Format¶

Content basics¶

Working with content is a fundamental aspect of the DSL, and the framework provides built-in support for handling various content formats. The !load and !dump features enable seamless decoding and encoding of content, allowing users to easily transform data between different representations.

By default, content instructions support format parameter that specify the content type and source parameter that indicates the value to be processed. The framework does not include built-in support for any specific content formats, but they can be extended with plugins, such as the JSON format provided by the pytest-loco-json plugin.

Base input schema

entity schemas.Content¶

Base class for content processing definitions.

param format: str [Required]¶

Identifier of the content format or protocol.

Defines how the source value should be interpreted or processed.

param source: Deferred[Value] [Required]¶

Input value to be processed by the content operation.

May reference variables from the context or contain raw data, depending on the DSL usage.

Decoders¶

Decoding content is achieved using the !load feature, which takes the specified format and source, and transforms the content into a structured data representation that can be easily manipulated within the DSL.

Decoders can contain optional transformers that allow users to interact with specific data from the decoded content. This feature is particularly useful when working with complex data structures, as it enables users to focus on the relevant parts of the content without having to navigate through the entire structure.

Example of decoding a value¶

---
title: Read a JSON content from file
action: empty
export:
  jsonText: !textFile test.json

---
title: Decode a JSON
action: empty
export:
  jsonValue: !load
    format: json
    source: !var jsonText

Encoders¶

Encoding content is achieved using the !dump feature, which takes a structured data representation from the execution context and transforms it into a specific format that can be easily consumed by external systems or stored for later use.

Example of encoding a value¶

---
spec: case
title: Example of encoding a value
vars:
  value:
    name: Molecule Man
    secretIdentity: Dan Jukes
    age: 29

---
action: empty
export:
  jsonText: !dump
    format: json
    source: !var value