FFF – the Flat Fuck Format

finally a simple to use format

The flat fuck format is an alternative to YAML/TOML/whatever the fuck is popular this week in “easy-to-understand” configuration languages. FFF is actually simple, OK? It looks like this:

# Flat fuck format example
# Comments are lines beginning with a `#'

# Key-value pairs are easy
key: value
# You don't have to escape shit
another key: another value
# ... except the first `:', `@', and `\' (the ecape character)
Magic\: the Gathering: a great game

# Need a dictionary? FFF has you covered:
Capitals::
New York: Albany
Tennessee: Nashville
Louisiana: Baton Rouge

# Lists, too (just leave off the keys):
Great games::
: Magic: the Gathering
: Euchre
: Backgammon

# Need /nested/ lists?  FUCK OFF!
# hehe, just kidding.  use references instead:

Contrived example using references::
one: @Capitals
two: @Great games
twitter: \@some_handle

# The referenced fields above will be removed from the top-level.
# And uh.. that's it!

As you can see, there are only three ideas here: keys, values, and references, which refer to a given key, because sometimes nested things are needed. But the file is still flat as fuck!

(fff json) includes a serializer from an FFF file to a JSON object. It does not serialize back! Why? Because FFF is SIMPLE, stupid! JSON is not!

Questions? Complaints?

Send em to me: git@acdw.net.

License

FFF, the idea, and this code that illustrates it are licensed under the GWL. See COPYING for details.