New: Added an asJSON-option to always populate array fields, even if …

…defaults=false, see #597

README.md

@@ -237,25 +237,16 @@ There is also an [example for streaming RPC](https://github.com/dcodeIO/protobuf
 
 ### Usage with TypeScript
 
-Under node.js:
-
 ```ts
 import * as protobuf from "protobufjs";
+import * as Long from "long"; // optional
 ...
 ```
 
-In the browser:
-
-```ts
-/// <reference path="path/to/protobuf/index.d.ts" />
-import * as protobuf from "path/to/protobuf.js";
-...
-```
-
-If you need long support, there is also a [TypeScript definition](https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped/blob/types-2.0/long/index.d.ts) for that (on npm: [@types/long](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@types/long)).
-
 See also: [Generating your own TypeScript definitions](https://github.com/dcodeIO/protobuf.js#generating-typescript-definitions-from-static-modules)
 
+Additional configuration might be necessary when not utilizing node, i.e. reference [protobuf.js.d.ts](https://github.com/dcodeIO/protobuf.js/blob/master/index.d.ts) and [long.js.d.ts](https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped/blob/types-2.0/long/index.d.ts).
+
 Module Structure
 ----------------
 The library exports a flat `protobuf` namespace including but not restricted to the following members, ordered by category:
@@ -483,37 +474,45 @@ The package includes a benchmark that tries to compare performance to native JSO
 ```
 benchmarking encoding performance ...
 
-Type.encode to buffer x 521,803 ops/sec ±0.84% (88 runs sampled)
-JSON.stringify to string x 300,362 ops/sec ±1.11% (86 runs sampled)
-JSON.stringify to buffer x 169,413 ops/sec ±1.49% (86 runs sampled)
+Type.encode to buffer x 553,499 ops/sec ±0.33% (91 runs sampled)
+JSON.stringify to string x 313,354 ops/sec ±0.84% (89 runs sampled)
+JSON.stringify to buffer x 177,932 ops/sec ±0.78% (88 runs sampled)
 
       Type.encode to buffer was fastest
-   JSON.stringify to string was 42.6% slower
-   JSON.stringify to buffer was 67.7% slower
+   JSON.stringify to string was 43.7% slower
+   JSON.stringify to buffer was 68.0% slower
 
 benchmarking decoding performance ...
 
-Type.decode from buffer x 1,325,308 ops/sec ±1.46% (88 runs sampled)
-JSON.parse from string x 283,907 ops/sec ±1.39% (86 runs sampled)
-JSON.parse from buffer x 255,372 ops/sec ±1.28% (88 runs sampled)
+Type.decode from buffer x 1,352,868 ops/sec ±0.66% (89 runs sampled)
+JSON.parse from string x 293,883 ops/sec ±0.55% (92 runs sampled)
+JSON.parse from buffer x 267,287 ops/sec ±0.83% (91 runs sampled)
 
     Type.decode from buffer was fastest
-     JSON.parse from string was 78.6% slower
-     JSON.parse from buffer was 80.7% slower
+     JSON.parse from string was 78.3% slower
+     JSON.parse from buffer was 80.3% slower
 
 benchmarking combined performance ...
 
-Type to/from buffer x 269,719 ops/sec ±0.87% (91 runs sampled)
-JSON to/from string x 122,878 ops/sec ±1.59% (87 runs sampled)
-JSON to/from buffer x 89,310 ops/sec ±1.01% (88 runs sampled)
+Type to/from buffer x 267,534 ops/sec ±0.88% (91 runs sampled)
+JSON to/from string x 129,143 ops/sec ±0.66% (92 runs sampled)
+JSON to/from buffer x 91,789 ops/sec ±0.73% (87 runs sampled)
 
         Type to/from buffer was fastest
-        JSON to/from string was 54.8% slower
-        JSON to/from buffer was 66.9% slower
+        JSON to/from string was 51.6% slower
+        JSON to/from buffer was 65.6% slower
 
 benchmarking verifying performance ...
 
-Type.verify x 5,857,856 ops/sec ±0.82% (91 runs sampled)
+Type.verify x 6,431,917 ops/sec ±0.49% (91 runs sampled)
+
+benchmarking converting performance ...
+
+Message.from x 629,785 ops/sec ±0.62% (94 runs sampled)
+Message#asJSON x 609,017 ops/sec ±0.74% (93 runs sampled)
+
+               Message.from was fastest
+             Message#asJSON was 3.4% slower
 ```
 
 Note that JSON is a native binding nowadays and as such is about as fast as it possibly can get. So, how can protobuf.js be faster?

index.d.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // $> pbts --name protobuf --out index.d.ts src
-// Generated Fri, 30 Dec 2016 15:32:08 UTC
+// Generated Fri, 30 Dec 2016 16:29:57 UTC
 
 export = protobuf;
 export as namespace protobuf;
@@ -122,24 +122,26 @@ declare namespace protobuf {
      * JSON conversion options as used by {@link Message#asJSON} with {@link convert}.
      * @typedef JSONConversionOptions
      * @type {Object}
-     * @property {boolean} [fieldsOnly=false] Keeps only properties that reference a field
+     * @property {boolean} [fieldsOnly=false] If `true`, keeps only properties that reference a field.
      * @property {*} [longs] Long conversion type. Only relevant with a long library.
      * Valid values are `String` and `Number` (the global types).
      * Defaults to a possibly unsafe number without, and a `Long` with a long library.
      * @property {*} [enums=Number] Enum value conversion type.
      * Valid values are `String` and `Number` (the global types).
-     * Defaults to the numeric ids.
+     * Defaults to `Number`, which sets the numeric ids.
      * @property {*} [bytes] Bytes value conversion type.
      * Valid values are `Array` and `String` (the global types).
-     * Defaults to return the underlying buffer type.
-     * @property {boolean} [defaults=false] Also sets default values on the resulting object
+     * Defaults to return the underlying buffer type, which usually is an `Uint8Array` in the browser and a `Buffer` under node.
+     * @property {boolean} [defaults=false] If `true`, sets default values on the resulting object including empty arrays for repeated fields
+     * @property {boolean} [arrays=false] If `true`, always initializes empty arrays for repeated fields. Only relevant with `defaults=false`.
      */
     interface JSONConversionOptions {
         fieldsOnly?: boolean;
         longs?: any;
         enums?: any;
         bytes?: any;
         defaults?: boolean;
+        arrays?: boolean;
     }
 
     /**

src/convert.js

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ function convert(type, source, destination, options, converter) {
             value = source[key];
         if (field) {
             if (field.repeated) {
-                if (value || options.defaults) {
+                if (value || options.defaults || options.arrays) {
                     destination[key] = [];
                     if (value)
                         for (var j = 0, l = value.length; j < l; ++j)
@@ -62,17 +62,18 @@ function convert(type, source, destination, options, converter) {
  * JSON conversion options as used by {@link Message#asJSON} with {@link convert}.
  * @typedef JSONConversionOptions
  * @type {Object}
- * @property {boolean} [fieldsOnly=false] Keeps only properties that reference a field
+ * @property {boolean} [fieldsOnly=false] If `true`, keeps only properties that reference a field.
  * @property {*} [longs] Long conversion type. Only relevant with a long library.
  * Valid values are `String` and `Number` (the global types).
  * Defaults to a possibly unsafe number without, and a `Long` with a long library.
  * @property {*} [enums=Number] Enum value conversion type.
  * Valid values are `String` and `Number` (the global types).
- * Defaults to the numeric ids.
+ * Defaults to `Number`, which sets the numeric ids.
  * @property {*} [bytes] Bytes value conversion type.
  * Valid values are `Array` and `String` (the global types).
- * Defaults to return the underlying buffer type.
- * @property {boolean} [defaults=false] Also sets default values on the resulting object
+ * Defaults to return the underlying buffer type, which usually is an `Uint8Array` in the browser and a `Buffer` under node.
+ * @property {boolean} [defaults=false] If `true`, sets default values on the resulting object including empty arrays for repeated fields
+ * @property {boolean} [arrays=false] If `true`, always initializes empty arrays for repeated fields. Only relevant with `defaults=false`.
  */
 /**/
 convert.toJson = function toJson(field, value, options) {

tests/typescript.ts

@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
 import * as protobuf from "..";
+import * as Long from "long";
 
 export const proto = {
     nested: {
         Hello: {
             fields: {
-                value: {
+                aString: {
                     rule: "required",
                     type: "string",
-                    id:1
+                    id: 1
+                },
+                aLong: {
+                    type: "uint64",
+                    id: 2
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -20,17 +25,15 @@ export class Hello extends protobuf.Message {
     constructor (properties?: { [k: string]: any }) {
         super(properties);
     }
-
-    foo() {
-        this["value"] = "hi";
-        return this;
-    }
 }
-protobuf.Class.create(root.lookup("Hello") as protobuf.Type, Hello);
+protobuf.Class.create(root.lookupType("Hello"), Hello);
 
-var hello = new Hello();
+var hello = new Hello({
+    aString: "hi",
+    aLong: Long.fromNumber(123)
+});
 
-var buf = Hello.encode(hello.foo()).finish();
+var buf = Hello.encode(hello).finish();
 
 var hello2 = Hello.decode(buf) as Hello;
-console.log(hello2.foo().asJSON());
+console.log(hello2.asJSON());