# JSON server - Useful functionalities

JSON Server offers us a lot more useful functionalities than the ones we discussed in the previous topic. We'll talk you through the most common ones.

# Starting db.json

For our examples we'll use the following db.json. It's nothing more than a database for a to-do application with 3 collections:

lists (our to do list items)
items (our to do items, who belong to a list)
statuses (the status of a to do item)

{
  "lists": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "School",
      "color": "#afdeee",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Home",
      "color": "#eab48d",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    }
  ],
  "items": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "listId": 1,
      "title": "Cisco assignment",
      "description": "Chapter test 2",
      "date": "2021-10-30T22:00:00.000Z",
      "statusId": 1,
      "order": 1
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "listId": 2,
      "title": "Cleaning",
      "description": "The windows need some cleaning",
      "date": "2021-10-26T22:00:00.000Z",
      "statusId": 1,
      "order": 1
    },
    {
      "id": 3,
      "listId": 1,
      "title": "Mobile Development",
      "description": "Deadline to upload project description and team",
      "date": "2021-10-24T22:00:00.000Z",
      "statusId": 1,
      "order": 2
    }
  ],
  "statuses": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "ongoing"
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "done"
    }
  ]
}

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# Sort

Add _sort and _order (ascending order by default) to the url

http://localhost:3000/lists?_sort=id&_order=asc

Returns the to do lists (from the lists collection) ordered by id, asc

  [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "School",
      "color": "#afdeee",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Home",
      "color": "#eab48d",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    }
  ]

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http://localhost:3000/lists?_sort=color&_order=desc

Returns the to do lists (from the lists collection) ordered by color, desc

  [
    {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Home",
      "color": "#eab48d",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    },
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "School",
      "color": "#afdeee",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    }
  ]

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# Filter

Case sensitive!

http://localhost:3000/lists?name=Home

Returns the to do lists with name = Home

[
  {
    "id": 2,
    "name": "Home",
    "color": "#eab48d",
    "textcolor": "#000000"
  }
]

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# Include relational data

Naming conventions

There are naming conventions for the FK and collection: listId & lists, itemId & items, categoryId & categories, ...

# Expand

To include the parent resource, add _expand

http://localhost:3000/items?_expand=list

Returns the to do items and the to do list object within the item

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "listId": 1,
    "title": "Cisco assignment",
    "description": "Chapter test 2",
    "date": "2021-10-30T22:00:00.000Z",
    "statusId": 1,
    "order": 1,
    "list": {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "School",
      "color": "#afdeee",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    }
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "listId": 2,
    "title": "Cleaning",
    "description": "The windows need some cleaning",
    "date": "2021-10-26T22:00:00.000Z",
    "statusId": 1,
    "order": 1,
    "list": {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Home",
      "color": "#eab48d",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    }
  },
  {
    "id": 3,
    "listId": 1,
    "title": "Mobile Development",
    "description": "Deadline to upload project description and team",
    "date": "2021-10-24T22:00:00.000Z",
    "statusId": 1,
    "order": 2,
    "list": {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "School",
      "color": "#afdeee",
      "textcolor": "#000000"
    }
  }
]

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# Embed

To include the children resources, add _embed

http://localhost:3000/lists?_embed=items

Returns the to do lists and include the to do list items objects

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "School",
    "color": "#afdeee",
    "textcolor": "#000000",
    "items": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "listId": 1,
        "title": "Cisco assignment",
        "description": "Chapter test 2",
        "date": "2021-10-30T22:00:00.000Z",
        "statusId": 1,
        "order": 1
      },
      {
        "id": 3,
        "listId": 1,
        "title": "Mobile Development",
        "description": "Deadline to upload project description and team",
        "date": "2021-10-24T22:00:00.000Z",
        "statusId": 1,
        "order": 2
      }
    ]
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "name": "Home",
    "color": "#eab48d",
    "textcolor": "#000000",
    "items": [
      {
        "id": 2,
        "listId": 2,
        "title": "Cleaning",
        "description": "The windows need some cleaning",
        "date": "2021-10-26T22:00:00.000Z",
        "statusId": 1,
        "order": 1
      }
    ]
  }
]

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