Question

All,

I’m using the JSON Perl module to encode JSON.

I’d like the resulting JSON to include lines like this:

{
   "startDate": new Date(2010,11,15,0,0),
   "aString"  : "String Data",
   "aNumber"  : 1234
}

In order to create that, I have a Perl HASHREF like this:

{
   startDate => SEE BELOW,
   aString   => "String Data",
   aNumber   => 1234,
}

Here’s my problem: I can’t figure out how to coerce the JSON module into printing unquoted strings, so that I can include my new Date(...) instantiation call. I’ve tried creating a Perl module with a TO_JSON method, but the output still gets quoted.

Does anybody out there have any suggestions on how I can encourage JSON to print unquoted strings?

Answer 1

JSON is not meant to encode objects like that. It encodes simple data structures like arrays and hashes. If you then want to use that deserialized data to populate a blessed object, you need to add another layer on top.

For Moose objects, the plugin MooseX::Storage is built for expressly this purpose.