Swift 4 JSON Decodable simplest way to decode type change

Using Swift 5.1, you may choose one of the three following ways in order to solve your problem.

---

#1. Using Decodable init(from:) initializer

Use this strategy when you need to convert from String to Float for a single struct, enum or class.

import Foundation

struct ExampleJson: Decodable {

    var name: String
    var age: Int
    var taxRate: Float

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case name, age, taxRate = "tax_rate"
    }

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.container(keyedBy: CodingKeys.self)

        name = try container.decode(String.self, forKey: CodingKeys.name)
        age = try container.decode(Int.self, forKey: CodingKeys.age)
        let taxRateString = try container.decode(String.self, forKey: CodingKeys.taxRate)
        guard let taxRateFloat = Float(taxRateString) else {
            let context = DecodingError.Context(codingPath: container.codingPath + [CodingKeys.taxRate], debugDescription: "Could not parse json key to a Float object")
            throw DecodingError.dataCorrupted(context)
        }
        taxRate = taxRateFloat
    }

}

Usage:

import Foundation

let jsonString = """
{
  "name": "Bob",
  "age": 25,
  "tax_rate": "4.25"
}
"""

let data = jsonString.data(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
let decoder = JSONDecoder()
let exampleJson = try! decoder.decode(ExampleJson.self, from: data)
dump(exampleJson)
/*
 prints:
 ▿ __lldb_expr_126.ExampleJson
   - name: "Bob"
   - age: 25
   - taxRate: 4.25
 */

---

#2. Using an intermediate model

Use this strategy when you have many nested keys in your JSON or when you need to convert many keys (e.g. from String to Float) from your JSON.

import Foundation

fileprivate struct PrivateExampleJson: Decodable {

    var name: String
    var age: Int
    var taxRate: String

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case name, age, taxRate = "tax_rate"
    }

}

struct ExampleJson: Decodable {

    var name: String
    var age: Int
    var taxRate: Float

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let privateExampleJson = try PrivateExampleJson(from: decoder)

        name = privateExampleJson.name
        age = privateExampleJson.age
        guard let convertedTaxRate = Float(privateExampleJson.taxRate) else {
            let context = DecodingError.Context(codingPath: [], debugDescription: "Could not parse json key to a Float object")
            throw DecodingError.dataCorrupted(context)
        }
        taxRate = convertedTaxRate
    }

}

Usage:

import Foundation

let jsonString = """
{
  "name": "Bob",
  "age": 25,
  "tax_rate": "4.25"
}
"""

let data = jsonString.data(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
let decoder = JSONDecoder()
let exampleJson = try! decoder.decode(ExampleJson.self, from: data)
dump(exampleJson)
/*
 prints:
 ▿ __lldb_expr_126.ExampleJson
   - name: "Bob"
   - age: 25
   - taxRate: 4.25
 */

---

#3. Using a KeyedDecodingContainer extension method

Use this strategy when converting from some JSON keys’ types to your model’s property types (e.g. String to Float) is a common pattern in your application.

import Foundation

extension KeyedDecodingContainer  {

    func decode(_ type: Float.Type, forKey key: Key) throws -> Float {
        if let stringValue = try? self.decode(String.self, forKey: key) {
            guard let floatValue = Float(stringValue) else {
                let context = DecodingError.Context(codingPath: codingPath, debugDescription: "Could not parse json key to a Float object")
                throw DecodingError.dataCorrupted(context)
            }
            return floatValue
        } else {
            let doubleValue = try self.decode(Double.self, forKey: key)
            return Float(doubleValue)
        }
    }

}

struct ExampleJson: Decodable {

    var name: String
    var age: Int
    var taxRate: Float

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case name, age, taxRate = "tax_rate"
    }

}

Usage:

import Foundation

let jsonString = """
{
    "name": "Bob",
    "age": 25,
    "tax_rate": "4.25"
}
"""

let data = jsonString.data(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
let decoder = JSONDecoder()
let exampleJson = try! decoder.decode(ExampleJson.self, from: data)
dump(exampleJson)
/*
 prints:
 ▿ __lldb_expr_126.ExampleJson
 - name: "Bob"
 - age: 25
 - taxRate: 4.25
 */