Convert a nested struct into a nested map

Hello guys, can you please help turn this map into a pure map. Some of the members of the map are still structs.

%{
  callback_query: nil,
  channel_post: nil,
  chosen_inline_result: nil,
  edited_message: nil,
  inline_query: nil,
  message: %Nadia.Model.Message{
    audio: nil,
    caption: nil,
    channel_chat_created: nil,
    chat: %Nadia.Model.Chat{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543211234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      photo: nil,
      title: nil,
      type: "private",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    contact: nil,
    date: 1562605521,
    delete_chat_photo: nil,
    document: nil,
    edit_date: nil,
    entities: nil,
    forward_date: nil,
    forward_from: nil,
    forward_from_chat: nil,
    from: %Nadia.Model.User{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543211234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    group_chat_created: nil,
    left_chat_member: nil,
    location: nil,
    message_id: 714,
    migrate_from_chat_id: nil,
    migrate_to_chat_id: nil,
    new_chat_member: nil,
    new_chat_photo: [],
    new_chat_title: nil,
    photo: [],
    pinned_message: nil,
    reply_to_message: nil,
    sticker: nil,
    supergroup_chat_created: nil,
    text: "google meets",
    venue: nil,
    video: nil,
    voice: nil
  },
  update_id: 412827321
}

Hello,

Welcome to the forum

This may help you
from_struct(struct)View Source

from_struct(atom() | struct()) :: map()

Converts a struct to map.

It accepts the struct module or a struct itself and simply removes the __struct__ field from the given struct or from a new struct generated from the given module.

Example

defmodule User do
  defstruct [:name]
end

Map.from_struct(User)
#=> %{name: nil}

Map.from_struct(%User{name: "john"})
#=> %{name: "john"}

I actually did that for the outer map. It was a struct, however that function does not turn inner struct into maps…

You need to implement the nesting on your own. But that is a lot more expensive, as it needs to reconstruct the maps from scratch

Wouldn’t s/he be able to use

variable_with_struct
|> Enum.each
|> Map.from_struct

Like this?
https://hexdocs.pm/elixir/Enum.html#each/2

Also if i am mistaken please correct me(still learning to think in elixir and the language)

No, Enum.each/2 returns :ok. Also you need to decide for each key in the map/struct if you want to convert it or not.

1 Like

Here is example working code:

# First of all minimal definition in order to make code compillable
defmodule Nadia.Model.Chat do
  defstruct [:first_name, :id, :last_name, :photo, :title, :type, :username]
end

defmodule Nadia.Model.User do
  defstruct [:first_name, :id, :last_name, :username]
end

defmodule Nadia.Model.Message do
  defstruct [
    :audio,
    :caption,
    :channel_chat_created,
    :chat,
    :contact,
    :date,
    :delete_chat_photo,
    :document,
    :edit_date,
    :entities,
    :forward_date,
    :forward_from,
    :forward_from_chat,
    :from,
    :group_chat_created,
    :left_chat_member,
    :location,
    :message_id,
    :migrate_from_chat_id,
    :migrate_to_chat_id,
    :new_chat_member,
    :new_chat_photo,
    :new_chat_title,
    :photo,
    :pinned_message,
    :reply_to_message,
    :sticker,
    :supergroup_chat_created,
    :text,
    :venue,
    :video,
    :voice
  ]
end

# Here is code which would work only for your specific case
defmodule Example do
  def sample(map) do
    message = ensure_map(map.message)
    chat = ensure_map(message.chat)
    from = ensure_map(message.from)
    updated_message = %{message | chat: chat, from: from}
    %{map | message: updated_message}
  end

  defp ensure_map(%{__struct__: _} = struct), do: Map.from_struct(struct)
  defp ensure_map(data), do: data
end

# Here is more dynamic way
# No matter how many maps and lists have you nested
# It will iterate over all map or list elements and finally ensure that they are not structs
# NOTE: If you want you can add extra guard to limit possible __struct__ value
# For example you probably do not want to create maps from Date, DateTime, NaiveDateTime and Time structs
defmodule ExampleDynamic do
  def sample(map), do: :maps.map(&do_sample/2, map)

  def do_sample(_key, value), do: ensure_nested_map(value)

  defp ensure_nested_map(list) when is_list(list), do: Enum.map(list, &ensure_nested_map/1)

  # NOTE: In pattern-matching order of function guards is important!
  # @structs [Date, DateTime, NaiveDateTime, Time]
  # defp ensure_nested_map(%{__struct__: struct} = data) when struct in @structs, do: data

  defp ensure_nested_map(%{__struct__: _} = struct) do
    map = Map.from_struct(struct)
    :maps.map(&do_sample/2, map)
  end

  defp ensure_nested_map(data), do: data
end

# Your example data which is needed for compilation
data = %{
  callback_query: nil,
  channel_post: nil,
  chosen_inline_result: nil,
  edited_message: nil,
  inline_query: nil,
  message: %Nadia.Model.Message{
    audio: nil,
    caption: nil,
    channel_chat_created: nil,
    chat: %Nadia.Model.Chat{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543_211_234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      photo: nil,
      title: nil,
      type: "private",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    contact: nil,
    date: 1_562_605_521,
    delete_chat_photo: nil,
    document: nil,
    edit_date: nil,
    entities: nil,
    forward_date: nil,
    forward_from: nil,
    forward_from_chat: nil,
    from: %Nadia.Model.User{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543_211_234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    group_chat_created: nil,
    left_chat_member: nil,
    location: nil,
    message_id: 714,
    migrate_from_chat_id: nil,
    migrate_to_chat_id: nil,
    new_chat_member: nil,
    new_chat_photo: [],
    new_chat_title: nil,
    photo: [],
    pinned_message: nil,
    reply_to_message: nil,
    sticker: nil,
    supergroup_chat_created: nil,
    text: "google meets",
    venue: nil,
    video: nil,
    voice: nil
  },
  update_id: 412_827_321
}

# Here we are ensuring that both ways gives exactly same results
Example.sample(data) == ExampleDynamic.sample(data)

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Related documentation:

  1. &:maps.map/2
  2. &Enum.map/2
  3. &Map.from_struct/1
  4. Guards
  5. Map (describes specific update syntax)
12 Likes

Outstanding! Bravo! Thanks for the help, very complete module indeed.

:wave:

Why do you want to convert these structs to maps? Maybe there’s an easier way to accomplish what you want … Personally, I don’t remember having problems with :nadia's structs.

2 Likes
  def map_from_struct(%_{__meta__: %{__struct__: _}} = schema) when is_map(schema) do
    schema
    |> Map.from_struct()
    |> from_ecto_struct()
  end

  def map_from_struct(map) when is_map(map) do
    map
    |> Enum.reduce(%{}, fn {key, value}, acc ->
      value =
        case value do
          %_{__meta__: %{__struct__: _}} ->
            from_ecto_struct(value)

          value when is_list(value) ->
            value |> Enum.map(&from_ecto_struct/1)

          _ ->
            value
        end

      Map.put_new(acc, key, value)
    end)
  end

We write a lib of utils around ecto https://github.com/annatel/antl_utils_ecto

one of the functionality is
AntlUtilsEcto.map_from_struct(my_schema)

1 Like

The simplest solution that I found is using Poison.

struct = %{
  callback_query: nil,
  channel_post: nil,
  chosen_inline_result: nil,
  edited_message: nil,
  inline_query: nil,
  message: %Nadia.Model.Message{
    audio: nil,
    caption: nil,
    channel_chat_created: nil,
    chat: %Nadia.Model.Chat{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543211234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      photo: nil,
      title: nil,
      type: "private",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    contact: nil,
    date: 1562605521,
    delete_chat_photo: nil,
    document: nil,
    edit_date: nil,
    entities: nil,
    forward_date: nil,
    forward_from: nil,
    forward_from_chat: nil,
    from: %Nadia.Model.User{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543211234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    group_chat_created: nil,
    left_chat_member: nil,
    location: nil,
    message_id: 714,
    migrate_from_chat_id: nil,
    migrate_to_chat_id: nil,
    new_chat_member: nil,
    new_chat_photo: [],
    new_chat_title: nil,
    photo: [],
    pinned_message: nil,
    reply_to_message: nil,
    sticker: nil,
    supergroup_chat_created: nil,
    text: "google meets",
    venue: nil,
    video: nil,
    voice: nil
  },
  update_id: 412827321
}

{:ok, json_string} = struct |> Poison.encode
{:ok, map} = json_string |> Poison.decode
map 

Here is another take on the topic

defmodule MapFromDeepStruct do
  def from_deep_struct(%{} = map), do: convert(map)

  defp convert(data) when is_struct(data) do
    data |> Map.from_struct() |> convert()
  end

  defp convert(data) when is_map(data) do
    for {key, value} <- data, reduce: %{} do
      acc ->
        case key do
          :__meta__ ->
            acc

          other ->
            Map.put(acc, other, convert(value))
        end
    end
  end

  defp convert(other), do: other
end

The tests are here Convert deeply nested Elixir struct into map · GitHub

Another option is to use Nestru. It supports transformation in both ways. Encoding from nested struct into a map can be like the following.

defmodule Nadia.Model.Chat do
  @derive Nestru.Encoder
  defstruct [:first_name, :id, :last_name, :photo, :title, :type, :username]
end

defmodule Nadia.Model.User do
  @derive Nestru.Encoder
  defstruct [:first_name, :id, :last_name, :username]
end

defmodule Nadia.Model.Message do
  @derive Nestru.Encoder
  defstruct [
    :audio,
    :caption,
    :channel_chat_created,
    :chat,
    :contact,
    :date,
    :delete_chat_photo,
    :document,
    :edit_date,
    :entities,
    :forward_date,
    :forward_from,
    :forward_from_chat,
    :from,
    :group_chat_created,
    :left_chat_member,
    :location,
    :message_id,
    :migrate_from_chat_id,
    :migrate_to_chat_id,
    :new_chat_member,
    :new_chat_photo,
    :new_chat_title,
    :photo,
    :pinned_message,
    :reply_to_message,
    :sticker,
    :supergroup_chat_created,
    :text,
    :venue,
    :video,
    :voice
  ]
end

struct = %{
  callback_query: nil,
  channel_post: nil,
  chosen_inline_result: nil,
  edited_message: nil,
  inline_query: nil,
  message: %Nadia.Model.Message{
    audio: nil,
    caption: nil,
    channel_chat_created: nil,
    chat: %Nadia.Model.Chat{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543211234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      photo: nil,
      title: nil,
      type: "private",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    contact: nil,
    date: 1562605521,
    delete_chat_photo: nil,
    document: nil,
    edit_date: nil,
    entities: nil,
    forward_date: nil,
    forward_from: nil,
    forward_from_chat: nil,
    from: %Nadia.Model.User{
      first_name: "Christian",
      id: 543211234,
      last_name: "Tovar",
      username: "ChristianTovar"
    },
    group_chat_created: nil,
    left_chat_member: nil,
    location: nil,
    message_id: 714,
    migrate_from_chat_id: nil,
    migrate_to_chat_id: nil,
    new_chat_member: nil,
    new_chat_photo: [],
    new_chat_title: nil,
    photo: [],
    pinned_message: nil,
    reply_to_message: nil,
    sticker: nil,
    supergroup_chat_created: nil,
    text: "google meets",
    venue: nil,
    video: nil,
    voice: nil
  },
  update_id: 412827321
}

encoding looks like:

iex> Nestru.to_map(struct)
{:ok,
 %{
   callback_query: nil,
   channel_post: nil,
   chosen_inline_result: nil,
   edited_message: nil,
   inline_query: nil,
   message: %{
     audio: nil,
     caption: nil,
     channel_chat_created: nil,
     chat: %{
       first_name: "Christian",
       id: 543211234,
       last_name: "Tovar",
       photo: nil,
       title: nil,
       type: "private",
       username: "ChristianTovar"
     },
     contact: nil,
     date: 1562605521,
     delete_chat_photo: nil,
     document: nil,
     edit_date: nil,
     entities: nil,
     forward_date: nil,
     forward_from: nil,
     forward_from_chat: nil,
     from: %{first_name: "Christian", id: 543211234, last_name: "Tovar", username: "ChristianTovar"},
     group_chat_created: nil,
     left_chat_member: nil,
     location: nil,
     message_id: 714,
     migrate_from_chat_id: nil,
     migrate_to_chat_id: nil,
     new_chat_member: nil,
     new_chat_photo: [],
     new_chat_title: nil,
     photo: [],
     pinned_message: nil,
     reply_to_message: nil,
     sticker: nil,
     supergroup_chat_created: nil,
     text: "google meets",
     venue: nil,
     video: nil,
     voice: nil
   },
   update_id: 412827321
 }}

Does anyone know if Jason can do what the poison example or nestru does?

Looks like yes

https://hexdocs.pm/jason/Jason.Encoder.html

1 Like

I needed this functionality recently; thank you for writing it!

I also needed to account for lists, so I added:

defp convert(data) when is_list(data) do
  Enum.map(data, fn item ->
    convert(item)
  end)
end
1 Like

Still feels a bit verbose

def convert(data) when is_struct(data) do
  data |> Map.from_struct |> convert
end

def convert(data) when is_map(data) do
  Map.new(data, fn {k, v} -> {k, convert(v)})
end

def convert(data) when is_list(data) do
  Enum.map(data, &convert/1)
end

def convert (data), do: data
1 Like