Validating an object's schema using AJV when there are unknown properties present

Question

Validating an object's schema using AJV when there are unknown properties present

Within my platform, there is an amusing scenario that I find to be the most effective. I am currently attempting to validate a JSON Schema where an object contains unknown keys with a consistent schema as their values. Each key represents a unique ID and holds data structured in the same way.

To illustrate this concept, consider the following sample code:

let survey_questions = {
  "vv4sD32": {
    question: "Do you like dogs?",
    answers: ["Yes", "No"]
  },
  "df4sdIU": {
    question: "How about cats?",
    answers: ["Maybe", "Maybe not"]
  },
  "cbkle12": {
    question: "What do you prefer most?",
    answers: ["Dogs", "Cats"]
  }
}

In this example, the data represents a survey where each unique key corresponds to a question ID and its value conforms to a specific schema. While I could individually check each question's schema by looping through them, I have encountered nested scenarios of similar structure which could complicate the process. Do you have any suggestions on how to achieve this validation using AJV or another library?

Thank you,

Carlino

javascript json schema ajv

Answer 1

Answer №1

For anyone interested in further exploration, there exists a helpful solution utilizing patternProperties. More information can be found at

Answer 2

For anyone interested in further exploration, there exists a helpful solution utilizing patternProperties. More information can be found at

Answer 3

Answer №2

If you want to allow for extra properties in your JSON schema, you can leverage the additionalProperties field.

A practical example tailored to your scenario would involve defining it like so:

"additionalProperties": {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
        query: { data type: string }
    }
}

To delve deeper into this concept, feel free to refer to this resource:

Answer 4

If you want to allow for extra properties in your JSON schema, you can leverage the additionalProperties field.

A practical example tailored to your scenario would involve defining it like so:

"additionalProperties": {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
        query: { data type: string }
    }
}

To delve deeper into this concept, feel free to refer to this resource:

Answer 5

Answer №3

Is there a way to achieve this using AJV or any other library?

If you're interested in taking a straightforward approach based on structural schemas, then keep reading.

The command-line tool called jq can be utilized for validating JSON schemas.

There are multiple ways to accomplish this task. In this response, I will focus on utilizing a schema-inference engine (which I developed) that is accessible at https://gist.github.com/pkoppstein/a5abb4ebef3b0f72a6ed

This inference engine generates a user-friendly schema presented as a JSON document with the same structure as the JSON entities being examined.

For example, let's assume:

the valid JSON is stored in a file named survey_questions.json similar to the "survey_questions" object mentioned in the original post.
the schema.jq file has been downloaded and saved in the directory ~/.jq/schema/

To execute jq from the command line, use the following command:

jq 'include "schema" {"search": "~/.jq"}; [.[]] | schema
' survey_questions.json

This will output the inferred structural schema:

{
  "question": "string",
  "answers": [
    "string"
  ]
}

In essence, each question is considered a JSON object containing keys like "question" which is a string and "answers", an array of strings.

Note that the schema generated does not specify the length of arrays. Verifying that each "answers" array has a minimum length of 2 would need to be performed separately.

If we introduce a third possible value (such as a number) to the "answers" array, the updated inferred schema would look like:

{
  "question": "string",
  "answers": [
    "scalar"
  ]
}

Here, it indicates that the "answers" array now consists of scalars.

Summary

To summarize, if the desired schema for a collection of JSON documents or entities can be expressed using the "structural" format supported by schema.jq, schema validation can be achieved by comparing the inferred schema with the expected one.

Answer 6

Is there a way to achieve this using AJV or any other library?

If you're interested in taking a straightforward approach based on structural schemas, then keep reading.

The command-line tool called jq can be utilized for validating JSON schemas.

There are multiple ways to accomplish this task. In this response, I will focus on utilizing a schema-inference engine (which I developed) that is accessible at https://gist.github.com/pkoppstein/a5abb4ebef3b0f72a6ed

This inference engine generates a user-friendly schema presented as a JSON document with the same structure as the JSON entities being examined.

For example, let's assume:

the valid JSON is stored in a file named survey_questions.json similar to the "survey_questions" object mentioned in the original post.
the schema.jq file has been downloaded and saved in the directory ~/.jq/schema/

To execute jq from the command line, use the following command:

jq 'include "schema" {"search": "~/.jq"}; [.[]] | schema
' survey_questions.json

This will output the inferred structural schema:

{
  "question": "string",
  "answers": [
    "string"
  ]
}

In essence, each question is considered a JSON object containing keys like "question" which is a string and "answers", an array of strings.

Note that the schema generated does not specify the length of arrays. Verifying that each "answers" array has a minimum length of 2 would need to be performed separately.

If we introduce a third possible value (such as a number) to the "answers" array, the updated inferred schema would look like:

{
  "question": "string",
  "answers": [
    "scalar"
  ]
}

Here, it indicates that the "answers" array now consists of scalars.

Summary

To summarize, if the desired schema for a collection of JSON documents or entities can be expressed using the "structural" format supported by schema.jq, schema validation can be achieved by comparing the inferred schema with the expected one.

Answer 7

Answer №4

Do you have any ideas on how to accomplish this using AJV or another library?

One option is to utilize the JSON Extended Structural Schema language, known as JESS. This language now includes a conformance checker called JESS.jq, which requires the use of jq to function properly.

Within JESS, schemas are comprised of one or more JSON texts. Your specific criteria can be defined with the following schema:

[
  "&",
  {
    "forall": ".[]",
    "schema": {
      "question": "string",
      "answer": [
        "string"
      ]
    }
  }
]

This schema essentially states that for all top-level keys, validate that the value is an object that matches the specified pattern.

To verify the validity of your survey_questions data, you can run the JESS script after installing it:

JESS --schema schema.json survey_questions.json

Ensure that the schema.json file contains the above schema definition and that survey_questions.json contains the JSON data to be checked.

It's worth noting that the author of the JESS repository is providing this information.

Answer 8

Do you have any ideas on how to accomplish this using AJV or another library?

One option is to utilize the JSON Extended Structural Schema language, known as JESS. This language now includes a conformance checker called JESS.jq, which requires the use of jq to function properly.

Within JESS, schemas are comprised of one or more JSON texts. Your specific criteria can be defined with the following schema:

[
  "&",
  {
    "forall": ".[]",
    "schema": {
      "question": "string",
      "answer": [
        "string"
      ]
    }
  }
]

This schema essentially states that for all top-level keys, validate that the value is an object that matches the specified pattern.

To verify the validity of your survey_questions data, you can run the JESS script after installing it:

JESS --schema schema.json survey_questions.json

Ensure that the schema.json file contains the above schema definition and that survey_questions.json contains the JSON data to be checked.

It's worth noting that the author of the JESS repository is providing this information.

Answer 9

Answer №5

I discovered some incredible solutions in this thread. Eventually, I decided to develop my own library that I've been utilizing for several years now and has recently gained popularity. This library, which can be found at https://www.npmjs.com/package/great-json-validator, specializes in validating the data type "array-object". The documentation includes a very thorough example.

Answer 10

I discovered some incredible solutions in this thread. Eventually, I decided to develop my own library that I've been utilizing for several years now and has recently gained popularity. This library, which can be found at https://www.npmjs.com/package/great-json-validator, specializes in validating the data type "array-object". The documentation includes a very thorough example.

Validating an object's schema using AJV when there are unknown properties present

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Summary

Answer №4

Answer №5

Similar questions

``I'm having trouble getting the onchange event to function properly in a customized

The creation of an indexedDB database and the addition of content encountered an error while trying to perform a 'transaction' on the IDBDatabase

Creating a global variable in Angular that can be accessed by multiple components is a useful technique

Modify appearance of text depending on input (HTML & JS)

Adding elements to an array appears to cause the previously created object to react

How about a demonstration of Angular and Ionic working together in a chat

How can I assign a unique background color to each individual column within a RadioButtonList?

Having trouble loading a model converted from FBX to JSON using THREE.JSONLoader

In swift 3.0, the tableview is unable to display data obtained from a web API in JSON format

"Utilizing Node.js and Express to return JSONP data based on

Despite a valid entry from a list, the controller is receiving null values in MVC 4 with AJAX integration

Create a JavaScript array containing all the elements from a MySQL table

Is it advisable to utilize jQuery's parseJSON/getJSON functions?

How to give focus to a div in IE 8 after pressing the tab key, no jQuery required

accurate JSONP reply

Looking to deactivate a particular checkbox in a chosen mode while expanding the tree branches

Display sibling element upon hovering with AngularJS

When using Javascript, you can expect to receive a modified structure that is different from

Nuxt.js ERROR: Unable to find reference to 'window' object

Is there a way to programmatically update the content of a React Bootstrap modal?