Settings View Source Modifiers tutorial

Every pathex path created with Pathex.path/2 can have modifier specified as a second argument. Modifier defines behaviour of the path in a way of structures it can match inside. For example, path created with :map modifier can only match maps inside them. Modifiers can be specified only in form of an atom, variables are not accepted.

usage

Usage

Currently only three modifiers are avaliable:

• :json which matches lists and maps
• :naive which matches lists, tuples, keywords and maps
• :map which matches only maps

Default modifier for every path is :naive

Modifiers are specified as second argument in path/2 like

path :x / :y, :naive
path 0 / :x, :json

naive-modifier

Naive modifier

This modifier matches lists, tuples, keyword and maps It generates matches for every structure like

For example path(:x, :naive) generates something like

case input do
  %{x: value} ->
     ...
  [{a, _} | _] = k when is_atom(a) ->
     case Keyword.fetch(k, :x) do
       ...
     end
end

Note: Variables are treated as their values

json-modifier

Json modifier

This modifier specifies paths which macth lists (for integer keys only) and maps

Note: This modifier treats variables as map keys, this means that

iex> x = 1
iex> p = path x, :json
iex> :error = Pathex.view([1, 2, 3], p)
iex> {:ok, :x} = Pathex.view(%{1 => :x}, p)

But passed integers are exanded into list matching this makes it very efficent to view data from the structure

For example path 1 / :x, :json generates closure with

case input do
  [_, %{x: value} | _] ->
    {:ok, value}

  %{1 => %{x: value}} ->
    {:ok, value}

  _ ->
    :error
end

Which extracts maximum efficency from BEAM's pattern-matching

map-modifier

Map modifier

This modifier matches only maps and therefore is the fastest modifier avaliable

For example path 1 / :x / "y", :map will generate closure with

case input do
  %{1 => %{x: %{"y" => value}}} ->
    {:ok, value}

  _ ->
    :error
end

annotations

Annotations

Usually a key passed to path can match to one or more types. For example, key :x can be a key in Map like %{x: 1} and a key in Keyword like [x: 1]. To make key match only certain type it can be annotated to the exact type using this syntax path(:x :: :map). Available annotations are :map, :keyword, :list and :tuple.

when-how-why

When? How? & Why?

You should use modifiers when you need to specify type of inner structures to match or reduce amount of generated code by Pathex or improve performance of the path