enum variant deserialize_with

[andete]

While working on deserializing json data to an enum I wanted to use the enum variant deserialize_with feature.

I first tried it with my own data structure, which fails with "invalid type: unit variant, expected newtype variant".

The tiny program can be found at: https://github.com/andete/blog-code/blob/master/serde_deserialize_enum_1/src/bin/6.rs

To be sure I understood the approach correctly I looked at the serde testsuite and created the following example program based on a testcase in the test suite:

https://github.com/andete/blog-code/blob/master/serde_deserialize_enum_1/src/bin/6a.rs

This one fails differently with: "ExpectedSomeValue, line: 1, column: 1".

I hope I'm misinterpreting the docs and doing something wrong, else perhaps there is an issue with this feature. The testsuite test does not fail however. Maybe it is some issue that only happens when serde is combined with an actual data structure (serde_json in this case) as the testsuite test does not.

[dtolnay]

The deserialize_with applies to the content of the enum variant. The ones you wrote return Result<(), D::Error> because they apply to a unit variant holding no content, (). Written in JSON form the 6a test from the test suite is testing the input {"Unit":0}.

[andete]

Aha, indeed, like that it works. I guess the feature is not really suitable for my original idea, deserializing several different spellings to one unit variant. Guess I'll stick with a Deserialize trait impl.

[dtolnay]

Here is a quick way to use the default Deserialize logic for all the other variants.

use serde::de::{Deserialize, Deserializer, IntoDeserializer};

#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
#[serde(rename_all = "lowercase")]
#[serde(remote = "State")]
pub enum State {
    Expansion,
    CivilWar,
    /* ... */
}

impl<'de> Deserialize<'de> for State {
    fn deserialize<D>(deserializer: D) -> Result<Self, D::Error>
        where D: Deserializer<'de>
    {
        let s = String::deserialize(deserializer)?;
        if s == "civil war" {
            Ok(State::CivilWar)
        } else {
            State::deserialize(s.into_deserializer())
        }
    }
}

[andete]

That's a neat trick. Thanks! Guess my issue is no longer needed.