NAME
Data::Random::Structure::UTF8 - Produce nested data structures with unicode keys, values, elements.
VERSION
Version 0.06
SYNOPSIS
This module produces random, arbitrarily deep and long, nested Perl data structures with unicode content for the keys, values and/or array elements. Content can be forced to be exclusively strings and exclusively unicode. Or the strings can be unicode. Or anything goes, mixed unicode and non-unicode strings as well as integers, floats, etc.
This is an object-oriented module which inherits from Data::Random::Structure and extends its functionality by providing for unicode keys and values for hashtables and unicode content for array elements or scalars, randomly mixed with the usual repertoire of Data::Random::Structure, which is non-unicode strings, numerical, boolean values and the assorted entourage to the court of Emperor Computer, post-Turing.
For example, it produces these:
unicode scalars: e.g.
"αβγ",mixed arrays: e.g.
["αβγ", "123", "xyz"]hashtables with some/all keys and/or values as unicode: e.g.
{"αβγ" ="123", "xyz" => "αβγ"}>exclusive unicode arrays or hashtables: e.g.
["αβγ", "χψζ"]
This is accomplised by adding an extra type string-UTF8 (invisible to the user) and the respective generator method. All these are invisible to the user which will get the old functionality plus some (or maybe none because this is a random process which does not eliminate non-unicode strings, at the moment) unicode strings.
use Data::Random::Structure::UTF8;
my $randomiser = Data::Random::Structure::UTF8->new(
'max_depth' => 5,
'max_elements' => 20,
# all the strings produced (keys, values, elements)
# will be unicode strings
'only-unicode' => 1,
# all the strings produced (keys, values, elements)
# will be a mixture of unicode and non-unicode
# this is the default behaviour
#'only-unicode' => 0,
# only unicode strings will be produced for (keys, values, elements),
# there will be no numbers, no bool, only unicode strings
#'only-unicode' => 2,
);
my $perl_var = $randomiser->generate() or die;
print pp($perl_var);
# which prints the usual escape mess of Dump and Dumper
[
"\x{7D5A}\x{4EC1}",
"\x{E6E2}\x{75A4}",
329076,
0.255759160148987,
[
"TEb97qJt",
1,
"_ow|J\@~=6%*N;52?W3Y\$S1",
{
"x{75A4}x{75A4}" => 123,
"123" => "\x{7D5A}\x{4EC1}",
"xyz" => [1, 2, "\x{7D5A}\x{4EC1}"],
},
],
# can control the scalar type (for keys, values, items) on the fly
# this produces unicode strings in addition to
# Data::Random::Structure's usual repertoire:
# non-unicode-string, numbers, bool, integer, float, etc.
# (see there for the list)
$randomiser->only_unicode(0); # the default: anything plus unicode strings
print $randomiser->only_unicode();
# this produces unicode strings in addition to
# Data::Random::Structure's usual repertoire:
# numbers, bool, integer, float, etc.
# (see there for the list)
# EXCEPT non-unicode-strings, (all strings will be unicode)
$randomiser->only_unicode(1);
print $randomiser->only_unicode();
# this produces unicode strings ONLY
# Data::Random::Structure's usual repertoire does not apply
# there will be no numbers, no bool, no integer, no float, no nothing
$randomiser->only_unicode(2);
print $randomiser->only_unicode();METHODS
This is an object oriented module which has exactly the same API as Data::Random::Structure.
new
Constructor. In addition to Data::Random::Structure <new()> API, it takes parameter 'only-unicode' with a valid value of 0, 1 or 2. Default is 0.
0 : keys, values, elements of the produced data structure will be a mixture of unicode strings, plus Data::Random::Structure's full repertoire which includes non-unicode strings, integers, floats etc.
1 : keys, values, elements of the produced data structure will be a mixture of unicode strings, plus Data::Random::Structure's full repertoire except non-unicode strings. That is, all strings will be unicode. But there will possibly be integers etc.
2 : keys, values, elements of the produced data structure will be only unicode strings. Nothing of Data::Random::Structure's repertoire applies. Only unicode strings, no integers, no nothing.
Controlling the scalar data types can also be done on the fly, after the object has been created using Data::Random::Structure::UTF8 <only_unicode()> method.
Additionally, Data::Random::Structure <new()>'s API reports that the constructor takes 2 optional arguments, max_depth and max_elements. See Data::Random::Structure <new()> for up-to-date, official information.
only_unicode
Controls what scalar types to be included in the nested data structures generated. With no parameters it returns back the current setting. Otherwise, valid input parameters and their meanings are listed in Data::Random::Structure::UTF8 <new()>
generate
Generate a nested data structure according to the specification set in the constructor. See Data::Random::Structure <generate()> for all options. This method is not overriden by this module.
It returns the Perl data structure as a reference.
generate_scalar
Generate a scalar which may contain unicode content. See Data::Random::Structure::generate_scalar for all options. This method is overriden by this module but calls the parent's too.
It returns a Perl string.
generate_array
Generate an array with random, possibly unicode, content. See Data::Random::Structure::generate_array for all options. This method is not overriden by this module.
It returns the Perl array as a reference.
generate_hash
Generate an array with random, possibly unicode, content. See Data::Random::Structure::generate_array for all options. This method is not overriden by this module.
It returns the Perl array as a reference.
random_char_UTF8
Return a random unicode character, guaranteed to be valid. This is a very simple method which selects characters from some pre-set code pages (Greek, Cyrillic, Cherokee, Ethiopic, Javanese) with equal probability. These pages and ranges were selected so that there are no "holes" between them which would produce an invalid character. Therefore, not all characters from the particular code page will be produced.
Returns a random unicode character guaranteed to be valid.
random_chars_UTF8
my $ret = random_chars_UTF8($optional_paramshash)Arguments:
$optional_paramshash: can contain'min'sets the minimum length of the random sequence to be returned, default is 6'max'sets the maximum length of the random sequence to be returned, default is 32
Return a random unicode-only string optionally specifying minimum and maximum length. See Data::Random::Structure::UTF8 <random_chars_UTF8()> for the range of characters it returns. The returned string is unicode and is guaranteed all its characters are valid.
SUBROUTINES
check_content_recursively
my $ret = check_content_recursively($perl_var, $paramshashref)Arguments:
$perl_var: a Perl variable containing an arbitrarily nested data structure$paramshashref: can contain one or more of the following keys:'numbers'set it to 1 to look for numbers (possibly among other things). If set to 1 and a number123or"123"is found, this sub returns 1. Set it to 0 to not look for numbers at all (and not report if there are no numbers) - don't bother checking for numbers, that's what setting this to zero means.'strings-unicode'set it to 1 to look for unicode strings (possibly among other things). The definition of "unicode string" is that at least one its characters is unicode. If set to 1 and a "unicode string" is found, this sub returns 1.'strings-plain'set it to 1 to look for plain strings (possibly among other things). The definition of "plain string" is that none of its characters is unicode. If set to 1 and a "plain string" is found, this sub returns 1.'strings'set it to 1 to look for plain or unicode strings (possibly among other things). If set to 1 and a "plain string" or "unicode string" is found, this sub returns 1. Basically, it returns 1 when a string is found (as opposed to a "number").
In general, by setting <'strings-unicode'=1>> you are checking whether the input Perl variable contains a unicode string in a key, a value, an array element, or a scalar reference.
But, setting <'strings-unicode'=0>>, it simply means do not look for this. It does not mean report if they are NO unicode strings.
Return value: 1 or 0 depending whether what was looking for, was found.
This is not an object-oriented method. It is called thously:
# check if ANY scalar (hash key, value, array element or scalar ref)
# contains ONLY single number (integer, float)
# the decicion is made by Scalar::Util:looks_like_number()
if( Data::Random::Structure::UTF8::check_content_recursively(
{'abc'=>123, 'xyz'=>[1,2,3]},
{
# look for numbers, are there any?
'numbers' => 1,
}
) ){ print "data structure contains numbers\n" }
# check if it contains no numbers but it does unicode strings
if( Data::Random::Structure::UTF8::check_content_recursively(
{'abc'=>123, 'xyz'=>[1,2,3]},
{
# don't look for numbers
'numbers' => 0,
# look for unicode strings, are there any?
'strings-unicode' => 1,
}
) ){ print "data structure contains numbers\n" }CAVEAT: as its name suggests, this is a recursive function. Beware of extremely deep data structures. Deep, not long. If you do get <"Deep recursion..." warnings>, and you do insist to go ahead, this will remove the warnings (but are you sure?):
{
no warnings 'recursion';
if( Data::Random::Structure::UTF8::check_content_recursively(
{'abc'=>123, 'xyz'=>[1,2,3]},
{
'numbers' => 1,
}
) ){ print "data structure contains numbers\n" }
}SEE ALSO
The parent class Data::Random::Structure.
Data::Roundtrip for stringifying possibly-unicode Perl data structures.
AUTHOR
Andreas Hadjiprocopis, <bliako ta cpan.org / andreashad2 ta gmail.com>
BUGS
Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-data-random-structure-utf8 at rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at https://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Data-Random-Structure-UTF8. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.
CAVEATS
There are two issues users should know about.
The first issue is that the unicode produced can make Data::Dump to complain with
Operation "lc" returns its argument for UTF-16 surrogate U+DA4B at /usr/local/share/perl5/Data/Dump.pm line 302.This, I have found, can be fixed with the following workaround (from github user iafan, thank you):
# Suppress `Operation "lc" returns its argument for UTF-16 surrogate 0xNNNN` warning
# for the `lc()` call below; use 'utf8' instead of a more appropriate 'surrogate' pragma
# since the latter is not available in until Perl 5.14
no warnings 'utf8';The second issue is that this class inherits from Data::Random::Structure and relies on it complaining about not being able to handle certain types which are our own extensions (the string-UTF8 extension). We have no way to know that except from catching its croak'ing and parsing it with the following code
my $rc = eval { $self->SUPER::generate_scalar(@_) };
if( $@ || ! defined($rc) ){
# parent doesn't know what to do, can we handle this?
if( $@ !~ /how to generate (.+?)\R/ ){ ... ... }
else { print "type is $1" }
...in order to extract the type which can not be handled and handle it ourselves. So whenever the parent class (Data::Random::Structure) changes its croak song, we will have to adopt this code accordingly (in Data::Random::Structure::UTF8 <generate_scalar()>). For the moment, I have placed a catch-all, fall-back condition to handle this but it will be called for all kind of types and not only the types we have added.
So, this issue is not going to make the module die but may make it to skew the random results in favour of unicode strings (which is the fallback, default action when can't parse the type).
SUPPORT
You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.
perldoc Data::Random::Structure::UTF8You can also look for information at:
RT: CPAN's request tracker (report bugs here)
https://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=Data-Random-Structure-UTF8
AnnoCPAN: Annotated CPAN documentation
CPAN Ratings
Search CPAN
SEE ALSO
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Mark Allen who created Data::Random::Structure which is our parent class.
DEDICATIONS AND HUGS
!Almaz!
LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT
This software is Copyright (c) 2020 by Andreas Hadjiprocopis.
This is free software, licensed under:
The Artistic License 2.0 (GPL Compatible)