NAY Ain’t YAML (2)

On Pranab’s site

DRAFT (needs work or removal)

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  1. Fix whitespace
  2. List
  3. Fix indentation hell
  4. No type coercion
    1. Numbers
    2. Booleans
    3. Special types
  5. Type annotations
  6. Strings
  7. Commenting
  8. Streaming
  9. Variables
  10. ////

YAML just ain’t it.

They managed syntax rules more complex than Markdown.

  1. Indentation uses however many spaces you like. Then more indentation depends on that?

    pretty:
 sure:
   this:
    is:
        valid
    maybe not:
     no clue

  2. Nesting can go kinda wild, and the multi-line “flow” syntax uses funky spacing rules:

    i: {
  think: this,
  is: what,
  it's: like?,
 }

    The } needs to be at least a space past the line for the {.

  3. Directives kinda weird.

  4. Tags really weird.

  5. Only reference on the site is a spec. Ain’t easy to read.

  6. 63 ways to write strings, apparently.

  7. There’s several special symbols for values, and they’ll do all kinds of odd things or fall back to strings if they fail.

    Take the Norway problem, for example.

Lot of advanced features better as extension, like tags, directives, aliases, references,… objects? Borrow extension design from config and policy langs like CUE, KCL, Dhall n Nickel.

Fix whitespace🔗

Use tabs. One per nesting level.

NAY:
	Ain't:
		YAML

Recommended tab width 3. Two too little. Four too much. Can adjust to preferences.

List🔗

*	NAY
	*	Ain't
		*	YAML

Tab after marker to align right.

Thout tab:

* NAY: Ain't YAML
  NAY:
  	Ain't YAML

Wiv tab:

*	NAY: Ain't YAML
	NAY:
		Ain't YAML

Fix indentation hell🔗

} closing uses same indentation as line for { opening:

thout: {
any:
indentation;
at: all
}

End pairs with ;. , used way more often. Use quotes for special chars in inline string.

{
NAY:
"Ain't: YAML";
}

Can also do strings:

NAY:
	Ain't: """
	YAML
	"""

And lists, as a matter of course:

NAY: [
Ain't;
YAML
]

No type coercion🔗

Numbers🔗

Starting with a number means whole thing gotta be a number.

Any of these followed by a number must also be valid numbers: ., -, -., +, +..

Use quotes to use these for string. Inline quotes will be part of string.

#inf, #-inf and #nan are also numbers.

errors:
	*	-12l8
	*	-1 is not fine
	*	#nan is not a number
not errors:
	*	-1
	*	- this is fine
	*	\#nan is not a number

Rules adapted from KDL.

Booleans🔗

#false and #true.

Copied from KDL.

Special types🔗

# for special types like #inf and #true. Can’t use for strings; use backslash escape or quotes.

string: \#inf is for infinity
string: "#inf is for infinity"

Adapted from KDL.

Type annotations🔗

NAY don’t care bout annotations. Just gotta be in the right place. Apps handle types.

Put type in () before :, like this:

accent (colour): "#f4de90"
background (colour): "#000000"
foreground (colour): "#b8b8b8"

Annotation must have space before ( and none between ) and :.

Put list item type above item:

(this)
*	NAY
(relation)
*	Ain't
(that)
*	YAML

Strings🔗

Strings are wrapped by default. Line breaks are converted to whitespace.

*	These strings are the same
*	These strings
	are the same

Initial indentation is ignored. Further whitespace is preserved.

*	This one
		will have a tab

Escapes don’t work.

*	This has \n as literal characters, no newline

Use #" to use escapes and preserve line breaks.

*	#"These strings\nare the same
*	#"These strings
	are the same

Use #""" and """# to use escapes and preserve line breaks in delimited strings.

*	#"""
These strings
are the same
"""#
*	#"""
These strings\nare the same
"""#
*	"""
This one
isn't the same
"""

Double quotes are like any other character in the string, unless there’s three at the beginning like key: """. Triple quotes aren’t part of the string.

TODO: how’s this work wit keys? quotes part of string in keys? that’d be consistent use #" or such?

Commenting🔗

# for comment. At least one space after #.

# NAY: what?
NAY: Ain't YAML

Lines indented further than comment also part of comment.

# No data here. Just two comments.
# NAY:
	Ain't:
		YAML

Streaming🔗

Use {{{ and }}} to delimit document. Use neither or both. Content only within, if using them.

Not valid:

{{{
*	Ain't valid

Not valid:

*	Ain't valid
}}}

Not valid:

*	Ain't valid
{{{
*	NAY Ain't YAML
}}}

Valid:

{{{
*	Valid
}}}

Variables🔗

Prolly not. Best as extension.

Key starting with #@ is a variable. Value starting with #@ is replaced with contents of variable. Final output doesn’t include variables.

#@name: NAY Ain't YAML
best lang: @name
fav lang: @name
idk lang: @name

Can use to avoid indentation.

#@NAY:
	NAY:
		Ain't:
			YAML
#@JSON:
	Java:
		Script:
			Object:
				Notation
markup languages:
	config:
		simple:
			*	#@NAY
			*	YAML:
					Ain't:
						Markup:
							Language
			# No full form
			*	KDL
			*	#@JSON

////🔗

NAY:
	*	NAY
	*	Ain't
	*	YAML
Ain't:
	Ain't
YAML:
	*	YAML
	*	Ain't
	*	Markup
	*	Language