feat(rpc): allow empty string key in msgpack => Vim conversion

Problem:
Since e057b38e7037 #20757 we support empty key in JSON encode/decode,
but we don't allow it in RPC object => Vim dict conversion. But empty
string is a valid key in Vim dicts and the msgpack spec.

Empty string key was disallowed in 7c01d5ff9286 (2014) but that
commit/PR doesn't explicitly discuss it, so presumably it was a "seems
reasonable" decision (or Vimscript didn't allow empty keys until later).

Solution:
Remove the check in `object_to_vim()`. Note that
`tv_dict_item_alloc_len` will invoke `memcpy(…, 0)` but that's allowed
by the C spec: https://stackoverflow.com/a/3751937/152142

3 files changed, 7 insertions, 12 deletions

diff --git a/src/nvim/api/private/converter.c b/src/nvim/api/private/converter.c
index ef57bde32d..1e11683c38 100644
--- a/src/nvim/api/private/converter.c
+++ b/src/nvim/api/private/converter.c
@@ -328,15 +328,6 @@ bool object_to_vim(Object obj, typval_T *tv, Error *err)
     for (uint32_t i = 0; i < obj.data.dictionary.size; i++) {
       KeyValuePair item = obj.data.dictionary.items[i];
       String key = item.key;
-
-      if (key.size == 0) {
-        api_set_error(err, kErrorTypeValidation,
-                      "Empty dictionary keys aren't allowed");
-        // cleanup
-        tv_dict_free(dict);
-        return false;
-      }
-
       dictitem_T *const di = tv_dict_item_alloc(key.data);
 
       if (!object_to_vim(item.value, &di->di_tv, err)) {
diff --git a/test/functional/api/vim_spec.lua b/test/functional/api/vim_spec.lua
index 7287666190..abae346701 100644
--- a/test/functional/api/vim_spec.lua
+++ b/test/functional/api/vim_spec.lua
@@ -1319,6 +1319,10 @@ describe('API', function()
       eq("Key not found: lua", pcall_err(meths.del_var, 'lua'))
       meths.set_var('lua', 1)
 
+      -- Empty keys are allowed in Vim dicts (and msgpack).
+      nvim('set_var', 'dict_empty_key', {[''] = 'empty key'})
+      eq({[''] = 'empty key'}, nvim('get_var', 'dict_empty_key'))
+
       -- Set locked g: var.
       command('lockvar lua')
       eq('Key is locked: lua', pcall_err(meths.del_var, 'lua'))
@@ -1983,7 +1987,7 @@ describe('API', function()
     it('errors when context dictionary is invalid', function()
       eq('E474: Failed to convert list to msgpack string buffer',
          pcall_err(nvim, 'load_context', { regs = { {} }, jumps = { {} } }))
-      eq("Empty dictionary keys aren't allowed",
+      eq('E474: Failed to convert list to msgpack string buffer',
          pcall_err(nvim, 'load_context', { regs = { { [''] = '' } } }))
     end)
   end)
diff --git a/test/functional/vimscript/json_functions_spec.lua b/test/functional/vimscript/json_functions_spec.lua
index 53899085e0..c12bcf5099 100644
--- a/test/functional/vimscript/json_functions_spec.lua
+++ b/test/functional/vimscript/json_functions_spec.lua
@@ -576,8 +576,8 @@ describe('json_encode() function', function()
     eq('{}', eval('json_encode({})'))
     eq('{"d": []}', funcs.json_encode({d={}}))
     eq('{"d": [], "e": []}', funcs.json_encode({d={}, e={}}))
-    -- Empty keys not allowed (yet?) in object_to_vim() (since 7c01d5ff9286). #25564
-    -- eq('{"": []}', funcs.json_encode({['']={}}))
+    -- Empty keys are allowed per JSON spec (and Vim dicts, and msgpack).
+    eq('{"": []}', funcs.json_encode({['']={}}))
   end)
 
   it('cannot dump generic mapping with generic mapping keys and values',