Codable enum with default case in Swift 4

Question

You can extend your Codable Type and assign a default value in case of failure:

enum Type: String {
    case text,
         image,
         document,
         profile,
         sign,
         inputDate = "input_date",
         inputText = "input_text" ,
         inputNumber = "input_number",
         inputOption = "input_option",
         unknown
}
extension Type: Codable {
    public init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        self = try Type(rawValue: decoder.singleValueContainer().decode(RawValue.self)) ?? .unknown
    }
}

---

edit/update:

Xcode 11.2 • Swift 5.1 or later

Create a protocol that defaults to last case of a CaseIterable & Decodable enumeration:

protocol CaseIterableDefaultsLast: Decodable & CaseIterable & RawRepresentable
where RawValue: Decodable, AllCases: BidirectionalCollection { }

extension CaseIterableDefaultsLast {
    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        self = try Self(rawValue: decoder.singleValueContainer().decode(RawValue.self)) ?? Self.allCases.last!
    }
}

---

Playground testing:

enum Type: String, CaseIterableDefaultsLast {
    case text, image, document, profile, sign, inputDate = "input_date", inputText = "input_text" , inputNumber = "input_number", inputOption = "input_option", unknown
}

---

let types = try! JSONDecoder().decode([Type].self , from: Data(#"["text","image","sound"]"#.utf8))  // [text, image, unknown]

You can drop the raw type for your Type and make unknown case that handles associated value. But this comes at a cost. You somehow need the raw values for your cases. Inspired from this and this SO answers I came up with this elegant solution to your problem.

To be able to store the raw values, we will maintain another enum, but as private:

enum Type {
    case text
    case image
    case document
    case profile
    case sign
    case inputDate
    case inputText
    case inputNumber
    case inputOption
    case unknown(String)

    // Make this private
    private enum RawValues: String, Codable {
        case text = "text"
        case image = "image"
        case document = "document"
        case profile = "profile"
        case sign = "sign"
        case inputDate = "input_date"
        case inputText = "input_text"
        case inputNumber = "input_number"
        case inputOption = "input_option"
        // No such case here for the unknowns
    }
}

Move the encoding & decoding part to extensions:

Decodable part:

extension Type: Decodable {
    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.singleValueContainer()
        // As you already know your RawValues is String actually, you decode String here
        let stringForRawValues = try container.decode(String.self) 
        // This is the trick here...
        switch stringForRawValues { 
        // Now You can switch over this String with cases from RawValues since it is String
        case RawValues.text.rawValue:
            self = .text
        case RawValues.image.rawValue:
            self = .image
        case RawValues.document.rawValue:
            self = .document
        case RawValues.profile.rawValue:
            self = .profile
        case RawValues.sign.rawValue:
            self = .sign
        case RawValues.inputDate.rawValue:
            self = .inputDate
        case RawValues.inputText.rawValue:
            self = .inputText
        case RawValues.inputNumber.rawValue:
            self = .inputNumber
        case RawValues.inputOption.rawValue:
            self = .inputOption

        // Now handle all unknown types. You just pass the String to Type's unknown case. 
        // And this is true for every other unknowns that aren't defined in your RawValues
        default: 
            self = .unknown(stringForRawValues)
        }
    }
}

Encodable part:

extension Type: Encodable {
    func encode(to encoder: Encoder) throws {
        var container = encoder.singleValueContainer()
        switch self {
        case .text:
            try container.encode(RawValues.text)
        case .image:
            try container.encode(RawValues.image)
        case .document:
            try container.encode(RawValues.document)
        case .profile:
            try container.encode(RawValues.profile)
        case .sign:
            try container.encode(RawValues.sign)
        case .inputDate:
            try container.encode(RawValues.inputDate)
        case .inputText:
            try container.encode(RawValues.inputText)
        case .inputNumber:
            try container.encode(RawValues.inputNumber)
        case .inputOption:
            try container.encode(RawValues.inputOption)

        case .unknown(let string): 
            // You get the actual String here from the associated value and just encode it
            try container.encode(string)
        }
    }
}

Examples:

I just wrapped it in a container structure(because we'll be using JSONEncoder/JSONDecoder) as:

struct Root: Codable {
    let type: Type
}

For values other than unknown case:

let rootObject = Root(type: Type.document)
do {
    let encodedRoot = try JSONEncoder().encode(rootObject)
    do {
        let decodedRoot = try JSONDecoder().decode(Root.self, from: encodedRoot)
        print(decodedRoot.type) // document
    } catch {
        print(error)
    }
} catch {
    print(error)
}

For values with unknown case:

let rootObject = Root(type: Type.unknown("new type"))
do {
    let encodedRoot = try JSONEncoder().encode(rootObject)
    do {
        let decodedRoot = try JSONDecoder().decode(Root.self, from: encodedRoot)
        print(decodedRoot.type) // unknown("new type")
    } catch {
        print(error)
    }
} catch {
    print(error)
}

I put the example with local objects. You can try with your REST API response.

enum Type: String, Codable, Equatable {
    case image
    case document
    case unknown

    public init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        guard let rawValue = try? decoder.singleValueContainer().decode(String.self) else {
            self = .unknown
            return
        }
        self = Type(rawValue: rawValue) ?? .unknown
    }
}

Here's an alternative based on nayem's answer that offers a slightly more streamlined syntax by using optional binding of the inner RawValues initialization:

enum MyEnum: Codable {

    case a, b, c
    case other(name: String)

    private enum RawValue: String, Codable {

        case a = "a"
        case b = "b"
        case c = "c"
    }

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.singleValueContainer()
        let decodedString = try container.decode(String.self)

        if let value = RawValue(rawValue: decodedString) {
            switch value {
            case .a:
                self = .a
            case .b:
                self = .b
            case .c:
                self = .c
            }
        } else {
            self = .other(name: decodedString)
        }
    }

    func encode(to encoder: Encoder) throws {
        var container = encoder.singleValueContainer()

        switch self {
        case .a:
            try container.encode(RawValue.a)
        case .b:
            try container.encode(RawValue.b)
        case .c:
            try container.encode(RawValue.c)
        case .other(let name):
            try container.encode(name)
        }
    }
}

If you are certain that all your existing enum case names match the underlying string values they represent, you could streamline RawValue to:

private enum RawValue: String, Codable {

    case a, b, c
}

...and encode(to:) to:

func encode(to encoder: Encoder) throws {
    var container = encoder.singleValueContainer()

    if let rawValue = RawValue(rawValue: String(describing: self)) {
        try container.encode(rawValue)
    } else if case .other(let name) = self {
        try container.encode(name)
    }
}

Here's a practical example of using this, e.g., you want to model SomeValue that has a property you want to model as an enum:

struct SomeValue: Codable {

    enum MyEnum: Codable {

        case a, b, c
        case other(name: String)

        private enum RawValue: String, Codable {

            case a = "a"
            case b = "b"
            case c = "letter_c"
        }

        init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
            let container = try decoder.singleValueContainer()
            let decodedString = try container.decode(String.self)

            if let value = RawValue(rawValue: decodedString) {
                switch value {
                case .a:
                    self = .a
                case .b:
                    self = .b
                case .c:
                    self = .c
                }
            } else {
                self = .other(name: decodedString)
            }
        }

        func encode(to encoder: Encoder) throws {
            var container = encoder.singleValueContainer()

            switch self {
            case .a:
                try container.encode(RawValue.a)
            case .b:
                try container.encode(RawValue.b)
            case .c:
                try container.encode(RawValue.c)
            case .other(let name):
                try container.encode(name)
            }
        }
    }

}

let jsonData = """
[
    { "value": "a" },
    { "value": "letter_c" },
    { "value": "c" },
    { "value": "Other value" }
]
""".data(using: .utf8)!

let decoder = JSONDecoder()

if let values = try? decoder.decode([SomeValue].self, from: jsonData) {
    values.forEach { print($0.value) }

    let encoder = JSONEncoder()

    if let encodedJson = try? encoder.encode(values) {
        print(String(data: encodedJson, encoding: .utf8)!)
    }
}


/* Prints:
 a
 c
 other(name: "c")
 other(name: "Other value")
 [{"value":"a"},{"value":"letter_c"},{"value":"c"},{"value":"Other value"}]
 */

You have to implement the init(from decoder: Decoder) throws initializer and check for a valid value:

struct SomeStruct: Codable {

    enum SomeType: String, Codable {
        case text
        case image
        case document
        case profile
        case sign
        case inputDate = "input_date"
        case inputText = "input_text"
        case inputNumber = "input_number"
        case inputOption = "input_option"

        case unknown
    }

    var someType: SomeType

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let values = try decoder.container(keyedBy: CodingKeys.self)
        someType = (try? values.decode(SomeType.self, forKey: .someType)) ?? .unknown
    }

}