load_nodes_from_json works with both str and dict args

src/cript/nodes/util/__init__.py

@@ -394,13 +394,13 @@ def _is_node_field_valid(node_type_list: list) -> bool:
         return False
 
 
-def load_nodes_from_json(nodes_json: str):
+def load_nodes_from_json(nodes_json: Union[str, Dict]):
     """
     User facing function, that return a node and all its children from a json string input.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-    nodes_json: str
+    nodes_json: Union[str, dict]
         JSON string representation of a CRIPT node
 
     Examples
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ def load_nodes_from_json(nodes_json: str):
     >>> my_project_from_api_dict: dict = my_paginator.current_page_results[0] # doctest: +SKIP
     >>> # Deserialize your Project dict into a Project node
     >>> my_project_node_from_api = cript.load_nodes_from_json( # doctest: +SKIP
-    ...     nodes_json=json.dumps(my_project_from_api_dict)
+    ...     nodes_json=my_project_from_api_dict
     ... )
 
     Raises
@@ -436,16 +436,28 @@ def load_nodes_from_json(nodes_json: str):
 
     The function is intended for deserializing CRIPT nodes and should not be used for generic JSON.
 
-
     Returns
     -------
     Union[CRIPT Node, List[CRIPT Node]]
         Typically returns a single CRIPT node,
         but if given a list of nodes, then it will serialize them and return a list of CRIPT nodes
     """
+    # Initialize the custom decoder hook for JSON deserialization
     node_json_hook = _NodeDecoderHook()
-    json_nodes = json.loads(nodes_json, object_hook=node_json_hook)
 
+    # Check if the input is already a Python dictionary
+    if isinstance(nodes_json, Dict):
+        # If it's a dictionary, directly use the decoder hook to deserialize it
+        return node_json_hook(nodes_json)
+
+    # Check if the input is a JSON-formatted string
+    elif isinstance(nodes_json, str):
+        # If it's a JSON string, parse and deserialize it using the decoder hook
+        return json.loads(nodes_json, object_hook=node_json_hook)
+
+    # Raise an error if the input type is unsupported
+    else:
+        raise TypeError(f"Unsupported type for nodes_json: {type(nodes_json)}")
     # TODO: enable this logic to replace proxies, once beartype is OK with that.
     # def recursive_proxy_replacement(node, handled_nodes):
     #     if isinstance(node, _UIDProxy):
@@ -470,7 +482,6 @@ def load_nodes_from_json(nodes_json: str):
     #     return node
     # handled_nodes = set()
     # recursive_proxy_replacement(json_nodes, handled_nodes)
-    return json_nodes
 
 
 def add_orphaned_nodes_to_project(project: Project, active_experiment: Experiment, max_iteration: int = -1):

tests/nodes/test_utils.py

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import cript
 from cript.nodes.util import _is_node_field_valid
 
 
@@ -16,3 +17,37 @@ def test_is_node_field_valid() -> None:
     assert _is_node_field_valid(node_type_list="Project") is False
 
     assert _is_node_field_valid(node_type_list=[]) is False
+
+
+def test_load_node_from_json_dict_argument() -> None:
+    """
+    tests that `cript.load_nodes_from_json` can correctly load the material node from a dict
+    instead of JSON string
+    """
+    material_name = "my material name"
+    material_notes = "my material node notes"
+    material_bigsmiles = "my bigsmiles"
+    material_uuid = "29c796a1-8f08-41ea-8524-29e925f384af"
+
+    material_dict = {
+        "node": ["Material"],
+        "uid": f"_:{material_uuid}",
+        "uuid": material_uuid,
+        "name": material_name,
+        "notes": material_notes,
+        "property": [{"node": ["Property"], "uid": "_:aedce614-7acb-49d2-a2f6-47463f15b707", "uuid": "aedce614-7acb-49d2-a2f6-47463f15b707", "key": "modulus_shear", "type": "value", "value": 5.0, "unit": "GPa"}],
+        "computational_forcefield": {"node": ["ComputationalForcefield"], "uid": "_:059952a3-20f2-4739-96bd-a5ea43068065", "uuid": "059952a3-20f2-4739-96bd-a5ea43068065", "key": "amber", "building_block": "atom"},
+        "keyword": ["acetylene"],
+        "bigsmiles": material_bigsmiles,
+    }
+
+    # convert material from dict to node
+    my_material_node_from_dict = cript.load_nodes_from_json(nodes_json=material_dict)
+
+    # assert material is correctly deserialized from JSON dict to Material Python object
+    assert type(my_material_node_from_dict) == cript.Material
+    assert my_material_node_from_dict.name == material_name
+    assert my_material_node_from_dict.identifier[0]["bigsmiles"] == "my bigsmiles"
+
+    # convert UUID object to UUID str and compare
+    assert str(my_material_node_from_dict.uuid) == material_uuid