explode-outer

array | record →
explode-outer(
    selector: expression
) → array

Emits one record per selected collection element, preserving parents with empty or null fields.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
selector	expression	Yes	A direct field selector identifying the collection-valued field to replace.

Argument evaluation

Visits the record supplied as pipeline input to this explode-outer call, or each parent record of its input array in source order. Visits selected children in source order, retaining a parent with no children.

• selector: Evaluated once per parent record before visiting its children, with that parent as context. .field reads that parent’s field, without retaining the surrounding context; an empty source array evaluates no selector.

Behavior

Matches explode for non-empty collections, preserving field position, child order, duplicates, and one-level expansion. Empty, null, or missing selected fields emit one parent with a null selected field; a missing field is appended. Non-collection selected values and non-record parents cause an evaluation error. Null pipeline input returns null. The selector must be a direct field reference; computed expressions and nested paths fail during binding. Empty and originally null collections become indistinguishable. expand changes record shape without expanding cardinality.

Examples

{id := 1, tags := {}} | explode-outer(.tags) → {{id := 1, tags := #null}}

Kind: Function
Scope: record
Aliases: None