jsonpostgresqlruby-on-rails-4rails-postgresqlpsql

Postgres JSON data type Rails query


I am using Postgres' json data type but want to do a query/ordering with data that is nested within the json.

I want to order or query with .where on the json data type. For example, I want to query for users that have a follower count > 500 or I want to order by follower or following count.

Thanks!

Example:

model User

data: {
     "photos"=>[
       {"type"=>"facebook", "type_id"=>"facebook", "type_name"=>"Facebook", "url"=>"facebook.com"}
      ], 
     "social_profiles"=>[
         {"type"=>"vimeo", "type_id"=>"vimeo", "type_name"=>"Vimeo", "url"=>"http://vimeo.com/", "username"=>"v", "id"=>"1"},
         {"bio"=>"I am not a person, but a series of plants", "followers"=>1500, "following"=>240, "type"=>"twitter", "type_id"=>"twitter", "type_name"=>"Twitter", "url"=>"http://www.twitter.com/", "username"=>"123", "id"=>"123"}
     ]
}

Solution

  • For any who stumbles upon this. I have come up with a list of queries using ActiveRecord and Postgres' JSON data type. Feel free to edit this to make it more clear.

    Documentation to the JSON operators used below: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/functions-json.html.

    # Sort based on the Hstore data:
    Post.order("data->'hello' DESC")
    => #<ActiveRecord::Relation [
        #<Post id: 4, data: {"hi"=>"23", "hello"=>"22"}>, 
        #<Post id: 3, data: {"hi"=>"13", "hello"=>"21"}>, 
        #<Post id: 2, data: {"hi"=>"3", "hello"=>"2"}>, 
        #<Post id: 1, data: {"hi"=>"2", "hello"=>"1"}>]> 
    
    # Where inside a JSON object:
    Record.where("data ->> 'likelihood' = '0.89'")
    
    # Example json object:
    r.column_data
    => {"data1"=>[1, 2, 3], 
        "data2"=>"data2-3", 
        "array"=>[{"hello"=>1}, {"hi"=>2}], 
        "nest"=>{"nest1"=>"yes"}} 
    
    # Nested search:
    Record.where("column_data -> 'nest' ->> 'nest1' = 'yes' ")
    
    # Search within array:
    Record.where("column_data #>> '{data1,1}' = '2' ")
    
    # Search within a value that's an array:
    Record.where("column_data #> '{array,0}' ->> 'hello' = '1' ")
    # this only find for one element of the array. 
    
    # All elements:
    Record.where("column_data ->> 'array' LIKE '%hello%' ") # bad
    Record.where("column_data ->> 'array' LIKE ?", "%hello%") # good