drf-smart-nested-parser 0.1.0

Smart nested parser for DRF (JSON + multipart + files)

DRF Smart Nested Parser

A simple parser for Django REST Framework that converts form-data and application/x-www-form-urlencoded inputs into nested structures (dict / list). For JSON, it uses the default DRF JSON parser without additional conversion.

Installation

If you're using this package locally, ensure it is importable from your project. If published on PyPI, install it by the package name.

Usage

Add to DRF settings

# settings.py
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    "DEFAULT_PARSER_CLASSES": [
        "drf_smart_nested_parser.SmartNestedParser",
    ]
}

Or only for a single view

from rest_framework.views import APIView
from drf_smart_nested_parser import SmartNestedParser

class MyView(APIView):
    parser_classes = [SmartNestedParser]

Input and Output

Example for multipart/form-data or application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Form keys with bracket notation ([]) are converted to nested structures:

user[name] = Amir
user[age] = 30
items[0][title] = Book
items[0][price] = 120
items[1][title] = Pen

Output:

{
  "user": {
    "name": "Amir",
    "age": 30
  },
  "items": [
    {"title": "Book", "price": 120},
    {"title": "Pen"}
  ]
}

Note: If a value can be converted to a number, it will be cast to int.

Parser Behavior

• If Content-Type includes application/json, DRF's JSONParser is used.
• If Content-Type includes multipart/form-data, data is parsed and keys are converted to nested structures.
• Otherwise (e.g. application/x-www-form-urlencoded), FormParser is used and the same conversion applies.

Limitations and Notes

• Keys should start with a string root (e.g. items[0] should be used as part of a root like items[0][name] or at least items[0] alongside a textual root). A valid example: items[0][name].
• File values in multipart/form-data are kept in files and are not modified.

Development

Code layout:

• parsers.py: SmartNestedParser implementation
• utils.py: parse_nested_keys helper

License

MIT