feat: Enhance JSON value parsing in Helm CLI

- Add support for parsing full JSON objects with `--set-json`
- Update documentation to clarify JSON value input formats
- Improve test coverage for value parsing scenarios
- Modify `MergeValues` to handle both key=value and JSON object formats

Signed-off-by: Zhanwei Li <zhanweelee@gmail.com>

cmd/helm/flags.go

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func addValueOptionsFlags(f *pflag.FlagSet, v *values.Options) {
 	f.StringArrayVar(&v.Values, "set", []string{}, "set values on the command line (can specify multiple or separate values with commas: key1=val1,key2=val2)")
 	f.StringArrayVar(&v.StringValues, "set-string", []string{}, "set STRING values on the command line (can specify multiple or separate values with commas: key1=val1,key2=val2)")
 	f.StringArrayVar(&v.FileValues, "set-file", []string{}, "set values from respective files specified via the command line (can specify multiple or separate values with commas: key1=path1,key2=path2)")
-	f.StringArrayVar(&v.JSONValues, "set-json", []string{}, "set JSON values on the command line (can specify multiple or separate values with commas: key1=jsonval1,key2=jsonval2)")
+	f.StringArrayVar(&v.JSONValues, "set-json", []string{}, "set JSON values on the command line (can specify multiple or separate values with commas: key1=jsonval1,key2=jsonval2 or using json format: {\"key1\": jsonval1, \"key2\": \"jsonval2\"})")
 	f.StringArrayVar(&v.LiteralValues, "set-literal", []string{}, "set a literal STRING value on the command line")
 }
 

cmd/helm/install.go

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ or use the '--set' flag and pass configuration from the command line, to force
 a string value use '--set-string'. You can use '--set-file' to set individual
 values from a file when the value itself is too long for the command line
 or is dynamically generated. You can also use '--set-json' to set json values
-(scalars/objects/arrays) from the command line.
+(scalars/objects/arrays) from the command line. Additionally, you can use '--set-json' and passing json object as a string.
 
     $ helm install -f myvalues.yaml myredis ./redis
 
@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ or
 
     $ helm install --set-json 'master.sidecars=[{"name":"sidecar","image":"myImage","imagePullPolicy":"Always","ports":[{"name":"portname","containerPort":1234}]}]' myredis ./redis
 
+or
+
+    $ helm install --set-json '{"master":{"sidecars":[{"name":"sidecar","image":"myImage","imagePullPolicy":"Always","ports":[{"name":"portname","containerPort":1234}]}]}}' myredis ./redis
 
 You can specify the '--values'/'-f' flag multiple times. The priority will be given to the
 last (right-most) file specified. For example, if both myvalues.yaml and override.yaml

cmd/helm/upgrade.go

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ or use the '--set' flag and pass configuration from the command line, to force s
 values, use '--set-string'. You can use '--set-file' to set individual
 values from a file when the value itself is too long for the command line
 or is dynamically generated. You can also use '--set-json' to set json values
-(scalars/objects/arrays) from the command line.
+(scalars/objects/arrays) from the command line. Additionally, you can use '--set-json' and passing json object as a string.
 
 You can specify the '--values'/'-f' flag multiple times. The priority will be given to the
 last (right-most) file specified. For example, if both myvalues.yaml and override.yaml

pkg/cli/values/options.go

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package values
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"io"
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
@@ -62,8 +63,19 @@ func (opts *Options) MergeValues(p getter.Providers) (map[string]interface{}, er
 
 	// User specified a value via --set-json
 	for _, value := range opts.JSONValues {
-		if err := strvals.ParseJSON(value, base); err != nil {
-			return nil, errors.Errorf("failed parsing --set-json data %s", value)
+		trimmedValue := strings.TrimSpace(value)
+		if len(trimmedValue) > 0 && trimmedValue[0] == '{' {
+			// If value is JSON object format, parse it as map
+			var jsonMap map[string]interface{}
+			if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(trimmedValue), &jsonMap); err != nil {
+				return nil, errors.Errorf("failed parsing --set-json data using JSON format: %s", value)
+			}
+			base = mergeMaps(base, jsonMap)
+		} else {
+			// Otherwise, parse it as key=value format
+			if err := strvals.ParseJSON(value, base); err != nil {
+				return nil, errors.Errorf("failed parsing --set-json data %s", value)
+			}
 		}
 	}
 

pkg/cli/values/options_test.go

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"helm.sh/helm/v4/pkg/getter"
 )
 
-func TestMergeValues(t *testing.T) {
+func TestMergeMaps(t *testing.T) {
 	nestedMap := map[string]interface{}{
 		"foo": "bar",
 		"baz": map[string]string{
@@ -86,3 +86,97 @@ func TestReadFile(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Expected error when has special strings")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMergeValues(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		opts     Options
+		expected map[string]interface{}
+		wantErr  bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "set-json object",
+			opts: Options{
+				JSONValues: []string{`{"foo": {"bar": "baz"}}`},
+			},
+			expected: map[string]interface{}{
+				"foo": map[string]interface{}{
+					"bar": "baz",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "set-json key=value",
+			opts: Options{
+				JSONValues: []string{"foo.bar=[1,2,3]"},
+			},
+			expected: map[string]interface{}{
+				"foo": map[string]interface{}{
+					"bar": []interface{}{1.0, 2.0, 3.0},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "set regular value",
+			opts: Options{
+				Values: []string{"foo=bar"},
+			},
+			expected: map[string]interface{}{
+				"foo": "bar",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "set string value",
+			opts: Options{
+				StringValues: []string{"foo=123"},
+			},
+			expected: map[string]interface{}{
+				"foo": "123",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "set literal value",
+			opts: Options{
+				LiteralValues: []string{"foo=true"},
+			},
+			expected: map[string]interface{}{
+				"foo": "true",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "multiple options",
+			opts: Options{
+				Values:        []string{"a=foo"},
+				StringValues:  []string{"b=bar"},
+				JSONValues:    []string{`{"c": "foo1"}`},
+				LiteralValues: []string{"d=bar1"},
+			},
+			expected: map[string]interface{}{
+				"a": "foo",
+				"b": "bar",
+				"c": "foo1",
+				"d": "bar1",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid json",
+			opts: Options{
+				JSONValues: []string{`{invalid`},
+			},
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got, err := tt.opts.MergeValues(getter.Providers{})
+			if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
+				t.Errorf("MergeValues() error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
+				return
+			}
+			if !tt.wantErr && !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.expected) {
+				t.Errorf("MergeValues() = %v, want %v", got, tt.expected)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}