[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #60950: JSON serialization for meta values

[WordPress Trac]

#60950: JSON serialization for meta values
--------------------------------+------------------------------
 Reporter:  inf3rno             |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  feature request     |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal              |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Options, Meta APIs  |     Version:
 Severity:  normal              |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  reporter-feedback   |     Focuses:  performance
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Comment (by inf3rno):

 @johnbillion

 I don't think I am the best person to decide about API changes or
 implementation, but ok.

 Well it is a general concept, you can use any time you have multiple meta
 keys to group them and reduce database bloating. Currently I am not
 working on a project, but it is not a rare situation to have a single
 query with multiple meta keys. In all of those cases the keys could be
 grouped into a single JSON instead of storing them separately.

 E.g. a delivery post type which contains an address and we query the city
 and the street, maybe we are in the delivery truck and we need addresses
 close to our location to plan our route.

 Afaik. with the current API the meta query looks like this:

 {{{#!php
 <?php
 $arg['meta_query'] = [
     'relation' => 'AND',
     [
         'key' => 'city',
         'value' => 'New York',
         'compare' => '='
     ],
     [
         'key' => 'street',
         'value' => 'Broadway',
         'compare' => '='
     ]
 ];
 }}}


 Storage:

 {{{
  meta_key       | meta_value
  address_city   | s:8:"New York";
  address_street | s:8:"Broadway";
  address_number | s:3:"128";,
  package_id     | s:3:"345";
 }}}

 With the JSON API we can use nested keys and reduce the number of meta
 keys:

 {{{#!php
 <?php
 $arg['meta_query'] = [
     'relation' => 'AND',
     [
         'key' => ['address','city'],
         'value' => 'New York',
         'compare' => '='
     ],
     [
         'key' => ['address','street'],
         'value' => 'Broadway',
         'compare' => '='
     ]
 ];
 }}}

 Storage:
 {{{
  meta_key   | meta_format | meta_value
  address    | JSON        | {"city": "New York", "street": "Broadway",
 "number": 128}
  package_id | PHP         | s:3:"345";
 }}}

 I guess it could be solved this way.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/60950#comment:6>
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