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| 1 | +# Reversible embedding from JSON to Plutus Data |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +Publishers would like to store and provide their Fact Statements in JSON format |
| 4 | +([ECMA-404](https://www.ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-404/)), |
| 5 | +but the Cardano Ledger ([Alonzo |
| 6 | +CDDL](https://github.com/input-output-hk/cardano-ledger/blob/master/eras/alonzo/test-suite/cddl-files/alonzo.cddl)) |
| 7 | +requires utxo datums to be serialized in the Plutus Data format |
| 8 | +([PlutusCore.Data](https://github.com/input-output-hk/plutus/blob/master/plutus-core/plutus-core/src/PlutusCore/Data.hs)). |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +In the COOP framework, we have adopted the following reversible embedding from |
| 11 | +JSON values to Plutus Data values. This embedding allows any JSON value to be |
| 12 | +converted into a Plutus Data value and allows the converted value to be |
| 13 | +converted back to the original JSON value. However, not all Plutus Data values |
| 14 | +can be converted to JSON by the embedding -- this is fine because the intended |
| 15 | +use for the embedding is to convert JSON to Plutus Data, publish the Plutus Data |
| 16 | +on the Cardano blockchain, read the Plutus Data from the Cardano blockchain, and |
| 17 | +convert it back to the original JSON. |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +A JSON value can be of any of the following: |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +- **Object** -- a collection of zero or more name-value pairs. Names must be |
| 22 | + strings, while values can be of any JSON type. |
| 23 | +- **Array** -- a sequence of zero or more values. |
| 24 | +- **Number** -- a floating-point number, excluding any numbers that cannot be |
| 25 | + represented using digits (e.g. Infinity and NaN). |
| 26 | +- **String** -- a sequence of UTF-8 code points. |
| 27 | +- **`true`** |
| 28 | +- **`false`** |
| 29 | +- **`null`** |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +A Plutus Data value can be any of the following: |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +- **Constructor** -- an integer-tagged sequence of values. This is intended to |
| 34 | + be used to represent sum types, which are types that provide multiple possible |
| 35 | + options for their values and use a different tag for each option. For example, |
| 36 | + the result of a fallible numeric calculation can be represented as either a |
| 37 | + textual description of an error or a numeric correct result of the |
| 38 | + calculation. |
| 39 | +- **Map** -- a collection of zero or more value-value pairs. |
| 40 | +- **List** -- a sequence of zero or more values. |
| 41 | +- **Integer** -- a whole number than can be zero (0), positive (1, 2, 3, ...), |
| 42 | + or negative (-1, -2, -3, ...). |
| 43 | +- **Bytestring** -- a sequence of bytes. |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +A JSON value can be converted to a Plutus Data value as follows: |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +- A JSON **Object** is converted into a Plutus Data **Map**. For each name-value |
| 48 | + pair in the JSON Object, the name (a JSON String) is converted into a Plutus |
| 49 | + Data Bytestring and the value is converted into a corresponding Plutus Data |
| 50 | + value. |
| 51 | +- A JSON **Array** is converted into a Plutus Data **List**. Each value in the |
| 52 | + JSON Array is converted into a corresponding Plutus Data value. |
| 53 | +- A JSON **Number** is converted into either a Plutus Data **Integer** or a |
| 54 | + Plutus Data **Constructor**: |
| 55 | + - If the JSON Number can be safely converted into an integer without rounding, |
| 56 | + then it is converted into a Plutus Data Integer. |
| 57 | + - Otherwise, the JSON Number is converted into a Plutus Data Constructor |
| 58 | + tagged by the integer `3`. The JSON Number's significand is placed as a |
| 59 | + Plutus Data Integer into the first position of the Constructor, and the JSON |
| 60 | + Number's base-10 exponent is place as a Plutus Data Integer into the second |
| 61 | + position. |
| 62 | +- A JSON **String** is converted into a Plutus Data **Bytestring** by encoding |
| 63 | + the sequence of UTF-8 code points into a sequence of bytes. |
| 64 | +- A JSON **`true`** value is converted into a Plutus Data **Constructor** tagged |
| 65 | + by the integer **`1`**, with an empty sequence of values. |
| 66 | +- A JSON **`false`** value is converted into a Plutus Data **Constructor** |
| 67 | + tagged by the integer **`0`**, with an empty sequence of values. |
| 68 | +- A JSON **`null`** value is converted into a Plutus Data **Constructor** tagged |
| 69 | + by the integer **`2`**, with an empty sequence of values. |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +A Plutus Data value that was derived via the embedding from a JSON value can |
| 72 | +always be converted back to that JSON value: |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +- A Plutus Data **Constructor** is converted into a corresponding JSON value |
| 75 | + based on its integer tag: |
| 76 | + - If the tag is **`0`**, then it is converted into a JSON **`false`** value. |
| 77 | + - If the tag is **`1`**, then it is converted into a JSON **`true`** value. |
| 78 | + - If the tag is **`2`**, then it is converted into a JSON **`null`** value. |
| 79 | + - If the tag is **`3`**, then a JSON **Number** is constructed using the |
| 80 | + significand in the Constructor's first position and the base-10 exponent in |
| 81 | + the Constructor's second position. |
| 82 | +- A Plutus Data **Map** is converted into a JSON **Object**. For each |
| 83 | + value-value pair in the Plutus Data Map, the first value is converted into a |
| 84 | + JSON String and the second value is converted into a corresponding JSON value. |
| 85 | +- A Plutus Data **List** is converted into a JSON **Array**. Each value in the |
| 86 | + Plutus Data List is converted into a corresponding JSON value. |
| 87 | +- A Plutus Data **Integer** is converted into a JSON **Number**, with the |
| 88 | + base-10 exponent set to 0. |
| 89 | +- A Plutus Data **Bytestring** is converted into a JSON **String** by decoding |
| 90 | + the sequence of bytes into a sequence of UTF-8 code points. |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +The conversion into JSON will fail for the following Plutus Data values: |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +- A Plutus Data **Constructor** tagged by a different integer than 0, 1, 2, or |
| 95 | + 3. |
| 96 | +- A Plutus Data **Constructor** tagged by the integer 3 that does not contain |
| 97 | + exactly two Plutus Data Integers in its sequence of values. |
| 98 | +- A Plutus Data **Map** that contains a value-value pair whose first value |
| 99 | + cannot be converted into a JSON String. |
| 100 | +- A Plutus Data **Bytestring** that cannot be decoded into a sequence of UTF-8 |
| 101 | + code points. |
| 102 | + |
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