20 minutes of thinking about, "a serialisation format that sucks less than JSON, XML, YAML, BLAML, BLAH BLAH FARKINELLMATE"

serialisation.md

• All things are either:

  • A sum, which is a hypothetical/potential (not necessarily corresponding) constructor name, followed by +, followed by one or more things.
  • A product, which is a hypothetical/potential (not necessarily corresponding) field name, followed by *, followed by exactly one thing.

• Left + (7 + (() * ()))

  • Left 7 :: Either Int a
  • This 7 :: These Int a
  • Const 7 :: Const Int a

• name * (Cons + (F + (() * ())) (Cons + (r + (() * ())) (Cons * (e + (() * ())) (Cons + (d + (() * ())) Nil))))

  • name = "Fred" :: HasName a => a (class HasName a where name :: Lens' a String)

• , * (9 + (() * ())) (Right + (8 + (() * ()))

  • (,) 9 (Right 8) :: (Int, Either a Int)
  • ... etc

Bit clumsy. Let's introduce aliases (=).

• unit = (* () ())

• left a = Left + ($a + :unit)

• :left 7

  • Left 7 :: Either Int a
  • This 7 :: These Int a
  • Const 7 :: Const Int a

• cons h t = Cons + ($h + :unit) $t

• name * (:cons F (:cons r (:cons e (:cons d Nil))))

  • name = "Fred" :: HasName a => a (class HasName a where name :: Lens' a String)

---

data T =
  Product
  | Sum

data S =
  S
    (Maybe String) -- name (non-empty)
    T
    (Either String S)

a =
  S (Just "Left") Sum (Left "7")

b =
  S (Just "age") Product (Right (S (Just "7") Product (Right (S (Just "name") Product (Left "Fred")))))