#1258 - Add convenience methods to controller specs to work with JSON

activeweb-testing/src/main/java/org/javalite/activeweb/RequestBuilder.java

@@ -270,6 +270,21 @@ public RequestBuilder content(String content) {
         return content(content.getBytes());
     }
 
+
+    /**
+     * Convenience method. Expects the content to be some JSON document (object or array).
+     * This method does NOT check the validity of the document. It is a responsibility of the controller.
+     * <br>
+     * This method will automatically set the header "Content-Type" to be "application/json", and that is the convenience.
+     *
+     * @param content JSON document is expected
+     * @return self.
+     */
+    public RequestBuilder json(String content) {
+        contentType("application/json");
+        return content(content.getBytes());
+    }
+
     /**
      * Use  to post content to a tested controller.
      *

activeweb-testing/src/main/java/org/javalite/activeweb/RequestSpecHelper.java

@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 
 
 import org.javalite.common.Convert;
+import org.javalite.json.JSONList;
+import org.javalite.json.JSONMap;
 import org.javalite.test.jspec.TestException;
 import org.jsoup.Jsoup;
 import org.jsoup.nodes.Document;
@@ -27,8 +29,6 @@
 
 import java.util.*;
 
-import static org.javalite.common.Util.blank;
-
 /**
  * This class is not used directly in applications.
  *
@@ -80,6 +80,25 @@ protected String responseContent(){
         }
     }
 
+
+    /**
+     * Provides content generated by controller in the {@link JSONMap} format, after controller execution - if views were integrated.
+     *
+     * @return content generated by controller/view already converted to <code>JSONMap</code?> object.
+     */
+    protected JSONMap responseJSONMap(){
+        return new JSONMap(responseContent());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Provides content generated by controller in the {@link JSONList} format, after controller execution - if views were integrated.
+     *
+     * @return content generated by controller/view already converted to <code>JSONList</code?> object.
+     */
+    protected JSONList responseJSONList(){
+        return new JSONList(responseContent());
+    }
+
     /**
      * Provides content generated by controller as bytes.
      *

activeweb-testing/src/test/java/app/controllers/JSONController.java

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package app.controllers;
+
+import org.javalite.activeweb.AppController;
+import org.javalite.activeweb.annotations.POST;
+
+import org.javalite.json.JSONMap;
+
+public class JSONController extends AppController {
+
+    @POST
+    public void index1(){
+        JSONMap request = getRequestJSONMap();
+        request.put("last_name", "Doe");
+        respondJSON(request);
+    }
+
+    @POST
+    public void index2(){
+        respondJSON(getRequestJSONList());
+    }
+}

activeweb-testing/src/test/java/app/controllers/JSONControllerSpec.java

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package app.controllers;
+
+import org.javalite.activeweb.ControllerSpec;
+import org.javalite.json.JSONList;
+import org.javalite.json.JSONMap;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class JSONControllerSpec extends ControllerSpec {
+
+    @Test
+    public void shouldPostJSONMap(){
+
+        String doc = """
+                {
+                    "first_name" : "John"
+                }
+                """;
+        request().json(doc).post("index1");
+
+        JSONMap response = responseJSONMap();
+
+        the(response).shouldContain("first_name");
+        the(response).shouldContain("last_name");
+
+        the(response.get("first_name")).shouldContain("John");
+        the(response.get("last_name")).shouldContain("Doe");
+
+        the(contentType()).shouldBeEqual("application/json");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void shouldPostJSONList(){
+
+        String doc = """
+                [
+                    "John" , "Doe"
+                ]
+                """;
+        request().json(doc).post("index2");
+
+        JSONList response = responseJSONList();
+
+        the(response).shouldContain("John");
+        the(response).shouldContain("Doe");
+        the(contentType()).shouldBeEqual("application/json");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void shouldPostJSONString(){
+
+        String doc = """
+                [
+                    "John" , "Doe"
+                ]
+                """;
+        request().json(doc).post("index2");
+
+        JSONList response = responseJSONList();
+
+        the(response).shouldContain("John");
+        the(response).shouldContain("Doe");
+        the(contentType()).shouldBeEqual("application/json");
+    }
+}

activeweb/src/main/java/org/javalite/activeweb/HttpSupport.java

@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
 import org.javalite.common.Convert;
 import org.javalite.json.JSONHelper;
 import org.javalite.common.Util;
+import org.javalite.json.JSONList;
+import org.javalite.json.JSONMap;
 import org.jsoup.Jsoup;
 import org.jsoup.safety.Safelist;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
@@ -491,8 +493,7 @@ protected <T extends AppController> HttpBuilder redirect(Class<T> controllerClas
     }
 
     /**
-     * This method will send the text to a client verbatim. It will not use any layouts. Use it to build app.services
-     * and to support AJAX.
+     * This method will send the text to a client verbatim. It will not use any layouts. Use it to support AJAX or API functions.
      *
      * @param text text of response.
      * @return {@link HttpSupport.HttpBuilder}, to accept additional information.
@@ -502,10 +503,28 @@ protected HttpBuilder respond(String text){
             text = "null";
         }
         DirectResponse resp = new DirectResponse(text);
+        String contentType = RequestContext.getHttpRequest().getHeader("Content-Type");
+        //TODO: is this some spaghetti code? Seems we have Content-type in RequestContext as well as in ControllerResponse?
+        if(contentType != null){
+            resp.setContentType(contentType);
+        }
+
         RequestContext.setControllerResponse(resp);
         return new HttpBuilder(resp);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Serializes the argument as a JSON string and sets the "Content-Type"  header to "application/json".
+     * See {@link HttpSupport#respond(String)}.
+     *
+     * @param object object to serialize to JSON
+     * @return self
+     */
+    protected HttpBuilder respondJSON(Object object){
+        header("Content-Type", "application/json");
+        return respond(JSONHelper.toJsonString(object));
+    }
+
     /**
      * Convenience method for downloading files. This method will force the browser to find a handler(external program)
      *  for  this file (content type) and will provide a name of file to the browser. This method sets an HTTP header
@@ -1340,6 +1359,25 @@ protected InputStream getRequestStream() {
         }
     }
 
+
+    /**
+     * Reads entire request data and converts it to {@link JSONMap}.
+     *
+     * @return data sent by client as {@link JSONMap}.
+     */
+    protected JSONMap getRequestJSONMap() {
+        return new JSONMap(getRequestString());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reads entire request data and converts it to {@link JSONList}.
+     *
+     * @return data sent by client as {@link JSONList}.
+     */
+    protected JSONList getRequestJSONList() {
+        return new JSONList(getRequestString());
+    }
+
     /**
      * Reads entire request data as String. Do not use for large data sets to avoid
      * memory issues, instead use {@link #getRequestInputStream()}.

javalite-common/src/main/java/org/javalite/json/JSONList.java

@@ -37,9 +37,15 @@
  * @see JSONList#getMap(int)
  */
 public class JSONList extends ArrayList {
+
+
     public JSONList(List jsonList){
         super(jsonList);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @param jsonList JSON array as string.
+     */
     public JSONList(String jsonList){
         super(JSONHelper.toList(jsonList));
     }
@@ -145,4 +151,11 @@ public String toString() {
     public String toJSON(boolean pretty){
         return JSONHelper.toJsonString(this,  pretty);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @return a JSON representation  of this object
+     */
+    public String toJSON(){
+        return JSONHelper.toJsonString(this,  false);
+    }
 }

javalite-common/src/main/java/org/javalite/json/JSONMap.java

@@ -39,6 +39,15 @@ public JSONMap(String ... keysAndValues){
         super(map(keysAndValues));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Converts the String into a JSONMap.
+     *
+     * @param jsonString JSON Object document as string.
+     */
+    public JSONMap(String jsonString){
+        super(JSONHelper.toJSONMap(jsonString));
+    }
+
     public JSONMap(){}
 
     /**
@@ -285,7 +294,6 @@ public String toJSON(boolean pretty){
     }
 
     /**
-     *
      * @return a JSON representation  of this object
      */
     public String toJSON(){