nlohmann::basic_json::front¶

reference front();
const_reference front() const;

Returns a reference to the first element in the container. For a JSON container c, the expression c.front() is equivalent to *c.begin().

Return value¶

In case of a structured type (array or object), a reference to the first element is returned. In case of number, string, boolean, or binary values, a reference to the value is returned.

Exception safety¶

Strong guarantee: if an exception is thrown, there are no changes in the JSON value.

Exceptions¶

If the JSON value is null, exception invalid_iterator.214 is thrown.

Complexity¶

Constant.

Notes¶

Precondition

The array or object must not be empty. Calling front on an empty array or object yields undefined behavior.

Examples¶

Example

The following code shows an example for front().

#include <iostream>
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>

using json = nlohmann::json;

int main()
{
    // create JSON values
    json j_null;
    json j_boolean = true;
    json j_number_integer = 17;
    json j_number_float = 23.42;
    json j_object = {{"one", 1}, {"two", 2}};
    json j_object_empty(json::value_t::object);
    json j_array = {1, 2, 4, 8, 16};
    json j_array_empty(json::value_t::array);
    json j_string = "Hello, world";

    // call front()
    //std::cout << j_null.front() << '\n';          // would throw
    std::cout << j_boolean.front() << '\n';
    std::cout << j_number_integer.front() << '\n';
    std::cout << j_number_float.front() << '\n';
    std::cout << j_object.front() << '\n';
    //std::cout << j_object_empty.front() << '\n';  // undefined behavior
    std::cout << j_array.front() << '\n';
    //std::cout << j_array_empty.front() << '\n';   // undefined behavior
    std::cout << j_string.front() << '\n';
}

Output:

true
17
23.42
1
1
"Hello, world"

Version history¶

Added in version 1.0.0.
Adjusted code to return reference to binary values in version 3.8.0.

Last update: May 1, 2022