protocolbuffers / protocolbuffers/protobuf-javascript

Need to better document that toObject() is *not* proto3 JSON

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documentation enhancement javascript json triaged
Dominant language
JavaScript
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

proto3 JSON mapping specifies special output for some well known types (e.g. Timestamp, Duration). However, the generated _pb.js files for these types treats them as regular protobufs.

Repro code:

var tspb = require('google-protobuf/google/protobuf/timestamp_pb.js');
var t = new tspb.Timestamp();
console.log(t.toObject());

Expected output:
0001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Observed output:
{ seconds: 0, nanos: 0 }

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  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the proto3 JSON mapping linked in the issue and the generated google-protobuf/google/protobuf/timestamp_pb.js behavior shown by the reproduction. Clarify in the documentation that toObject() returns the regular protobuf object for well-known types rather than proto3 JSON, and verify the wording against the provided Timestamp example.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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