How to parse complex JSON in Swift 4 using Codable

Question

I need help with parsing JSON from server. Here's the JSON:

{
"response": {
    "items": [
        {
            "type": "post",
            "source_id": -17507435,
            "date": 1514538602,
            "post_id": 4105,
            "post_type": "post",
            "text": "Some text here",
            "marked_as_ads": 0,
            "attachments": [
                {
                    "type": "photo",
                    "photo": {
                        "id": 456239655,
                        "album_id": -7,
                        "owner_id": -17507435,
                        "user_id": 100,
                        "photo_75": "https://sun1-3.userapi.com/c840632/v840632924/3b7e7/4YUS7DlaLK8.jpg",
                        "photo_130": "https://sun1-3.userapi.com/c840632/v840632924/3b7e8/Ffpb4ZUlulI.jpg",
                        "photo_604": "https://sun1-3.userapi.com/c840632/v840632924/3b7e9/-pkl6Qdb9hk.jpg",
                        "width": 439,
                        "height": 312,
                        "text": "",
                        "date": 1514538602,
                        "post_id": 4105,
                        "access_key": "6a61a49570efd9c39c"
                    }
                }
            ],
            "post_source": {
                "type": "api"
            },
            "comments": {
                "count": 0,
                "groups_can_post": true,
                "can_post": 1
            },
            "likes": {
                "count": 0,
                "user_likes": 0,
                "can_like": 1,
                "can_publish": 1
            },
            "reposts": {
                "count": 0,
                "user_reposted": 0
            },
            "views": {
                "count": 2
            }
        }
    ],
    "profiles": [],
    "groups": [
        {
            "id": 17507435,
            "name": "Literature Museum",
            "screen_name": "samlitmus",
            "is_closed": 0,
            "type": "group",
            "is_admin": 0,
            "is_member": 1,
            "photo_50": "https://pp.userapi.com/c615722/v615722068/e58c/d5Y8E_5689s.jpg",
            "photo_100": "https://pp.userapi.com/c615722/v615722068/e58b/Hm05ga3x2J8.jpg",
            "photo_200": "https://pp.userapi.com/c615722/v615722068/e589/yoG_DDalFII.jpg"
        },
        {
            "id": 27711883,
            "name": "E:\\music\\melodic hardcore",
            "screen_name": "e_melodic_hc",
            "is_closed": 0,
            "type": "page",
            "is_admin": 0,
            "is_member": 1,
            "photo_50": "https://pp.userapi.com/c628220/v628220426/47092/xepNnC7pSBw.jpg",
            "photo_100": "https://pp.userapi.com/c628220/v628220426/47091/uAokr-c3NQ8.jpg",
            "photo_200": "https://pp.userapi.com/c628220/v628220426/4708f/eNY4vzooz4E.jpg"
        },
        {
            "id": 81574241,
            "name": "DOS4GW.EXE",
            "screen_name": "dos4gw",
            "is_closed": 0,
            "type": "page",
            "is_admin": 0,
            "is_member": 1,
            "photo_50": "https://pp.userapi.com/c622118/v622118651/e045/vlhV6QxtoLI.jpg",
            "photo_100": "https://pp.userapi.com/c622118/v622118651/e044/P9mVUhXBV58.jpg",
            "photo_200": "https://pp.userapi.com/c622118/v622118651/e043/Soq8oxCMB0I.jpg"
        },
        {
            "id": 76709587,
            "name": "Prosvet",
            "screen_name": "prosvet_pub",
            "is_closed": 0,
            "type": "page",
            "is_admin": 0,
            "is_member": 0,
            "photo_50": "https://pp.userapi.com/c630431/v630431500/b24a/GHox8AmDTXU.jpg",
            "photo_100": "https://pp.userapi.com/c630431/v630431500/b249/H3mcC-K7htM.jpg",
            "photo_200": "https://pp.userapi.com/c630431/v630431500/b248/9fyvB8gkcwc.jpg"
        }
    ],
    "next_from": "1/4105_1514494800_5"
}

}

What I need to get from this JSON are lines: "text", "comments", "likes", "reposts", "attachments".

Inside "attachments" field I want to get "photo_604" line.

Here's my code:

class NewsItems: Decodable {
    var text: String?
    var comments: Comments
    var likes: Likes
    var reposts: Reposts
    var attachments: [Attachments]
}

class Comments: Decodable {
    var count: Int?
}

class Likes: Decodable {
    var count: Int?
}

class Reposts: Decodable {
    var count: Int?
}

class Attachments: Decodable {
    var attachments: AttachmentPhoto
}

class AttachmentPhoto: Decodable {
    var photo: WhatIsInsideAttachmentsPhoto
}

class WhatIsInsideAttachmentsPhoto: Decodable {
    var photo: String?

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case photo = "photo_604"
    }
}


class WhatIsIsideResponseNewsFeed: Decodable {
    var items: [NewsItems]
}

public class ResponseNewsFeed: Decodable {
    var response: WhatIsIsideResponseNewsFeed
}

But after making the request:

Alamofire.request(baseURL+methodName, parameters: parameters).responseData(completionHandler: { response in
        if let result = response.result.value {
            let decoder = JSONDecoder()
            let myResponse = try! decoder.decode(ResponseNewsFeed.self, from: result)
            completion(myResponse.response.items)

I get an error:

Fatal error: 'try!' expression unexpectedly raised an error: Swift.DecodingError.keyNotFound(_UL_PetrovLeonid.NewsItems.(CodingKeys in _FA9A2FC8130449AA328C19ACD9506C2D).attachments, Swift.DecodingError.Context(codingPath: [_UL_Leonid.ResponseNewsFeed.(CodingKeys in _FA9A2FC8130449AA328C19ACD9506C2D).response, _UL_PetrovLeonid.WhatIsIsideResponseNewsFeed.(CodingKeys in _FA9A2FC8130449AA328C19ACD9506C2D).items, Foundation.(_JSONKey in _12768CA107A31EF2DCE034FD75B541C9)(stringValue: "Index 0", intValue: Optional(0))], debugDescription: "No value associated with key attachments (\"attachments\").", underlyingError: nil))

Why is that happening and what do I need to do to solve it? I've been into coding only three months from now, so please forgive me beforehand if my problem seems silly.

Thank you.

vadian · Accepted Answer · 2017-12-29 11:41:04Z

2

The error message is very clear

... Swift.DecodingError.keyNotFound ... NewsItems.(CodingKeys in _FA9A2FC8130449AA328C19ACD9506C2D).attachments ... No value associated with key attachments (\"attachments\").

keyNotFound is key is missing
NewsItems.(CodingKeys ... ).attachments is the object for key attachments in NewsItems which is Attachments
No value associated with key attachments (\"attachments\") is what is says.

Shortly: There is no key attachments in Attachments which is true.

Look at your JSON

      "attachments": [
            {
                "type": "photo",
                "photo": {

The class equivalent is

class Attachments: Decodable {
    let type : String
    let photo : AttachmentPhoto
}

And AttachmentPhoto is supposed to be

class AttachmentPhoto: Decodable {

    private enum CodingKeys : String, CodingKey {
        case photo604 = "photo_604"
        case id
    }

    let id : Int
    let photo604 : String // or even URL
    // etc.
}

Actually there is no need to use classes, in most cases a struct is sufficient.

edited Dec 29, 2017 at 11:41

answered Dec 29, 2017 at 11:07

vadian

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1 Comment

twizted_klaun Over a year ago

Thank you, vadian, your answer solved the error! For the newcomer like me it's easy to overlook such things.

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