This is an exploration of a format for structured text that is:
- Easy for authoring
- Easy to embed other formats
- s ≈ emit(parse(s))
Differences from INI:
- No parsing errors
- Has multiline value
- Has lists
- Use colon instead of equal
Context Built out from a port of ArchieML. Wanted to replace a bunch of YAML files with a simpler syntax that did not change formatting on serialization.
$result = Ani\parse("key: value");
$string = Ani\emit($result);» key: value
« [ 'key' => 'value' ]
Duplicate keys creates a list of objects:
» name: frank
age: 52
name: vincent
age: 64
« [
[
'name' => 'frank',
'age' => 52
],
[
'name' => 'vincent',
'age' => 62
]
]
Text lines are not ignored:
» key: value
Jane is this working ?
« [
'key' => 'value',
'Jane is this working ?'
]
A text line that looks like a key can be escaped with backslash:
» \key: value
« [ 'key: value' ]
So simple "flat array" is easy:
» milk
cereals
« [ 'milk', 'cereals' ]
And sections:
» [groceries]
milk
cereals
« [ 'groceries' => [ 'milk', 'cereals' ] ]
Section plural (controversial) determine the initial list type:
» [groceries]
name: milk
« [ 'groceries' => [ [ 'name' => 'milk' ] ] ]
» [grocery]
name: milk
« [ 'grocery' => [ 'name' => 'milk' ] ]
Multiline is started by writing a newline and indenting value!
» title: Funky
content:
Something along
the lines
« [ 'title' => 'Funky', 'content' => 'Something along\n the lines' ]
- spaces before key is lost
- surrounding spaces in section names is lost
- multiline indentation is always two-spaces