=head1 NAME

JavaBin - Apache Solr JavaBin (de)serializer

=begin html

<a href="https://travis-ci.org/JRaspass/JavaBin">
    <img src="https://api.travis-ci.org/JRaspass/JavaBin.svg">
</a>
<a href="https://coveralls.io/r/JRaspass/JavaBin">
    <img src="https://img.shields.io/coveralls/JRaspass/JavaBin.svg">
</a>


=end html

=head1 SYNOPSIS

 use JavaBin;

 my $javabin = to_javabin { foo => 'bar' };

 my $href = from_javabin $javabin;

=head1 DESCRIPTION

JavaBin is a compact binary format used by L<Apache Solr|http://lucene.apache.org/solr>.

For more information on this format see the L<Solr Wiki|http://wiki.apache.org/solr/javabin>.

This package provides a serializer and deserializer for this format.

B<WARNING>: The API of this module is unstable and may change without warning (any change will be appropriately documented in the changelog).

=head1 FUNCTIONS

=head2 from_javabin

 my $result = from_javabin $javabin;

Accepts one argument, a binary string containing the JavaBin.

Returns a scalar representation of the data, be that undef, number, string, or reference.

This function does no error checking, hand it invalid JavaBin and it will probably die.

=head2 to_javabin

 my $javabin = to_javabin $data;

Accepts one argument, a Perl scalar, be that undef, number, string, or reference.

Returns a Perl string containing the binary JavaBin.

This function does no error checking, hand it invalid JavaBin and it will probably die.

=head1 MAPPING

This section describes how JavaBin maps Perl values to JavaBin values and vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics (what you put in comes out as something equivalent).

Runtime errors are avoided with a preference to encoding more exoctic Perl values (think regular expressions, tied values, etc.) to a JavaBin null.

=head2 JavaBin -> Perl

=head3 null

A JavaBin null becomes undef in Perl.

=head3 true, false

JavaBin booleans become L<JavaBin::Bool> objects in Perl which overload to behave like literal C<1> and C<0> respectively.

=head3 byte, short, int, long

JavaBin integers are returned as scalars (with IV set), with the requirement of a 64bit Perl for longs.

=head3 float, double

JavaBin floating point values are returned as scalars (with NV set).

=head3 String

JavaBin Strings are returned as Perl strings with the UTF-8 flag on.

=head3 Date

A JavaBin Date is returned as a string in ISO 8601 format. This will likely change to be a L<JavaBin::Date> object in future to facilitate round-tripping.

=head3 Enum

A JavaBin enum is returned as a L<JavaBin::Enum> object.

=head3 array

A JavaBin array is returned as a Perl array.

=head3 Iterator

A JavaBin Iterator is flattened into a Perl array. This will likely change to be a L<JavaBin::Iterator> object in future to facilitate round-tripping.

=head3 Map, NamedList, SimpleOrderedMap

A JavaBin Map, NamedList, or SimpleOrderedMap is returned as a Perl hash. This is technically wrong all three allow repeating keys but Perl does not, and SimpleOrderedMap, as the name implies, has an order but Perl does not.

This will need to change in the future.

=head2 Perl -> JavaBin

TODO

=head1 INSPIRATION

This package was inspired by the L<Ruby JavaBin library|https://github.com/kennyj/java_bin>.
Both that library and the Java JavaBin library proved very helpful in understanding JavaBin.
