifications@github.com:

I prefer something like indentedIf(AN_ENVIRONMENT) as was cited by
@garcia-jj https://github.com/garcia-jj !
It's cleaner and simple to use it.

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#612 (comment).

[garcia-jj]

All vraptor configuration are located at Java code. Can be easily
refactored, more readable, and more.

Just my opinion: properties can forgettable, and dev must see the key in
the docs. Placed in the class is more fluent and easily to see.

And I can add only in places I want. In the properties all places will
inherit the behavior.

I prefer method, but I don't see a big problem to use property. But I
dislike :)

May we can invite more people to discuss about. @Turini @lucascs @rponte

[rponte]

Why not both?

Having these properties in configuration file is good if you have to deal with multiple environments, so you just need to change the file in build or deploy-time, for example. But I agree with @garcia-jj that having an API is also a good idea and is the VRaptor way of developing.

[garcia-jj]

If we use both, indentIf(Environment) needs to have higher priority than configuration. Makes sense?

[renanigt]

Good idea @rponte. 👍
In this case, we just need decide the order of priority.

[renanigt]

For me makes sense @garcia-jj !

[lucascs]

text configuration usually takes precedence over programatic/annotation configuration... so you can create a properties/xml for each environment and don't have to recompile a jar.

I wouldn't put the indentedIf method, though...

[garcia-jj]

@lucascs when I wrote the 1st piece of this code I think that same you.

[garcia-jj]

Reopen to add support for environment.

[renanigt]

MockSerializationResult is affected with this improvement ?

[garcia-jj]

Nope.

[renanigt]

I think that a good idea would be MockSerializationResult doesn't indent the result either.
So, make tests with no indent is easier.

What do you think ?

[garcia-jj]

Redundant, because user can add this config via environment. (test.properties when use tests).

[renanigt]

Oh, really, will be via environment.

Thanks

[renanigt]

I thought about this because MockSerializationResult use XStreamBuilderImpl and this class doesn't indent the result either.

Sorry for the doubts.

[renanigt]

Sorry, I was wrong.

[garcia-jj]

Implemented, and will be available in the next release. Thank you, people, to your suggestions.