ClearSilver's HierarchicalDataFormat (HDF) -- one of the AlternativesToXml
See: http://www.clearsilver.net/docs/man_hdf.hdf
Examples:
"It supports two different syntax for representing the dataset hierarchy which can be intermixed arbitrarily. The first is a simple dotted path scheme:
Page.Name = My Index
Page.URL = /myindex.html
Page.Menu.0 = Home
Page.Menu.1 = Preferences
Page.Menu.2 = Help
Page.Menu.3 = Support
"The second is a nested elements scheme:
Page {
Name = My Index
URL = /myindex.html
Menu {
0 = Home
1 = Preferences
2 = Help
3 = Support
},
},
A few more small examples at http://www.clearsilver.net/docs/compare_w_xmlxslt.hdf
Compare to YamlAintMarkupLanguage.
Looks like Java '.properties' files -- morphed into something close to JavaScriptObjectNotation (JSON) or Python native data, to me. -- JeffGrigg
Questions from the AlternativesToXml page:
-
Is it really a significant product offering for WebProgramming?
-
I don't understand how clearsilver is an alternative to XML. It's certainly a way of working with XML, and I suppose it could displace some uses of XML, but it's in no way an XML equivalent.
- The Clearsilver templating system library is primarily intended for support and manipulation of HTML and XML. Its "HDF" ("Hierarchical Data Format") is an alternative to XML.