Skip to content

ActiveWafl/SyrupParser

Repository files navigation

SyRuP Parser

0.0.3

A parser for SyRuP. Converts valid SyRuP into a PHP array.

Demo App

There is a demo app in Demo/ that can be ran by installing on a PHP server, or alternately using Docker.

Docker Image

In this repo's root folder, run the following to create an image for the Demo app:

docker build -t syrup-parser -f ./Dockerfile-demoapp .

Then run this command create and run a container from that image:

docker run --env=APACHE_DOCUMENT_ROOT=/var/www/html/Demo --workdir=/var/www/html -p 8181:80 -d syrup-parser:latest

(In Docker Desktop you can press the run button next to the image. Map port 8181 or a port of your choosing to port 80)

You can then browse to http://localhost:8181/ to see the running demo.

SyRuP File

S y R u P = Structured Readable Parseable

SyRuP files are easy to read configuration files, very similar to .ini files.
The primary difference between .syrp files and .ini files is that SyRuP files offer better support for lists and hierarchical information of infinite depth.

SyRuP is pronounced "sirrup"

SyRuP files are referred to as SyRuP files, Syrup files, or .syrp files

SyRuP data is referred to simply as SyRuP or Syrup

Downloads

Command line parser notes

  • command-line parser is written in php and requires php to run
  • to run just type: php syrup.phar

Demonstration

http://syrupfile.org/

Background

SyRuP files were born as I struggled to pick a default file format for all of the application configuration files in an ActiveWAFL application.

I liked the ease of .ini files. They're human-readable and parsers for it are easy to find. The problem with .ini's is when you want to represent slightly more complex data such as lists, arrays, matrices, and n-depth hierarchical relationships.

I then considered XML, YAML, NEON and JSON.
All of them are powerful.

YAML was the most readable.
But writing it is fussy. It requires exact spacing to make it work right.

JSON was the most writable.
But it has curly brackets, and other ugly tokens, all over the place.

NEON supports setting inheritance.
But it doesn't support deep levels of hierarchical data and inherited settings are not always easily human-readable.

XML offers the ability to tag information with other information.
But it had ugly markup all over the place.

What I wanted was closest to YAML. The ability to write hierarchical information in an easy-to-read format.
However, I wanted something a bit less strict; Something that allowed the emphasis to be on readability and easy authoring.

Thus, SyRuP was born.

What a .syrp file looks like

You probably would not mix and match all of these Elements.  This is here for full demonstration purposes.

Heading1
    SubHeading1
        Value	Value	Value	Value
        Value	Value	Value	Value
        Value	Value	Value	Value

    SubHeading2
        Setting1
            Value
        Setting2
            Value

    SubHeading3
        Setting1	=	Value
        Setting2	=	Value
        Setting3	=	Value

        SubSubHeading1
            Setting1
                Value	Value	Value
            Setting2
                Value	Value	Value

Definitions

  • Element

    Any sequence of characters that is preceded by BOF|TAB and followed by EOL|EOF|TAB.

    Example

element1 element2 element3 element4 element5

  • Functional Indent
In Syrup a tab character (or two consecutive spaces where the second space's position in the line can be divided evenly by the tab-depth) is the delimiter between the Values in a Horizontal Value List (similar to CSV).
However, consecutive tab characters, (or any space following consecutive spaces [ex: 3 spaces]) are
treated as if they are a single tab character.

This allows the Horizontal Value Lists to be lined up in a human readable row of cells.
A Functional Indent is any number of tabs and/or consecutive spaces that exists between two consecutive elements.

In the following example, there are two Functional Indents.  One following "element1" and one following "element2"

element1 element2 element3

  • Depth
The number of Functional Indents encountered since the last EOL|BOF based on the parser's current cursor position.  
(In the above example for Functional Indent, the Depth would be 2 if the cursor was at element3)
  • Setting
Any Element that contains only a single Value directly beneath it or
Any Element that contains a single Horizontal Value List directly beneath it or
Any Element that contains a single Vertical Value List directly beneath it or
Any Element that is not preceded by any other Elements on the same line and is followed by: (Equal Sign) FunctionalIndent Value  

Note: Settings at equal depths and with the same parents (siblings) must have unique names because the names are used as unique keys
  • Value
Any Element or list of Elements that has a parent Element and does not contain any child elements (example 1, example 2, example 3) or
Any Element that is directly preceded by an equal sign and a Functional Indent (example 4)

Note: Values are always part of a Key/Value pair where the Key is the Setting and the Value is the Value defined herein

*Example 1*

SectionHeader Setting Value

*Example 2*

SectionHeader Setting Value Value Value

*Example 3* 

SectionHeader Setting Value Value Value

*Example 4* 

SectionHeader Setting = Value

  • Horizontal Value List
Multiple Values with the same parent Setting separated by \t or consecutive spaces (Example 2 above).
Since it has no descendents, a Horizontal Value List is also a Value
  • Vertical Value List
Multiple Values separated by lf, all of equal Depth, all with the same parent Setting (Example 3 above).
Since it has no descendents, a Vertical Value List is also a Value
  • Matrix
Multiple consecutive Horizontal Value Lists at the same Depth with the same parent Section Heading.
  • Setting Assignment
A Setting and it's Value (and the intermediate equal sign, if using that method of assignment)
  • Section Heading
Any Element that contains any Setting Assignments, at any Depth.

A Section Heading can contain other Section Headings,  
as long as there is a Setting Assignment somewhere in the descendent tree.
  • Section
A Section Heading plus everything it contains

About

A parser for SyRuP configuration files

Resources

License

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

No releases published

Packages

No packages published