How The Game Is Played

Its an XML... its a YAML.. no, its SADDL!

So, I've been meaning to check out YAML for awhile. XML can be handy but its SO verbose and so human-unfriendly. A friend suggested I check out YAML. Since I was writing a configurable UI system for my current project I figured now was a good time to try it

YAML is *better* in the area of human writability but it had a big flaw in my mind. By default, order has no significance. In order to make order significant you need to clutter up your file with this extra lines containing nothing but a dash. Two levels deep on my menus was already ugly. I was dreading going three.

What I *really* wanted was something that was like a Windows INI file or a Java properties file, but that had some of the characteristics of YAML such as hirearchical data blocks and the ability to represent objects.

Thus was born SADDL. That stands for either "Simple Application Data Description Language" or "Still Another Data Description Language." Ive been evolving the unspecification in an open soruce project as well as a currently about 80% complete reference implementation. I call the document an unspecification because it is not a formal specification. Honestly, I hate formal specs. IMO all they tend to do is obfuscate the facts to anyone but an academically trained reader. I am also not a formal spec trained writer. I am trying however to make the unspecification easy to read and logically complete. If you spot any holes, let me know!

The SADDL project can be found at:
http://code.google.com/p/saddl

Posted at 05:07AM Jun 14, 2008 by gameguy in General  |