# Dataclass As Data
This is a simple package for configurable conversion of dataclasses to a data representation, typically a dict or a tuple.
The behaviour for how a dataclass is converted to and from data can be configured to differ from the default per dataclass if desired.
This package only supports simple primitive types, other dataclasses, and the primitive generics
`dict[...]`, `list[...]`, `tuple[...]`, `Union[...]`, and `Optional[...]` as type annotations by default.
The conversion of other types can be configured using the `converters` keyword-only argument.
## Install
This package supports **Python 3.9** and above.
```bash
pip install dataclass-as-data
```
## Quick Start
```python
import dataclasses
from dataclass_as_data import as_data, from_data
# Create a dataclass
@dataclasses.dataclass
class Person:
name: str
age: int
# Create a dataclass object
person = Person("Simon", 21)
>>> person
Person(name='Simon', age=21)
# Call as_data with the dataclass object to convert it to a dictionary
data = as_data(person)
>>> data
{'name': 'Simon', 'age': 21}
# Call from_data with the dataclass and the data to get the object instance back
>>> from_data(Person, data)
Person(name='Simon', age=21)
```
Dataclasses can be nested within dataclasses, which are recursively converted to their data representation.
```python
@dataclasses.dataclass
class Friends:
people: list[Person]
# All dataclasses are converted recursively
>>> as_data(Friends([Person("Sunset", 22), Person("Starlight", 20)]))
{'people': [{'name': 'Sunset', 'age': 22}, {'name': 'Starlight', 'age': 20}]}
>>> from_data(Friends, {'people': [{'name': 'Sunset', 'age': 22}, {'name': 'Starlight', 'age': 20}]})
Friends(people=[Person(name='Sunset', age=22), Person(name='Starlight', age=20)])
```
## Configuring as_data and from_data
To change what data is constructed when using `as_data` and `from_data`, override the `as_data` method and `from_data` class methods in your dataclass.
It is good practice to forward on the `converters` keyword argument on when doing this if you would like [type converters](#type-conversion) to still apply,
but this is optional.
**Note:** you must use one of `as_dict`, `as_tuple`, `from_dict`, or `from_tuple` (**not** `as_data` or `from_data`)
if you wish to use the default behaviour and modify it.
```python
from dataclass_as_data import as_data, as_dict, from_data, from_dict
@dataclasses.dataclass
class Config:
VERSION = (1, 0)
version: tuple[int, int] = VERSION
def as_data(self, *, converters) -> dict:
# Ensure correct version when converting to data
assert self.version == self.VERSION, "Incorrect version!"
return as_dict(self, converters=converters) # use as_dict to otherwise use default behaviour
@classmethod
def from_data(cls, data: dict, *, converters):
# Update version on data load
if data['version'] < cls.VERSION:
data['version'] = cls.VERSION
return from_dict(cls, data, converters=converters) # use from_dict to otherwise use default behaviour
# Now these methods are called instead
>> > as_data(Config((0, 1)))
AssertionError: Incorrect version!
>> from_data(Config, {'version': (0, 1)})
Config(version=(1, 0))
```
### DataAsTuple
If you'd simply like a dataclass to be represented as a tuple instead of a dict when calling `as_data`,
inherent from the `DataAsTuple` abstract base class.
```python
from dataclass_as_data import as_data, DataAsTuple
# Create a dataclass inheriting from DataAsTuple
@dataclasses.dataclass
class Person(DataAsTuple):
name: str
age: int
# Calling as_data now returns a tuple
>>> as_data(Person("Summer", 24))
("Summer", 24)
```
This merely overrides `as_data` and `from_data` to use `as_tuple` and `from_tuple` for you respectively.
```python
from dataclass_as_data import as_tuple, from_tuple
# Same as inheriting from DataAsTuple
@dataclasses.dataclass
class Person:
name: str
age: int
def as_data(self, *, converters):
return as_tuple(self, converters=converters)
@classmethod
def from_data(cls, data: tuple, *, converters):
return from_tuple(cls, data, converters=converters)
```
## Custom converters
`dataclass_as_data` also provides multiple ways to customise how non-dataclass types are converted.
By default, no conversion is performed for other class types.
The only exception is when the class type and the data type passed to `from_data` don't match, in which case it will convert the
data back to the class type by passing it as a single argument to its constructor.
### Simple property transformation
`from_data` supports very basic custom property converters in the form of single-input functions.
These converters are called on the relevant properties when `from_data` is called.
Note that all regular types, such as `int`, are also technically treated this way by default.
```python
from dataclass_as_data import from_data
def lower_str(value) -> str:
"""Convert to lowercase str"""
return str(value).lower()
@dataclasses.dataclass
class Employee:
id: int
name: lower_str
# The `lower_str` converter is called on the value of the `name` parameter
>>> from_data(Employee, {'id': 123, 'name': "Sylvester"})
Employee(id=123, name='sylvester')
# The string value of `id` is coerced into an int
>>> from_data(Employee, {'id': "456", 'name': "Sunny"})
Employee(id=456, name='sunny')
```
### Class conversion
If you have your own classes that you'd like to use in type hints,
you can also configure regular classes to be converted to and from data in a certain way by defining an
`as_data` method and `from_data` class method.
**Note:** these cannot use the `as_dict`, `from_dict`, `as_tuple`, or `from_tuple` functions as they only take a dataclass.
```python
from dataclass_as_data import as_data, from_data
class Name:
def __init__(self, full_name):
self.first, self.last = full_name.split(" ")
def as_data(self):
return f"{self.last}, {self.first}"
@classmethod
def from_data(cls, data):
last, first = data.split(", ")
return cls(f"{first} {last}")
def __repr__(self):
return f"{type(self).__name__}('{self.first} {self.last}')"
@dataclasses.dataclass
class Student:
name: Name
# Data for the class is now represented and converted as desired
>>> as_data(Student(Name("Silver Spoon")))
{'name': 'Spoon, Silver'}
>>> from_data(Student, {'name': 'Spoon, Silver'})
Student(name=Name('Silver Spoon'))
```
### Type conversion
How any type is converted can be defined by passing a dictionary of types to their converters to
the `converters` argument supported by `as_data` and `from_data`.
This takes a dictionary of types to single-input converter functions to be used during conversion for that type.
```python
from dataclass_as_data import as_data, from_data
@dataclasses.dataclass
class RandomNumberGenerator:
seed: bytes
def bytes_to_str(_bytes: bytes) -> str:
return _bytes.decode('utf-8')
def str_to_bytes(string: str) -> bytes:
return bytes(string, 'utf-8')
# `bytes` objects are now represented as `str`s
>>> as_data(RandomNumberGenerator(b'Sigmath Bytes'), converters={bytes: bytes_to_str})
{'seed': 'Sigmath Bytes'}
>>> from_data(RandomNumberGenerator, {'seed': 'Sigmath Bytes'}, converters={bytes: str_to_bytes})
RandomNumberGenerator(seed=b'Sigmath Bytes')
```
These converters also accept an optional keyword-only argument. If this argument is specified, the converter will also be
applied to all subclasses. Which subclass is being converted will be passed through this argument.
This argument does not need to be used to enable subclass-matching for converters.
```python
from dataclass_as_data import as_data, from_data
class ID(int):
def __repr__(self):
return f"{type(self).__name__}({super().__repr__()})"
@dataclasses.dataclass
class User:
name: str
id: ID
def int_to_bytes(value: int, *, _cls) -> bytes:
return value.to_bytes(1, 'little')
def bytes_to_int(_bytes: bytes, *, cls) -> int:
return cls.from_bytes(_bytes, 'little')
# `int` objects and their subclasses are now represented as `bytes`
>>> as_data(User("Siggy", ID(123)), converters={int: int_to_bytes})
{'name': 'Siggy', 'id': b'{'}
>>> from_data(User, {'name': 'Siggy', 'id': b'{'}, converters={int: bytes_to_int})
User(name='Siggy', id=ID(123))
```