README

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.

Usage

$result = Ani\parse("key: value");
$string = Ani\emit($result);

Format

» 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 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' ]

Almost equal to

• spaces before key is lost
• surrounding spaces in section names is lost
• multiline indentation is always two-spaces