ljharb/qs

Is there an option to prevent value of the same key being populating into an array?

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#259 opened on May 13, 2018

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 (10 comments) (6 reactions) (0 assignees)JavaScript (8,015 stars) (744 forks)batch import
feature requesthelp wantedparse

Description

Hi there,

I'm trying to figure out if qs.parse allow us to update the query key value instead of collecting those as an array from the doc, but I can not find anything about that so I'm asking here.

By default,

qs.parse('?num=1&num=2') === { num: ['1', '2'] };

Instead, I just care about the last value assigned to num in the query. i.e.

qs.parse('?num=1&num=2', { some_option: true }) === { num: '2' };

Is there a some_option to do so?

I'm working on an API and want a consistent way to handle the value. It is annoying to check if the query value is an array for a given key every single time (and it can be an object sometimes)... and at this point I decided to ignore all other value but the latest bound to the key.

But I guess people may also want only the first key value is preserved?! (e.g. that is how StarkOverflow handled their duplicated query key.)

Thanks!

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
api
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
needs maintainer response
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
familiarity with qs libraryJavaScript fundamentals
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
The issue requests a new option for qs.parse() to override duplicate key behavior. To implement, look at the existing options handling in qs/lib/parse.js and how duplicates are currently combined. Consider adding an option like 'duplicateKeys' or 'allowDuplicates'? Or maybe a strategy option. Check existing tests in test/parse.js for similar options. Also review any previous discussion in comments for preferred implementation.