Daily Hack #day31 - Generate Code from JSON

Generating code from JSON documents is a convenient approach for developers to automate the creation of data models or classes based on the structure of JSON data. This process involves using specialized tools or libraries that parse JSON documents and generate corresponding code snippets or entire source files in various programming languages.

By leveraging JSON schemas or example JSON data, developers can ensure that the generated code accurately reflects the structure and data types present in the JSON documents. This not only saves time but also helps maintain consistency between the data model and the codebase, reducing the potential for errors and streamlining development workflows.

Whether you're working on web applications, mobile apps, or backend services, generating code from JSON documents can be a valuable technique to accelerate development and ensure the integrity of your data-handling code. With the right tools and practices in place, you can simplify the process of translating JSON data into code, making your development process more efficient and reliable.

For quick experiments, there are various online code generators available that you can play with and see if the application you are trying to build would work as expected. One of such tools can be found (following this link)[app.quicktype.io/]

In order to convert your JSON document, simply paste it on the left hand side text area, chose the Source Type the target Language on the right hand side and you will see the magic happening in front of your eyes. a quick example is provided below:

{"name":"John", "age":30, "car":"Ferrari"}

The output for Java as target looks like:

// Person.java

package com.cloudtuned;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.*;

public class Person {
    private String name;
    private long age;
    private String car;

    @JsonProperty("name")
    public String getName() { return name; }
    @JsonProperty("name")
    public void setName(String value) { this.name = value; }

    @JsonProperty("age")
    public long getAge() { return age; }
    @JsonProperty("age")
    public void setAge(long value) { this.age = value; }

    @JsonProperty("car")
    public String getCar() { return car; }
    @JsonProperty("car")
    public void setCar(String value) { this.car = value; }
}

There are more scalable options to generate code from your JSON schema or documents, this example only intends to illustrate the quick and dirty way to get code from JSON when experimenting with proofs of concepts.