pair
This page explains how to use the pair function in APL.
Use the pair function to create a dynamic object representing a key-value pair from separate key and value components. This function is useful for constructing structured pair objects that you can use with functions like find_pair to search arrays of pairs.
Use pair when you need to programmatically build key-value pair objects for filtering or matching against pair arrays in your logs. The function returns a dynamic object with key, value, and separator properties.
Usage
Syntax
pair(key, value, [separator])Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
key | string | Required | The key component of the pair. |
value | string | Required | The value component of the pair. |
separator | string | Optional | The separator to store in the pair object. Defaults to :. |
Returns
A dynamic object with the following properties:
key: The key component of the pair.value: The value component of the pair.separator: The separator used in the pair.
Example
Create pair objects to represent request metadata.
Query
['sample-http-logs']
| extend method_pair = pair('method', method)
| project _time, uri, method_pairOutput
| _time | uri | method_pair |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-29 10:48:08 | /api/v1/textdata/change | {"key": "method", "separator": ":", "value": "GET"} |
| 2025-01-29 10:48:07 | /api/v1/sell/bucket | {"key": "method", "separator": ":", "value": "PUT"} |
| 2025-01-29 10:48:06 | /api/v1/user/notify | {"key": "method", "separator": ":", "value": "POST"} |
This query creates pair objects from request fields, storing both the key name and value in a structured format.
List of related functions
- parse_pair: Parses a pair string into a dynamic object with key and value properties. Use
pairto create pair objects directly from components. - find_pair: Searches an array of pairs for a matching key-value pattern. Use
pairto construct pair objects for comparison. - bag_pack: Creates a dynamic property bag from key-value pairs. Use
pairwhen you specifically need the pair object structure with separator.