Add option to JSON node to ensure particular encoding

nodes/core/locales/en-US/messages.json

@@ -674,7 +674,14 @@
         },
         "label": {
             "o2j": "Object to JSON options",
-            "pretty": "Format JSON string"
+            "pretty": "Format JSON string",
+            "action": "Action",
+            "property": "Property",
+            "actions": {
+                "toggle": "Convert between JSON String & Object",
+                "str":"Always convert to JSON String",
+                "obj":"Always convert to JavaScript Object"
+            }
         }
     },
     "yaml": {

nodes/core/parsers/70-JSON.html

@@ -4,11 +4,25 @@
         <label for="node-input-name"><i class="fa fa-tag"></i> <span data-i18n="common.label.name"></span></label>
         <input type="text" id="node-input-name" data-i18n="[placeholder]common.label.name">
     </div>
-    <hr align="middle"/>
     <div class="form-row">
+        <label for="node-input-action"><span data-i18n="json.label.action"></span></label>
+        <select style="width:70%" id="node-input-action">
+            <option value=""    data-i18n="json.label.actions.toggle"></option>
+            <option value="str" data-i18n="json.label.actions.str"></option>
+            <option value="obj" data-i18n="json.label.actions.obj"></option>
+        </select>
+    </div>
+    <div class="form-row">
+        <label data-i18n="json.label.property"></label>
+        <input type="text" id="node-input-property" style="width: 70%"/>
+    </div>
+
+    <hr align="middle"/>
+
+    <div class="form-row node-json-to-json-options">
         <label style="width:100%; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;"><span data-i18n="json.label.o2j"></span></label>
     </div>
-    <div class="form-row" style="padding-left: 20px;">
+    <div class="form-row node-json-to-json-options" style="padding-left: 20px;">
         <input style="width:20px; vertical-align:top; margin-right: 5px;" type="checkbox" id="node-input-pretty"><label style="width: auto;" for="node-input-pretty" data-i18n="json.label.pretty"></span>
     </div>
 </script>
@@ -30,6 +44,14 @@
             </ul>
         </dd>
     </dl>
+    <h3>Details</h3>
+    <p>By default, the node operates on <code>msg.payload</code>, but can be configured
+       to convert any message property.</p>
+    <p>The node can also be configured to ensure a particular encoding instead of toggling
+       between the two. This can be used, for example, with the <code>HTTP In</code>
+       node to ensure the payload is a parsed object even if an incoming request
+       did not set its content-type correctly for the HTTP In node to do the conversion.</p>
+
 </script>
 
 <script type="text/javascript">
@@ -38,6 +60,8 @@
         color:"#DEBD5C",
         defaults: {
             name: {value:""},
+            property: { value:"payload" },
+            action: { value:"" },
             pretty: {value:false}
         },
         inputs:1,
@@ -48,6 +72,20 @@
         },
         labelStyle: function() {
             return this.name?"node_label_italic":"";
+        },
+        oneditprepare: function() {
+            if (this.property === undefined) {
+                $("#node-input-property").val("payload");
+            }
+            $("#node-input-property").typedInput({default:'msg',types:['msg']});
+            $("#node-input-action").change(function() {
+                if (this.value === "" || this.value === "str") {
+                    $(".node-json-to-json-options").show();
+                } else {
+                    $(".node-json-to-json-options").hide();
+                }
+            });
+            $("#node-input-action").change();
         }
     });
 </script>

nodes/core/parsers/70-JSON.js

@@ -20,29 +20,40 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
     function JSONNode(n) {
         RED.nodes.createNode(this,n);
         this.indent = n.pretty ? 4 : 0;
+        this.action = n.action||"";
+        this.property = n.property||"payload";
         var node = this;
         this.on("input", function(msg) {
-            if (msg.hasOwnProperty("payload")) {
+            var value = RED.util.getMessageProperty(msg,node.property);
-                if (typeof msg.payload === "string") {
+            if (value !== undefined) {
-                    try {
+                if (typeof value === "string") {
-                        msg.payload = JSON.parse(msg.payload);
+                    if (node.action === "" || node.action === "obj") {
-                        node.send(msg);
-                    }
-                    catch(e) { node.error(e.message,msg); }
-                }
-                else if (typeof msg.payload === "object") {
-                    if (!Buffer.isBuffer(msg.payload)) {
                         try {
-                            msg.payload = JSON.stringify(msg.payload,null,node.indent);
+                            RED.util.setMessageProperty(msg,node.property,JSON.parse(value));
                             node.send(msg);
                         }
-                        catch(e) { node.error(RED._("json.errors.dropped-error")); }
+                        catch(e) { node.error(e.message,msg); }
+                    } else {
+                        node.send(msg);
+                    }
+                }
+                else if (typeof value === "object") {
+                    if (node.action === "" || node.action === "str") {
+                        if (!Buffer.isBuffer(value)) {
+                            try {
+                                RED.util.setMessageProperty(msg,node.property,JSON.stringify(value,null,node.indent));
+                                node.send(msg);
+                            }
+                            catch(e) { node.error(RED._("json.errors.dropped-error")); }
+                        }
+                        else { node.warn(RED._("json.errors.dropped-object")); }
+                    } else {
+                        node.send(msg);
                     }
-                    else { node.warn(RED._("json.errors.dropped-object")); }
                 }
                 else { node.warn(RED._("json.errors.dropped")); }
             }
-            else { node.send(msg); } // If no payload - just pass it on.
+            else { node.send(msg); } // If no property - just pass it on.
         });
     }
     RED.nodes.registerType("json",JSONNode);

test/nodes/core/parsers/70-JSON_spec.js

@@ -28,17 +28,8 @@ describe('JSON node', function() {
         helper.unload();
     });
 
-    it('should be loaded', function(done) {
-        var flow = [{id:"jsonNode1", type:"json", name: "jsonNode" }];
-        helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
-            var jsonNode1 = helper.getNode("jsonNode1");
-            jsonNode1.should.have.property('name', 'jsonNode');
-            done();
-        });
-    });
-
     it('should convert a valid json string to a javascript object', function(done) {
-        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]],func:"return msg;"},
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]]},
                     {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
         helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
             var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
@@ -56,7 +47,7 @@ describe('JSON node', function() {
     });
 
     it('should convert a javascript object to a json string', function(done) {
-        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]],func:"return msg;"},
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]]},
                     {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
         helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
             var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
@@ -71,7 +62,7 @@ describe('JSON node', function() {
     });
 
     it('should convert a array to a json string', function(done) {
-        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]],func:"return msg;"},
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]]},
                     {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
         helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
             var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
@@ -86,7 +77,7 @@ describe('JSON node', function() {
     });
 
     it('should log an error if asked to parse an invalid json string', function(done) {
-        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]],func:"return msg;"},
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]]},
                     {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
         helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
             try {
@@ -108,7 +99,7 @@ describe('JSON node', function() {
     });
 
     it('should log an error if asked to parse something thats not json or js', function(done) {
-        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]],func:"return msg;"},
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]]},
                     {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
         helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
             var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
@@ -137,7 +128,7 @@ describe('JSON node', function() {
     });
 
     it('should pass straight through if no payload set', function(done) {
-        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]],func:"return msg;"},
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",wires:[["jn2"]]},
                     {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
         helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
             var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
@@ -151,4 +142,105 @@ describe('JSON node', function() {
         });
     });
 
+    it('should ensure the result is a json string', function(done) {
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",action:"str",wires:[["jn2"]]},
+                    {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
+        helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
+            var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
+            var jn2 = helper.getNode("jn2");
+            var count = 0;
+            jn2.on("input", function(msg) {
+                try {
+                    should.equal(msg.payload, '{"employees":[{"firstName":"John","lastName":"Smith"}]}');
+                    count++;
+                    if (count === 2) {
+                        done();
+                    }
+                } catch(err) {
+                    done(err);
+                }
+            });
+            var obj = {employees:[{firstName:"John", lastName:"Smith"}]};
+            jn1.receive({payload:obj,topic: "bar"});
+            jn1.receive({payload:JSON.stringify(obj),topic: "bar"});
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should ensure the result is a JS Object', function(done) {
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",action:"obj",wires:[["jn2"]]},
+                    {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
+        helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
+            var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
+            var jn2 = helper.getNode("jn2");
+            var count = 0;
+            jn2.on("input", function(msg) {
+                try {
+                    msg.should.have.property('topic', 'bar');
+                    msg.payload.should.have.property('employees');
+                    msg.payload.employees[0].should.have.property('firstName', 'John');
+                    msg.payload.employees[0].should.have.property('lastName', 'Smith');
+                    count++;
+                    if (count === 2) {
+                        done();
+                    }
+                } catch(err) {
+                    done(err);
+                }
+            });
+            var obj = {employees:[{firstName:"John", lastName:"Smith"}]};
+            jn1.receive({payload:obj,topic: "bar"});
+            jn1.receive({payload:JSON.stringify(obj),topic: "bar"});
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should handle any msg property - receive existing string', function(done) {
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",property:"one.two",wires:[["jn2"]]},
+                    {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
+        helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
+            var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
+            var jn2 = helper.getNode("jn2");
+            jn2.on("input", function(msg) {
+                try {
+                    msg.should.have.property('topic', 'bar');
+                    msg.should.have.property('one');
+                    msg.one.should.have.property('two');
+                    msg.one.two.should.have.property('employees');
+                    msg.one.two.employees[0].should.have.property('firstName', 'John');
+                    msg.one.two.employees[0].should.have.property('lastName', 'Smith');
+                    done();
+                } catch(err) {
+                    done(err);
+                }
+            });
+            var jsonString = '{"employees":[{"firstName":"John", "lastName":"Smith"}]}';
+            jn1.receive({payload:"",one:{two:jsonString},topic: "bar"});
+
+            var logEvents = helper.log().args.filter(function(evt) {
+                return evt[0].type == "json";
+            });
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should handle any msg property - receive existing obj', function(done) {
+        var flow = [{id:"jn1",type:"json",property:"one.two",wires:[["jn2"]]},
+                    {id:"jn2", type:"helper"}];
+        helper.load(jsonNode, flow, function() {
+            var jn1 = helper.getNode("jn1");
+            var jn2 = helper.getNode("jn2");
+            jn2.on("input", function(msg) {
+                try {
+                    should.equal(msg.one.two, '{"employees":[{"firstName":"John","lastName":"Smith"}]}');
+                    done();
+                } catch(err) {
+                    done(err);
+                }
+            });
+            var jsonString = '{"employees":[{"firstName":"John", "lastName":"Smith"}]}';
+            jn1.receive({payload:"",one:{two:JSON.parse(jsonString)},topic: "bar"});
+
+            var logEvents = helper.log().args.filter(function(evt) {
+                return evt[0].type == "json";
+            });
+        });
+    });
 });