X-Authentication-Warning:	delorie.com: mail set sender to geda-user-bounces using -f
X-Recipient:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com
X-Original-DKIM-Signature:	v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
	d=gmail.com; s=20120113;
	h=date:from:to:subject:message-id:in-reply-to:references:mime-version
	:content-type:content-transfer-encoding;
	bh=8fJE40DjD6C0wyPSyVGNlubpxqKy+IgG92y8O9k3V3U=;
	b=J1NAsEdh37inMP9Kf9rJkueAe/73GjR+Hb5z2u4HSk3Y7GLVDWUaOD+/n81gKtPQ80
	bJfHcflKAK8HNA7Y3XTNJmP1asiC/wj7+YdQewg0zBrGdofowHzycYAeD2Hee7knAIQ4
	OCgQJlO0g7INAZ/0k9GqPbHxDHakatkNBDLGZQLoXmRairZtJGHDwTpATU7a2sLkN759
	388BoRt/D46DSMofz5R/8yAWC/7/h3M3FvuMEeNdI/3bjHg1pLBR/0APgh+rP5nBgSqE
	L3jr23tGLWjeQtFtaBEvsWRTTzyKYyoK3yHspgsVCSOYin7+ZVgQ6qxxh+JAAHaPO7YQ
	rlQw==
X-Received:	by 10.25.134.130 with SMTP id i124mr21597874lfd.63.1451839141017;
	Sun, 03 Jan 2016 08:39:01 -0800 (PST)
Date:	Sun, 3 Jan 2016 17:38:59 +0100
From:	"Nicklas Karlsson (nicklas DOT karlsson17 AT gmail DOT com) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
To:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	Re: [geda-user] A fileformat library
Message-Id:	<20160103173859.ce123a8957899e5c3e496d9b@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:	<CAC4O8c_R5xWLmzj_cz0g0mPWNs6mR4efjXKGBoup8YO6nwnPTA@mail.gmail.com>
References:	<1512221837 DOT AA25291 AT ivan DOT Harhan DOT ORG>
	<CAJXU7q_qxdvJaejF-VcY=u7VHZ-zrfrc+Z7-qSwfFyPdy-umxw AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
	<B02363CD-469D-493A-AC15-1D5DC7836982 AT noqsi DOT com>
	<20151222232230 DOT 12633 DOT qmail AT stuge DOT se>
	<0F6F1D0F-4F07-48EA-90FE-836EAD4E2354 AT noqsi DOT com>
	<CAM2RGhTficnys3a4xs=UBFvk8aPwpzYWUADFLP_pUQ+R1iKs0g AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
	<0FCF3774-F93C-4BFF-BB61-636F75DCCACB AT noqsi DOT com>
	<CAC4O8c_UAiFE-vGfoE2tXppHLhaa0dSYz9o_rkdCBo7_SRRtxw AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
	<FFBE7623-E240-4798-96B0-2BECF56C8E29 AT noqsi DOT com>
	<CAC4O8c980g1gj15=5njstC_BT-WYDgKQx9BRycdFKA8OvgtiOg AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
	<B54C0E1F-1986-4C79-9F70-7F1919B8B26D AT noqsi DOT com>
	<CAC4O8c9bxJP1eMG4yz3YwKkQJRmsDGmLQ0aMd5pJRyu0WpdCtQ AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
	<C1CFCCEE-C64A-4E49-AA64-446C061656D6 AT noqsi DOT com>
	<CAC4O8c-zt8B=joDd+ws77D2jt6aZf3MWfR_dAvpzGcNuBrTURQ AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
	<alpine DOT DEB DOT 2 DOT 11 DOT 1601030040320 DOT 2176 AT newt>
	<D9825C8C-B6FD-4C7F-A8D5-B8AF06253B72 AT noqsi DOT com>
	<CAC4O8c_R5xWLmzj_cz0g0mPWNs6mR4efjXKGBoup8YO6nwnPTA AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
X-Mailer:	Sylpheed 3.5.0beta1 (GTK+ 2.24.25; x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
Mime-Version:	1.0
Reply-To:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Errors-To:	nobody AT delorie DOT com
X-Mailing-List:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com
X-Unsubscribes-To:	listserv AT delorie DOT com

> As I've mentioned previously I'm talking pcb, which is a more painful
> format to parse (such that so far as I'm aware the parser in pcb is the
> only one).  Personally I find formats like this:
> 
>   device=RESISTOR
>   T 44400 49300 5 10 1 1 90 0 1
> 
> substantially less readable than ones with field names, but they are indeed
> easy to parse.  The pcb format is quite a bit more elaborate and the
> savings from not rolling your own parser are more significant.

Yes this is simple to parse, use little file space but do not have field name. To use little file space and be simple to parse is actually two good properties of a file format.

Lack of field names may be worked around by having a list of field names in the beginning. If this list of field names is sorted according to how often they are used and each row only have to list used values it would probably be a file format with rather good properties.

To enumerate the field names at the beginning of the file may also be a solution. Or maybe to use representation of data structures from a programming language.



Nicklas Karlsson

- Raw text -