Custom Scalars

You can extend your schema with your own custom scalars. Conceptually, a scalar must implement the following operations:

  • Serialization: Transforms a scalar from its server-side representation to a representation suitable for the client.

  • Value Parsing: Transforms a scalar from its client-side representation as a variable to its server-side representation.

  • Literal Parsing: Transforms a scalar from its client-side representation as an argument to its server-side representation.

Parsing for arguments and variables are handled separately because while arguments must always be expressed in GraphQL query syntax, variable format is transport-specific (usually JSON). You can find more information about these methods here.

You may wish to read more about how scalars work at the following links:

Vector3 sample with string parsing and serialization

The following example shows how to create a custom scalar in GraphQL.NET. You will create a 3D Vector which will be exchanged between server and client as a comma-separated string (ex. "34, 61, 12"). The example assumes the GraphQL schema is implemented in an ASP.NET Core project using the Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection package, though only minor modifications would be required for other project types.

Assume the following schema

scalar Vector3

schema {
    query: {
        getVector: Vector3!
    }
    mutation: {
        addVector(vector3: Vector3!): Vector3
    }
}

The goal is to execute mutations with both arguments:

mutation {
    addVector(vector3: "23,43,66")
}

and also variables:

mutation AddVector($vector3: Vector3!) {
    addVector(vector3: $vector3)
}

//variables
{
    "vector3": "23,43,66"
}

Vectors should be returned in the same format:

{
    "data": {
        "getVector": "23,43,66"
    }
}

1. Create the class/struct for the server-side representation.

This is not necessary if you intend to use already existing classes (string, int, etc.) for the server-side representation.

public struct Vector3
{
    public Vector3(float x, float y, float z)
    {
        X = x;
        Y = y;
        Z = z;
    }

    public float X { get; set; }
    public float Y { get; set; }
    public float Z { get; set; }       
}

2. Create a graph type for the scalar by inheriting ScalarGraphType.

using GraphQL;
using GraphQL.Types;
using GraphQLParser.AST;

public class Vector3Type : ScalarGraphType
{
    public Vector3Type()
    {
        Name = "Vector3";
    }

    public override object? ParseLiteral(GraphQLValue value)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }

    public override object? ParseValue(object? value)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }

    public override object? Serialize(object? value)
    {
        throw new NotImplementedException();
    }
}

3. Register the graph type with the DI container.

// In Startup.cs

public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    services.AddSingleton<Vector3Type>();

    // Other schema registrations...
}

4. Prepare to accept Vector3 inputs from query arguments. Implement ScalarGraphType.ParseLiteral.

Keep in mind that AST parsing may present values as any of the following types:

  • GraphQLIntValue - integer values
  • GraphQLFloatValue - floating-point values that can be represented within a double
  • GraphQLStringValue - string values
  • GraphQLEnumValue - enumeration values
  • GraphQLBooleanValue - boolean values - true and false
  • GraphQLNullValue - representing null - must be handled by all scalars
  • GraphQLObjectValue - complex values with nested levels
  • GraphQLListValue - lists of values

If your custom scalar accepts floating-point values, you must be sure to handle GraphQLIntValue as well, since queries like { field(arg: 3) } is parsed as an GraphQLIntValue even though it is also a valid floating-point number.

In the sample below, only GraphQLNullValue and GraphQLStringValue need to be handled.

For any type that is not handled, or when the value cannot be parsed, you must throw an exception. ThrowLiteralConversionError is provided as a convenient method to facilitate throwing an exception when the type does not match.

//in Vector3Type

public override object? ParseLiteral(GraphQLValue value)
{
    if (value is GraphQLNullValue)
        return null;

    if (value is GraphQLStringValue stringValue)
        return ParseValue((string)stringValue.Value);

    return ThrowLiteralConversionError(value);
}

Once the raw string is extracted from the value node, normal parsing can proceed.

5. Prepare to accept Vector3 inputs from query variables. Implement ScalarGraphType.ParseValue.

Similar to ParseLiteral, you must keep in mind the expected format of values that are likely to be presented to this method. For instance, if you are using a JSON deserializer, you may be presented with values of any of these types (or more, depending on your deserializer configuration):

  • int
  • long
  • ulong
  • BigInteger
  • double
  • decimal
  • string
  • null - must be handled by all scalars

On top of that, if you are calling this method from ParseLiteral, you must handle the types passed from it. So if your scalar needs to handle floating-point values, you likely need to handle int, long, ulong, BigInteger, double and decimal types.

For any type that is not handled, or when the value cannot be parsed, you must throw an exception. ThrowValueConversionError is provided as a convenient method to facilitate throwing an exception when the type does not match.

In the sample below, only null and string types need to be handled.

// In Vector3Type

public override object? ParseValue(object? value)
{
    if (value == null)
        return null;

    if (value is string vector3InputString)
    {
        try
        {
            var vector3Parts = vector3InputString.Split(',');
            var x = float.Parse(vector3Parts[0]);
            var y = float.Parse(vector3Parts[1]);
            var z = float.Parse(vector3Parts[2]);
            return new Vector3(x, y, z);
        }
        catch
        {
            throw new FormatException($"Failed to parse {nameof(Vector3)} from input '{vector3InputString}'. Input should be a string of three comma-separated floats in X Y Z order, ex. 1.0,2.0,3.0");
        }
    }

    return ThrowValueConversionError(value);
}

6. Implement ScalarGraphType.Serialize so Vector3 instances can be sent to the client.

Keep in mind that a null value also required to be handled.

It is recommended that the type of data this method returns match the same type as is handled within ParseValue. In this case, serialization of Vector3 is serialized as a string, which matches the expected data type within ParseValue.

// In Vector3Type

public override object? Serialize(object? value)
{
    if (value == null)
        return null;

    if (value is Vector3 vector3)
    {
        return $"{vector3.X},{vector3.Y},{vector3.Z}";
    }

    return ThrowSerializationError(value);
}

7. Override ScalarGraphType.ToAST if necessary.

The infrastructure converts default field values to AST representations during initialization in order to verify that the default values are valid within an AST tree. The default implementation calls Serialize to convert the value to its client-side equivalent, then embeds it into an appropriate AST node based on the data type returned from Serialize. It is likely you will only need to override this method if you are creating a custom scalar that returns enumeration values, or if you are returning structured data.

8. Code-first: Register the .NET type mapping with the schema (optional).

In order to allow simple field mappings like Field(x => x.Vector), you need to register the custom scalar within the schema so that the proper graph type can be selected for the field. Call RegisterTypeMapping with the CLR data model type and the graph type you want it mapped to.

public class MySchema
{
    public MySchema()
    {
        ...

        this.RegisterTypeMapping<Vector3, Vector3Type>();
    }
}

This is not necessary if you use the alternate Field<T> syntax which specifies the graph type to be used for the field, or if your scalar data type is marked with the [InputType] and/or [OutputType] attributes.

In this example, you created a custom scalar. In summary:

  • Create (if necessary) a data class/struct for the server-side representation of the scalar
  • Implement a ScalarGraphType which handles variable parsing, literal parsing, and serialization
  • Register the ScalarGraphType within the DI container

You can also choose to override CanParseLiteral, CanParseValue or IsValidDefault for enhanced performance. The default implementations call ParseLiteral, ParseValue and ToAST respectively, returning false if an exception is caught, or true otherwise. If you do choose to implement these methods, note that those methods must not throw an exception, and that they are not always called when executing a document.

Vector3 sample with combined string/structured parsing and serialization

Keep in mind that the serialized value returned by custom scalar can be anything that the environment allows. For example it can be a structured object, rather than a simple value.

So to extend our sample, let's assume that we want the Vector3 scalar to instead accept and return data in a more structured format, in addition to supporting the string format for literals.

Here is a sample of a variable supporting a more structured format:

mutation AddVector($vector3: Vector3!) {
    addVector(vector3: $vector3)
}

//variables
{
    "vector3": {
        "x":"23",
        "y":"43",
        "z":"66"
    }
}

And a sample of a response with a vector in a more structured format:

{
    "data": {
        "getVector": {
            "x":"23",
            "y":"43",
            "z":"66"
        }
    }
}

1. Change ParseLiteral to accept strings or structured data:

// In Vector3Type

public override object? ParseLiteral(GraphQLValue value)
{
    if (value is GraphQLNullValue)
        return null;

    if (value is GraphQLStringValue stringValue)
        return ParseValue((string)stringValue.Value);

    if (value is GraphQLObjectValue objectValue)
    {
        var entries = objectValue.Fields.ToDictionary(x => x.Name.Value, x => _floatScalar.ParseLiteral(x.Value));
        if (entries.Count != 3)
            return ThrowLiteralConversionError(value);
        var x = (double)entries["x"];
        var y = (double)entries["y"];
        var z = (double)entries["z"];
        return new Vector3((float)x, (float)y, (float)z);
    }

    return ThrowLiteralConversionError(value);
}

2. Change ParseValue to accept strings or structured data:

// In Vector3Type

public override object? ParseValue(object? value)
{
    if (value == null)
        return null;

    if (value is string vector3InputString)
    {
        try
        {
            var vector3Parts = vector3InputString.Split(',');
            var x = float.Parse(vector3Parts[0]);
            var y = float.Parse(vector3Parts[1]);
            var z = float.Parse(vector3Parts[2]);
            return new Vector3(x, y, z);
        }
        catch
        {
            throw new FormatException($"Failed to parse {nameof(Vector3)} from input '{vector3InputString}'. Input should be a string of three comma-separated floats in X Y Z order, ex. 1.0,2.0,3.0");
        }
    }

    if (value is IDictionary<string, object> dictionary)
    {
        try
        {
            var x = Convert.ToSingle(dictionary["x"]);
            var y = Convert.ToSingle(dictionary["y"]);
            var z = Convert.ToSingle(dictionary["z"]);
            if (dictionary.Count > 3)
                return ThrowValueConversionError(value);
            return new Vector3(x, y, z);
        }
        catch
        {
            throw new FormatException($"Failed to parse {nameof(Vector3)} from object. Input should be an object of three floats named X Y and Z");
        }
    }

    return ThrowValueConversionError(value);
}

3. Change Serialize to return structured data.

// In Vector3Type

public override object? Serialize(object? value)
{
    if (value == null)
        return null;

    if (value is Vector3 vector3)
    {
        return new
        {
            x = vector3.X,
            y = vector3.Y,
            z = vector3.Z
        };
    }

    return ThrowSerializationError(value);
}

4. Change ToAST to return an AST literal that represents the data.

Since Serialize no longer returns a type that can be converted to an AST node, it is necessary to override this method.

// In Vector3Type

public override GraphQLValue ToAST(object? value)
{
    if (value == null)
        return new GraphQLNullValue();

    if (value is Vector3 vector3)
    {
        return new GraphQLObjectValue
        {
            Fields = new List<GraphQLObjectField>
            {
                new GraphQLObjectField
                {
                    Name = new GraphQLName("x"),
                    Value = new GraphQLFloatValue(vector3.X))
                },
                new GraphQLObjectField
                {
                    Name = new GraphQLName("y"),
                    Value = new GraphQLFloatValue(vector3.Y))
                },
                new GraphQLObjectField
                {
                    Name = new GraphQLName("z"),
                    Value = new GraphQLFloatValue(vector3.Z))
                }
            }
        };
    }

    return ThrowASTConversionError(value);
}

With these changes, a literal or variable can be parsed as a string or as a structured object, and is always returned as a structured object.

ValueConverter

When GetArgument<T> is called, the argument value is coerced to the requested type via the ValueConverter. No conversion takes place when the requested type matches the type of the object or scalar (the type returned from ParseLiteral or ParseValue). But you can also use the value converter to assist with input deserialization.

For instance, you may be using IdGraphType within your schema as unique identifiers for your data objects. Pursuant to the GraphQL specification, these identifiers may be passed as strings such as in the below example:

{
    widget (id: "3") {
        name
    }
}

However, your code may use integer identifiers in the data access layer. So when you call context.GetArgument<int>("id"), GraphQL.NET calls the value converter to convert the string to an integer.

The value converter can be extended globally by calling the static method Register as follows:

ValueConverter.Register<Vector3, string>(v => $"{v.X},{v.Y},{v.Z}");

The above method registers a conversion from the Vector3 struct to a string. Since the registration is static, it should only be done once per application lifetime. For instance, in a static constructor of your schema.

public class MySchema : Schema
{
    static MySchema()
    {
        ValueConverter.Register<Vector3, string>(v => $"{v.X},{v.Y},{v.Z}");
    }

    ...
}

Null values

Custom scalars process and handle null values during serialization and deserialization. For instance, let's say you have a database where database ID values of 0 should be represented as GraphQL 'null' values. You could of course write code within the field resolver to translate the values, or you may utilize a custom scalar to translate the values for you. The below example of a custom scalar does this and also rejects external values that are not strings containing integers, and rejects 0 or negative values:

public class DbIdGraphType : ScalarGraphType
{
    public DbIdGraphType()
    {
        Name = "DbId";
    }

    public override object? ParseLiteral(GraphQLValue value) => value switch
    {
        GraphQLStringValue s => int.TryParse(s.Value, out int i) && i > 0 ? i : throw new FormatException($"'{s.Value}' is not a valid identifier."),
        GraphQLNullValue _ => 0,
        _ => ThrowLiteralConversionError(value)
    };

    public override object? ParseValue(object? value) => value switch
    {
        string s => int.TryParse(s, out int i) && i > 0 ? i : throw new FormatException($"'{s}' is not a valid identifier."),
        null => 0,
        _ => ThrowValueConversionError(value)
    };

    public override object? Serialize(object? value) => value switch
    {
        int i => i > 0 ? i.ToString() : i == 0 ? null : ThrowSerializationError(value),
        _ => ThrowSerializationError(value)
    };
}

Replacing built-in scalar types

In some cases you may want or need to replace the functionality of the built-in graph types. This can be accomplished by registering a replacement scalar before the schema has been initialized. Keep in mind that replacing a built-in type may affect the operation of introspection queries.

In order to replace a built-in scalar graph type, the new scalar graph type must:

  1. inherit from the scalar graph type it is replacing; and
  2. have the Name property set to the name of the built-in graph type.

You may then override any of the members to provide custom implementations. Note that most of the built-in scalars override CanParseLiteral, so it may be necessary to override that method if you override ParseLiteral. Check the source code for the built-in scalar type you are overriding for further reference.

Below is a sample of how to replace the built-in BooleanGraphType so it will accept 0 and non-zero values to represent false and true.

1. Create a new scalar graph type MyBooleanGraphType

Inherit from BooleanGraphType and set the name to be Boolean.

public class MyBooleanGraphType : BooleanGraphType
{
    public MyBooleanGraphType()
    {
        Name = "Boolean";
    }
}

2. Override the methods as necessary

In this case we must override all of them except Serialize and IsValidDefault.

public class MyBooleanGraphType : BooleanGraphType
{
    public MyBooleanGraphType()
    {
        Name = "Boolean";
    }

    public override object? ParseLiteral(GraphQLValue value) => value switch
    {
        GraphQLBooleanValue b => b.BoolValue,
        GraphQLIntValue i => ParseValue(ParseDoubleAccordingSpec(i)),
        GraphQLFloatValue f => ParseValue(ParseDoubleAccordingSpec(f)),
        GraphQLStringValue s => ParseValue((string)s.Value),
        GraphQLNullValue _ => null,
        _ => ThrowLiteralConversionError(value)
    }

    public override bool CanParseLiteral(GraphQLValue value)
    {
        try
        {
            _ = ParseLiteral(value);
            return true;
        }
        catch
        {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public override object? ParseValue(object? value) => value switch
    {
        bool _ => value,
        byte b => b != 0,
        sbyte sb => sb != 0,
        short s => s != 0,
        ushort us => us != 0,
        int i => i != 0,
        uint ui => ui != 0,
        long l => l != 0,
        ulong ul => ul != 0,
        BigInteger bi => bi != 0,
        float f => f != 0,
        double d => d != 0,
        decimal d => d != 0,
        string s => bool.Parse(s),
        null => null,
        _ => ThrowValueConversionError(value)
    }

    public override bool CanParseValue(object? value)
    {
        try
        {
            _ = ParseValue(value);
            return true;
        }
        catch
        {
            return false;
        }
    }

    public override GraphQLValue ToAST(object? value) => Serialize(value) switch
    {
        bool b => new GraphQLBooleanValue(b),
        null => new GraphQLNullValue(),
        _ => ThrowASTConversionError(value)
    };
}

3. Register the custom scalar within your schema.

The final step is to register an instance of the custom scalar within the schema. This can be done for code-first or schema-first schemas. For code-first schemas, register it within your constructor via RegisterType, as follows:

public class MySchema : Schema
{
    public void MySchema()
    {
        Query = ....;

        RegisterType(new MyBooleanGraphType());
    }
}

For schema-first schemas, register it immediately after calling Schema.For to create the schema. Immediately after calling Schema.For the schema is not yet initialized, therefore allowing registration of types.

var schema = Schema.For(...);
schema.RegisterType(new MyBooleanGraphType());

Now all BooleanGraphType references in your schema will utilize the new MyBooleanGraphType registered within the schema. This technique can be used to replace any of the built-in graph types.

Note that if you set the ResolvedType property of a field or argument to an instance of a built-in type, or provide an instance of a built-in type to an applicable constructor, it will not be replaced with your registered replacement built-in type. For example, consider this code:

Field<StringGraphType>("sample")
  .Argument<BooleanGraphType>("argNewBehavior") // will be replaced with MyBooleanGraphType
  .Arguments(new QueryArgument(new BooleanGraphType()) { Name = "argOldBehavior" }) // will retain default behavior
  .Resolve(...);

This is by design. However, you can call the ReplaceScalar extension method after the schema is built, which will walk through all the graph types configured on the schema and replace any remaining references of the "Boolean" scalar graph type with references to your replacement scalar graph type. The scalar to be replaced is matched based on the name of the scalar.

var schema = Schema.For(...);
schema.ReplaceScalar(new MyBooleanGraphType());
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