Store maps with enum keys as objects (opt-in)

Maps with enum keys, such as std::map<E, T>, are stored as arrays of
[key, value] pairs, because enums are not convertible to the string type
of object keys - even if NLOHMANN_JSON_SERIALIZE_ENUM maps them to
strings (#4378).

The new JSON_USE_OBJECTS_FOR_ENUM_KEYED_MAPS macro stores them as objects
instead, converting each key with the enum's to_json. It applies to any
map-like type with enum keys (std::map with any comparator,
std::unordered_map, ...). A key that does not convert to a string throws
type_error.302, and two keys converting to the same string throw the new
type_error.318, rather than losing an entry. The macro changes the output
of inline functions, so it is part of the ABI tag (_ekmo).

Reading needs no macro: std::map and std::unordered_map with enum keys
are now also read from objects, converting each key with the enum's
from_json. That input was rejected before, and arrays of pairs are still
read, so data written either way can be read.

This supersedes #4531, which first proposed storing these maps as
objects.

Co-authored-by: Muhammad Amir bin Mohamad Ghazaly <amirghaz@umich.edu>
Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/enum_conversion.md

@@ -43,6 +43,23 @@ json jPi = 3.14;
 assert(jPi.get<TaskState>() == TS_INVALID );
 ```
 
+## Maps with enum keys
+
+By default, maps with enum keys, such as `std::map<TaskState, std::string>`, are stored as arrays of `[key, value]`
+pairs, because JSON object keys must be strings. Define
+[`JSON_USE_OBJECTS_FOR_ENUM_KEYED_MAPS`](../api/macros/json_use_objects_for_enum_keyed_maps.md) before including the
+library to store them as objects, with the keys converted by the enum's `to_json()` function:
+
+```cpp
+std::map<TaskState, std::string> m = {{TS_STOPPED, "aa"}, {TS_COMPLETED, "bb"}};
+
+json j = m;
+// default:                                   [["stopped","aa"],["completed","bb"]]
+// with JSON_USE_OBJECTS_FOR_ENUM_KEYED_MAPS: {"completed":"bb","stopped":"aa"}
+```
+
+Either form can be read back, with or without the macro.
+
 ## Notes
 
 Just as in [Arbitrary Type Conversions](arbitrary_types.md) above,

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/macros.md

@@ -167,6 +167,13 @@ behavior is deprecated and switched off (`0`) by default.
 
 See [full documentation of `JSON_USE_LEGACY_DISCARDED_VALUE_COMPARISON`](../api/macros/json_use_legacy_discarded_value_comparison.md).
 
+## `JSON_USE_OBJECTS_FOR_ENUM_KEYED_MAPS`
+
+When defined to `1`, maps with enum keys (e.g., `std::map<E, T>`) are stored as objects, using the enum's conversion for
+the keys, instead of arrays of `[key, value]` pairs. It is switched off (`0`) by default.
+
+See [full documentation of `JSON_USE_OBJECTS_FOR_ENUM_KEYED_MAPS`](../api/macros/json_use_objects_for_enum_keyed_maps.md).
+
 ## `JSON_USE_SIMDUTF`
 
 When defined, UTF-8 validation of JSON strings read from contiguous byte input is delegated to the

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/namespace.md

@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ The complete default namespace name is derived as follows:
       `_bics`.
     - [`JSON_PRECISE_STREAM_POSITION`](../api/macros/json_precise_stream_position.md) defined non-zero appends `_psp`.
     - [`JSON_STRICT_NUL_HANDLING`](../api/macros/json_strict_nul_handling.md) defined non-zero appends `_snul`.
+    - [`JSON_USE_OBJECTS_FOR_ENUM_KEYED_MAPS`](../api/macros/json_use_objects_for_enum_keyed_maps.md) defined non-zero
+      appends `_ekmo`.
 - The inline namespace ends with the suffix `_v` followed by the 3 components of the version number separated by
   underscores. To omit the version component, see [Disabling the version component](#disabling-the-version-component)
   below.