PIML: Parenthesis Intended Markup Language

Spec version: v1.1.0

PIML (Parenthesis Intended Markup Language) is a data serialization format designed to be exceptionally human-readable and writable, while maintaining a clear and unambiguous structure for machine parsing. It was created to solve the frustrations found in JSON (too many brackets and quotes) and YAML (ambiguous indentation and type coercion).

Core Design Goals

1. Visual Scannability: Use distinctive symbols () and > to make the data hierarchy visible at a glance.
2. Minimalist Syntax: Remove unnecessary noise like quotes and commas where they don't add value.
3. Strict but Flexible: Provide a clear structure that prevents common formatting errors while allowing for free-form text blocks.

Structural Overview

PIML's power lies in its three primary building blocks:

1. The Key-Value Pair

Defined by parentheses. (name) PIML is a complete entry. No quotes needed for the key or simple string values.

2. The List Item

Defined by the > symbol. It allows for vertical lists that are incredibly easy to read and reorder.

Exhibition Node // PIML
(tags)
  > data
  > markup
  > human-centric
Digital Sample Ref. B8P758

3. The Nested Object

Objects are created by placing key-value pairs or list items inside a parent key using indentation.

Exhibition Node // PIML
(database)
  (host) 127.0.0.1
  (settings)
    (timeout) 30
    (logging) true
Digital Sample Ref. MPC0N

Advanced Type Handling

PIML handles complex types with ease:

• Booleans: true and false.
• Numbers: Integers and floating-point numbers.
• Nulls: Represented by nil.
• Text Blocks: Multi-line strings are handled by indenting text under a key, maintaining all line breaks and internal formatting.

Adoption

PIML is ideally suited for configuration files, manifest declarations, and any data storage where humans are expected to interact with the raw file regularly.

Compare the elegance of PIML against traditional formats. Notice how the vertical flow of PIML reduces cognitive load compared to the nested brackets of JSON.

PIML Schema

Exhibition Node // PIML
(project)
  (name) piml
  (version) 1.0.0
  (description) Parenthesis Intended Markup Language
  (author)
    (name) fezcode
    (github) https://github.com/fezcode
  (tags)
    > markup
    > data-serialization
    > minimalist
  (isActive) true
  (spec)
    (version) 4.3
    (status) stable
Digital Sample Ref. FYX6X

JSON Legacy

Exhibition Node // JSON
{
  "project": {
    "name": "piml",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "Parenthesis Intended Markup Language",
    "author": {
      "name": "fezcode",
      "github": "https://github.com/fezcode"
    },
    "tags": [
      "markup",
      "data-serialization",
      "minimalist"
    ],
    "isActive": true,
    "spec": {
      "version": 4.3,
      "status": "stable"
    }
  }
}
Digital Sample Ref. L7LUG