Make scalar comparisons noexcept only when converting the scalar cannot throw - #5751
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October 2, 2026 08:19
The comparison operators taking a scalar (==, !=, <, <=, >, >=, and C++20's <=>) convert the scalar to a basic_json and compare, but were unconditionally noexcept. When that conversion throws, the program called std::terminate instead of propagating the exception, e.g. when comparing a json with a string literal under memory pressure (std::bad_alloc) or with an enum value not mapped by NLOHMANN_JSON_SERIALIZE_ENUM_STRICT (out_of_range.410). clang-tidy 22.1 reports the latter as bugprone-exception-escape. Declare the 16 scalar overloads noexcept(std::is_nothrow_constructible<basic_json, ScalarType>::value): they stay noexcept for numbers, Booleans, nullptr, and plain enums, and are noexcept(false) for strings and enums whose to_json may throw. The comparisons of two basic_json values are unchanged. Restore the strict-enum comparisons removed from unit-conversions.cpp in the previous PR, check that comparing an unmapped strict enum now throws, and pin the new exception specifications in unit-noexcept.cpp. Document the exception safety of overload (2) on all seven operator pages. Ran make amalgamate. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
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Conflict in operator_ne.md: took develop's corrected page (#5638 documents that there is no C++20 member operator!=) and re-added this branch's conditional noexcept for overload (2) and its version history note. Ran make amalgamate. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
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- binary_reader: rename the error_handler constructor parameter, which shadowed the member (-Wshadow, -Wshadow-field-in-constructor; #5746) - basic_json(copy_construct_tag, ...): declare it noexcept when copying the base class is (GCC 16 -Wnoexcept; #5690) - the scalar-on-left legacy comparison operators: noexcept only when converting the scalar is, like their member counterparts (#5682, #5751) - compare_leaves: use std::is_eq/is_lt/is_gt instead of comparing a std::partial_ordering with 0 (-Wzero-as-null-pointer-constant; #5686) - serializer: silence MSVC C4127 for the EnsureAscii template parameter (#5741, #5746) - clang-tidy: return the sanitized reference in binary_writer, take the key of ordered_map::find_impl by const reference (#5727), and mark the switches over parse_array_index (#5728) - ordered_map: keep <memory> for std::allocator (IWYU) Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
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* Keep the serializer conversion for objects whose keys cannot be converted #5591 added a test converting nlohmann::json into a basic_json whose string type cannot be constructed from std::string. That instantiates convert_iteratively(), whose members.emplace_back(next.key(), ...) needs exactly that key conversion, and broke the build of unit-alt-string. Dispatch on the key's constructibility and leave such conversions to the serializers, as the levels above the nesting bound already do (#3425). Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * Fix the remaining CI failures on develop - unit-wstring: with a 16-bit wchar_t (Windows), a lone surrogate is reported as the ill-formed byte 0xFF since #5704; the std::wstring expectations still had the previous <U+0000>. - ci_single_binaries: json_literals.hpp (#5610) and json.hpp include each other on purpose, and IWYU, not following the cycle, asks to replace json.hpp with json_fwd.hpp. Report its findings without failing the build, as already done for json.hpp. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * Fix the library warnings and noexcept specifications from the merged PRs - binary_reader: rename the error_handler constructor parameter, which shadowed the member (-Wshadow, -Wshadow-field-in-constructor; #5746) - basic_json(copy_construct_tag, ...): declare it noexcept when copying the base class is (GCC 16 -Wnoexcept; #5690) - the scalar-on-left legacy comparison operators: noexcept only when converting the scalar is, like their member counterparts (#5682, #5751) - compare_leaves: use std::is_eq/is_lt/is_gt instead of comparing a std::partial_ordering with 0 (-Wzero-as-null-pointer-constant; #5686) - serializer: silence MSVC C4127 for the EnsureAscii template parameter (#5741, #5746) - clang-tidy: return the sanitized reference in binary_writer, take the key of ordered_map::find_impl by const reference (#5727), and mark the switches over parse_array_index (#5728) - ordered_map: keep <memory> for std::allocator (IWYU) Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * Split unit-conversions.cpp so MinGW can link it clang 18 with the MinGW linker failed to link test-conversions_cpp17 ("relocation truncated to fit: IMAGE_REL_AMD64_REL32"). As windows.yml recommends, keep the objects small by splitting the test file. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * Fix the tests added by the merged PRs for all CI configurations - discard the results of dump() and from_*() in CHECK_THROWS with utils::ignore_return_value (GCC -Werror=unused-result) - give unit-bson's huge_string_t a default constructor (MSVC C2512, GCC 5, clang 3.5) - unit-disabled_exceptions: use the literals namespace when the global UDLs are off (ci_test_noglobaludls; #5700) - unit-binary_utf8_strict: expect the JSON pointer prefix with JSON_DIAGNOSTICS (#5741) - skip the tests that rely on exceptions under JSON_NOEXCEPTION (#5678, #5732) - clang-tidy and clang -Werror: static test data, CAPTURE(...);, const-correctness, use-after-move alias, unused conversion operator, a missing <iterator> include Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * Title the macro examples and add JSON_STRICT_BINARY_UTF8 to the docset The documentation style check requires "Example: ..." titles on pages with several examples (#5741, #5591) and a docset entry for every macro page. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> * Regenerate BUILD.bazel and nlohmann_json.natvis Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> #5746 added detail/output/error_handler.hpp and #5741 the json_abi_sbu8 ABI tag. * Install libidn11 for the CMake 3.5.0 binary in ci_cmake_flags Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> #5733 moved ci_cmake_options from ubuntu:focal to ubuntu:24.04, which no longer ships libidn.so.11; the CMake 3.5.0 release binary links against it, so every ci_cmake_flags run has failed since. Install focal's libidn11 package for that matrix entry only. * Suppress Infer's false STACK_VARIABLE_ADDRESS_ESCAPE in get_impl get_impl() returns its local by value. A test added by the merged PRs instantiates it with a type Infer misreads, so ci_infer reported the 2021 code for the first time. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me> --------- Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
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Stacked on #5750.
Problem
The comparison operators that take a scalar (
==,!=,<,<=,>,>=, and C++20's<=>) convert the scalar withbasic_json(scalar)and then compare two JSON values. They were all unconditionallynoexcept, so a conversion that throws calledstd::terminateinstead of propagating the exception:The same happens with
j == "text"if allocating the string throwsstd::bad_alloc. clang-tidy 22.1 reports the strict-enum case asbugprone-exception-escape; #5750 worked around it by rewriting the tests.Change
noexcept(std::is_nothrow_constructible<basic_json, ScalarType>::value), so each one isnoexceptexactly when the conversion is:nullptr, and plain enums: stillnoexceptto_jsonmay throw (NLOHMANN_JSON_SERIALIZE_ENUM/_STRICT): nownoexcept(false)basic_jsonvalues.out_of_range.410(it used to terminate)static_asserts inunit-noexcept.cppVerification
unit-conversionsandunit-noexcept, as C++11 and C++20, with clang 21 and GCC 16unit-comparison, as C++11, C++20, and C++20 withJSON_USE_LEGACY_DISCARDED_VALUE_COMPARISONmake check-amalgamation: passes.Public API
This changes the documented exception specification of the scalar comparison operators, but no program that compiles today stops compiling:
nullptr, and plain enums staynoexcept.noexcept(false). In those cases the operator could already fail; it now throws instead of callingstd::terminate.noexcept(j == "text")at compile time will seefalse.The ABI is unaffected: a function's exception specification is not part of its mangled name.
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