"Data blocks" syntax specification draft

[Mikhail V]

On Mon, May 21, 2018 at 3:48 PM, bartc <bc at freeuk.com> wrote:

>
> This is intended to be used inside actual Python programs?
>
> In that case code is normally displayed in fixed pitch, as it would normally
> be viewed in a code editor, even if part of a document.
>
> But I have to say it looks pretty terrible, and I can't see that it buys
> much over normal syntax.

Ha, here we go. Last time I have used fixed pitch font for work -
maybe 4 years ago.
(and IMO fixed pitch font plus specifically Python - I find quite a blasphemy)

So, you re right, of course in one sense: "///" looks terrible with
a fixed pitch font! That's so true, but also it is true that this ///
I well maybe change for something less font-sensitive.
And in all fonts other than fixed pitch it looks cute enough.

Simply speaking, if it was not for Python, I might propose something
like:

# t
   # t
      11  22  33

You get the point?
So basically all nice chars are already occupied.
Proposing Unicode symbols -- that will probably will be
dead on arrival (just remembering some of such past proposals).
Leaving out symbols could be an option as well.
Still the structure needs a syntactical entry point.
E.g.

data = ///
t
   t
      11  22  33

Hmm. not bad. But I must think about parsing as well.


> It's not clear what ///. is for, or why it's necessary (presumably you have
> to use ///. /// instead of /// ///).

"///."  is meant to inherit the previous (parent) type:

/// t
   /// .
      /// .

is same as

/// t
   /// t
      /// t

So I can change types of all child nodes with one keystroke.


>
> The ///d dictionary example is ambiguous: can you have more than one
> key:value per line or not? If so, it would look like this:
>
>   ///d "a" "b" "c" "d" "e" "f"

///d   "a" "b"    "c" "d"    "e" "f"

Now better? :-)

Or compare these two:

{"a": "b", "c": "d", "e": "f"}

///d   "a" "b"    "c" "d"    "e" "f"

I'd say, the second one is much better.


> Or do you also allow: date = ///  with data following on the next line?

Yes, all this should be legal:

data = /// t
   11 22 33

data =\
/// t
   11 22 33

data = /// t  11 22 33


But this probly not good:

data = /// t  11 22 33  /// t  44  55

Because it will not be clear for the reader how further suite termination
happens.