Custom Scalars input serialization in variables (#253)

Author: leszekhanusz

docs/modules/gql.rst

@@ -21,3 +21,4 @@ Sub-Packages
    client
    transport
    dsl
+   utilities

docs/modules/utilities.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+gql.utilities
+=============
+
+.. currentmodule:: gql.utilities
+
+.. automodule:: gql.utilities

docs/usage/custom_scalars.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+Custom Scalars
+==============
+
+Scalar types represent primitive values at the leaves of a query.
+
+GraphQL provides a number of built-in scalars (Int, Float, String, Boolean and ID), but a GraphQL backend
+can add additional custom scalars to its schema to better express values in their data model.
+
+For example, a schema can define the Datetime scalar to represent an ISO-8601 encoded date.
+
+The schema will then only contain:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    scalar Datetime
+
+When custom scalars are sent to the backend (as inputs) or from the backend (as outputs),
+their values need to be serialized to be composed
+of only built-in scalars, then at the destination the serialized values will be parsed again to
+be able to represent the scalar in its local internal representation.
+
+Because this serialization/unserialization is dependent on the language used at both sides, it is not
+described in the schema and needs to be defined independently at both sides (client, backend).
+
+A custom scalar value can have two different representations during its transport:
+
+ - as a serialized value (usually as json):
+
+    * in the results sent by the backend
+    * in the variables sent by the client alongside the query
+
+ - as "literal" inside the query itself sent by the client
+
+To define a custom scalar, you need 3 methods:
+
+ - a :code:`serialize` method used:
+
+    * by the backend to serialize a custom scalar output in the result
+    * by the client to serialize a custom scalar input in the variables
+
+ - a :code:`parse_value` method used:
+
+    * by the backend to unserialize custom scalars inputs in the variables sent by the client
+    * by the client to unserialize custom scalars outputs from the results
+
+ - a :code:`parse_literal` method used:
+
+    * by the backend to unserialize custom scalars inputs inside the query itself
+
+To define a custom scalar object, we define a :code:`GraphQLScalarType` from graphql-core with
+its name and the implementation of the above methods.
+
+Example for Datetime:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    from datetime import datetime
+    from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
+
+    from graphql import GraphQLScalarType, ValueNode
+    from graphql.utilities import value_from_ast_untyped
+
+
+    def serialize_datetime(value: Any) -> str:
+        return value.isoformat()
+
+
+    def parse_datetime_value(value: Any) -> datetime:
+        return datetime.fromisoformat(value)
+
+
+    def parse_datetime_literal(
+        value_node: ValueNode, variables: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None
+    ) -> datetime:
+        ast_value = value_from_ast_untyped(value_node, variables)
+        return parse_datetime_value(ast_value)
+
+
+    DatetimeScalar = GraphQLScalarType(
+        name="Datetime",
+        serialize=serialize_datetime,
+        parse_value=parse_datetime_value,
+        parse_literal=parse_datetime_literal,
+    )
+
+Custom Scalars in inputs
+------------------------
+
+To provide custom scalars in input with gql, you can:
+
+- serialize the scalar yourself as "literal" in the query:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    query = gql(
+        """{
+        shiftDays(time: "2021-11-12T11:58:13.461161", days: 5)
+    }"""
+    )
+
+- serialize the scalar yourself in a variable:
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    query = gql("query shift5days($time: Datetime) {shiftDays(time: $time, days: 5)}")
+
+    variable_values = {
+        "time": "2021-11-12T11:58:13.461161",
+    }
+
+    result = client.execute(query, variable_values=variable_values)
+
+- add a custom scalar to the schema with :func:`update_schema_scalars <gql.utilities.update_schema_scalars>`
+  and execute the query with :code:`serialize_variables=True`
+  and gql will serialize the variable values from a Python object representation.
+
+For this, you need to provide a schema or set :code:`fetch_schema_from_transport=True`
+in the client to request the schema from the backend.
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    from gql.utilities import update_schema_scalars
+
+    async with Client(transport=transport, fetch_schema_from_transport=True) as session:
+
+        update_schema_scalars(session.client.schema, [DatetimeScalar])
+
+        query = gql("query shift5days($time: Datetime) {shiftDays(time: $time, days: 5)}")
+
+        variable_values = {"time": datetime.now()}
+
+        result = await session.execute(
+            query, variable_values=variable_values, serialize_variables=True
+        )

docs/usage/index.rst

@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ Usage
    variables
    headers
    file_upload
+   custom_scalars