nushell/crates/nu-protocol/src
Reilly Wood 21b84a6d65
Optional members in cell paths: Attempt 2 (#8379)
This is a follow up from https://github.com/nushell/nushell/pull/7540.
Please provide feedback if you have the time!

## Summary

This PR lets you use `?` to indicate that a member in a cell path is
optional and Nushell should return `null` if that member cannot be
accessed.

Unlike the previous PR, `?` is now a _postfix_ modifier for cell path
members. A cell path of `.foo?.bar` means that `foo` is optional and
`bar` is not.

`?` does _not_ suppress all errors; it is intended to help in situations
where data has "holes", i.e. the data types are correct but something is
missing. Type mismatches (like trying to do a string path access on a
date) will still fail.

### Record Examples

```bash

{ foo: 123 }.foo # returns 123

{ foo: 123 }.bar # errors
{ foo: 123 }.bar? # returns null

{ foo: 123 } | get bar # errors
{ foo: 123 } | get bar? # returns null

{ foo: 123 }.bar.baz # errors
{ foo: 123 }.bar?.baz # errors because `baz` is not present on the result from `bar?`
{ foo: 123 }.bar.baz? # errors
{ foo: 123 }.bar?.baz? # returns null
```

### List Examples
```
〉[{foo: 1} {foo: 2} {}].foo
Error: nu:🐚:column_not_found

  × Cannot find column
   ╭─[entry #30:1:1]
 1 │ [{foo: 1} {foo: 2} {}].foo
   ·                    ─┬  ─┬─
   ·                     │   ╰── cannot find column 'foo'
   ·                     ╰── value originates here
   ╰────
〉[{foo: 1} {foo: 2} {}].foo?
╭───┬───╮
│ 0 │ 1 │
│ 1 │ 2 │
│ 2 │   │
╰───┴───╯
〉[{foo: 1} {foo: 2} {}].foo?.2 | describe
nothing

〉[a b c].4? | describe
nothing

〉[{foo: 1} {foo: 2} {}] | where foo? == 1
╭───┬─────╮
│ # │ foo │
├───┼─────┤
│ 0 │   1 │
╰───┴─────╯
```

# Breaking changes

1. Column names with `?` in them now need to be quoted.
2. The `-i`/`--ignore-errors` flag has been removed from `get` and
`select`
1. After this PR, most `get` error handling can be done with `?` and/or
`try`/`catch`.
4. Cell path accesses like this no longer work without a `?`:
```bash
〉[{a:1 b:2} {a:3}].b.0
2
```
We had some clever code that was able to recognize that since we only
want row `0`, it's OK if other rows are missing column `b`. I removed
that because it's tricky to maintain, and now that query needs to be
written like:


```bash
〉[{a:1 b:2} {a:3}].b?.0
2
```

I think the regression is acceptable for now. I plan to do more work in
the future to enable streaming of cell path accesses, and when that
happens I'll be able to make `.b.0` work again.
2023-03-15 20:50:58 -07:00
..
ast Optional members in cell paths: Attempt 2 (#8379) 2023-03-15 20:50:58 -07:00
engine FEATURE: add the startup time to $nu (#8353) 2023-03-09 14:18:58 -06:00
value Optional members in cell paths: Attempt 2 (#8379) 2023-03-15 20:50:58 -07:00
alias.rs Document and critically review ShellError variants - Ep. 3 (#8340) 2023-03-06 18:33:09 +01:00
cli_error.rs Clippy fix for Rust 1.63 (#6299) 2022-08-11 11:54:54 -05:00
config.rs Hide 7925 (#8359) 2023-03-09 10:26:59 +13:00
example.rs Make plugin commands support examples. (#7984) 2023-02-08 16:14:18 -06:00
exportable.rs Removes export env command (#6468) 2022-09-25 19:52:43 +03:00
id.rs Overlays (#5375) 2022-05-08 07:39:22 +12:00
lev_distance.rs Reduce again the number of match calls (#7815) 2023-01-24 12:23:42 +01:00
lib.rs Re-implement aliases (#8123) 2023-02-27 20:44:05 +13:00
module.rs Allow main command to define top-level module command (#7764) 2023-01-22 21:34:15 +02:00
pipeline_data.rs Optional members in cell paths: Attempt 2 (#8379) 2023-03-15 20:50:58 -07:00
plugin_signature.rs Make plugin commands support examples. (#7984) 2023-02-08 16:14:18 -06:00
shell_error.rs Document and critically review ShellError variants - Ep. 3 (#8340) 2023-03-06 18:33:09 +01:00
signature.rs view span & view files commands (#7989) 2023-02-09 11:35:23 -06:00
span.rs Use variable names directly in the format strings (#7906) 2023-01-29 19:37:54 -06:00
syntax_shape.rs Use variable names directly in the format strings (#7906) 2023-01-29 19:37:54 -06:00
ty.rs Display empty records and lists (#7925) 2023-02-22 16:18:33 +00:00
util.rs move BufferedReader out of nu-command (#7697) 2023-01-06 15:22:17 -08:00
variable.rs Limited mutable variables (#7089) 2022-11-11 19:51:08 +13:00