README.md

# Babel
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Data transformations made easy.

## Table of Contents

- [Table of Contents](#table-of-contents)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Usage](#usage)
  - [Error Reporting](#error-reporting)
- [Contributing](#contributing)

## Installation

Simply add `babel` to your list of dependencies in your `mix.exs`:

```elixir
def deps do
  [
    {:babel, "~> 1.0"}
  ]
end
```

Differences between the versions are explained in [the Changelog](./CHANGELOG.md).

Documentation gets generated with [ExDoc](https://github.com/elixir-lang/ex_doc) and can be viewed at [HexDocs][hexdocs].

## Usage

`Babel` was born out of a desire to simplify non-trivial data transformation pipelines.
To focus on the "happy path" instead of having to write a bunch of boilerplate error handling code.

But don't listen to me, take a look for yourself:

```elixir
pipeline =
  Babel.begin()
  |> Babel.fetch(["some", "nested", "path"])
  |> Babel.map(Babel.into(%{atom_key: Babel.fetch("string-key")}))

data = %{
  "some" => %{
    "nested" => %{
      "path" => [
        %{"string-key" => :value2},
        %{"string-key" => :value2},
        %{"string-key" => :value2}
      ]
    }
  }
}

Babel.apply(pipeline, data)
=> {:ok, [
   %{atom_key: :value1},
   %{atom_key: :value2},
   %{atom_key: :value3}
]}
```

### Error Reporting

Since you'll most likely build non-trivial transformation pipelines with `Babel` - which can fail at any given step - `Babel` ships with elaborate error reporting:

```elixir
pipeline =
  Babel.begin()
  |> Babel.fetch(["some", "nested", "path"])
  |> Babel.map(Babel.into(%{atom_key: Babel.fetch("string-key")}))

data = %{
  "some" => %{
    "nested" => %{
      "path" => [
        %{"unexpected-key" => :value1},
        %{"unexpected-key" => :value2},
        %{"unexpected-key" => :value3}
      ]
    }
  }
}

Babel.apply!(pipeline, data)
```

Which will produce the following error:

```
** (Babel.Error) Failed to transform data: [not_found: "string-key", not_found: "string-key", not_found: "string-key"]

Root Cause(s):
1. Babel.Trace<ERROR>{
  data = %{"unexpected-key" => :value1}

  Babel.fetch("string-key")
  |=> {:error, {:not_found, "string-key"}}
}
2. Babel.Trace<ERROR>{
  data = %{"unexpected-key" => :value2}

  Babel.fetch("string-key")
  |=> {:error, {:not_found, "string-key"}}
}
3. Babel.Trace<ERROR>{
  data = %{"unexpected-key" => :value3}

  Babel.fetch("string-key")
  |=> {:error, {:not_found, "string-key"}}
}

Full Trace:
Babel.Trace<ERROR>{
  data = %{"some" => %{"nested" => %{"path" => [%{"unexpected-key" => :value1}, %{"unexpected-key" => :value2}, %{"unexpected-key" => :value3}]}}}

  Babel.Pipeline<>
  |
  | Babel.fetch(["some", "nested", "path"])
  | |=< %{"some" => %{"nested" => %{"path" => [%{"unexpected-key" => :value1}, %{...}, ...]}}}
  | |=> [%{"unexpected-key" => :value1}, %{"unexpected-key" => :value2}, %{"unexpected-key" => :value3}]
  |
  | Babel.map(Babel.into(%{atom_key: Babel.fetch("string-key")}))
  | |=< [%{"unexpected-key" => :value1}, %{"unexpected-key" => :value2}, %{"unexpected-key" => :value3}]
  | |
  | | Babel.into(%{atom_key: Babel.fetch("string-key")})
  | | |=< %{"unexpected-key" => :value1}
  | | |
  | | | Babel.fetch("string-key")
  | | | |=< %{"unexpected-key" => :value1}
  | | | |=> {:error, {:not_found, "string-key"}}
  | | |
  | | |=> {:error, [not_found: "string-key"]}
  | |
  | | Babel.into(%{atom_key: Babel.fetch("string-key")})
  | | |=< %{"unexpected-key" => :value2}
  | | |
  | | | Babel.fetch("string-key")
  | | | |=< %{"unexpected-key" => :value2}
  | | | |=> {:error, {:not_found, "string-key"}}
  | | |
  | | |=> {:error, [not_found: "string-key"]}
  | |
  | | Babel.into(%{atom_key: Babel.fetch("string-key")})
  | | |=< %{"unexpected-key" => :value3}
  | | |
  | | | Babel.fetch("string-key")
  | | | |=< %{"unexpected-key" => :value3}
  | | | |=> {:error, {:not_found, "string-key"}}
  | | |
  | | |=> {:error, [not_found: "string-key"]}
  | |
  | |=> {:error, [not_found: "string-key", not_found: "string-key", not_found: "string-key"]}
  |
  |=> {:error, [not_found: "string-key", not_found: "string-key", not_found: "string-key"]}
}
```

`Babel` achieves this by keeping track of all applied steps in a `Babel.Trace` struct.
Rendering of a `Babel.Trace` is done through a custom `Inspect` implementation.

You have to this information everywhere: in the `Babel.Error` message, in `iex`, and whenever you `inspect` a `Babel.Error` or `Babel.Trace`.

## Contributing

Contributions are always welcome but please read [our contribution guidelines](./CONTRIBUTING.md) before doing so.

[hex]: https://hex.pm/packages/babel
[hexdocs]: https://hexdocs.pm/babel