api/basic_json_view/begin/index.md

# nlohmann::basic_json_view::begin

```
iterator begin() const noexcept;
```

Returns an iterator to the first element of an array, or the first member value of an object, in **document order** -- the order the values appear in the source text, not sorted by key. A primitive value iterates as a range of one element (itself), and a `null` value or a [discarded](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/is_discarded/index.md) view iterates as an empty range.

## Return value

Iterator to the first element.

## Exception safety

No-throw guarantee: this function never throws exceptions.

## Complexity

Constant.

## Notes

For an object, iteration visits **every** member, including all occurrences of a duplicate key -- unlike [`operator[]`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/operator%5B%5D/index.md), [`at`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/at/index.md), [`find`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/find/index.md), and [`contains`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/contains/index.md), which all resolve to the *first* member with a given key. See the [Notes on duplicate keys](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/operator%5B%5D/#notes) of `operator[]`.

Because objects are iterated in document order rather than sorted by key, the order seen here can differ from what iterating the [`materialize()`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/materialize/index.md)d `BasicJsonType` value would produce: a `basic_json` object (`std::map`-backed by default) sorts its keys, while a view does not.

An `ordered_json` value also keeps document order, but it keeps only one entry per key: as `parse()` does, it keeps the *last* value, at the position of the key's *first* occurrence. The view, in contrast, visits every member, including the duplicates.

## Examples

Example

The example below iterates a log record's members with `begin()`/[`end()`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/end/index.md) and prints them in the order they were written. Materializing the record into a `BasicJsonType` object and iterating that would instead print the members sorted by key.

```
#include <iostream>
#include <nlohmann/json_view.hpp>

using nlohmann::json_document;

int main()
{
    // a log record: the fields matter in the order they were written, e.g.
    // to reproduce the record as it was logged. A nlohmann::json object
    // sorts its keys, so materializing and iterating it would instead print
    // them alphabetically ("level", "message", "time")
    json_document record = json_document::parse(R"({"time": "10:00:01", "level": "info", "message": "started"})");

    for (auto it = record.root().begin(); it != record.root().end(); ++it)
    {
        std::cout << it.key() << '=' << it->materialize().dump() << '\n';
    }
}
```

Output:

```
time="10:00:01"
level="info"
message="started"
```

## See also

- [end](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/end/index.md) - returns an iterator to one past the last element
- [cbegin](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/cbegin/index.md) - returns a const iterator to the first element
- [items](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json_view/items/index.md) - access iterator member functions in range-based for
- [`BasicJsonType::begin`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json/begin/index.md) - the corresponding function of `basic_json`

## Version history

- Added in version 3.13.0 unreleased.