Structured Properties is approximately a fusion of JSON and Java's Properties intended to be a more concise, writable, readable and lucid alternative to serialization formats like JSON.

The preferred extension for Structured Properties files is str.

Primitive elements

• A null element indicates an absence of a value and is represented as null.
• A Boolean element is represented as true or false.
• An integer is a decimal integer.
  • 92233720368547758070
  • -12
  • +3
• A float is a decimal rational number with optional order of magnitude and possibly a leading or trailing radix point.
  • -3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399
  • 123.4e6
• A string is either
  • a sequence of characters that are not reserved for other tokens that is terminated by a newline or comma or
    • //# Quotation marks ("), apostrophes (') and backticks (`) are included. :^)
  • a sequence of characters delimited by ", ', ` or a string of any number >= 3 thereof. Delimiter characters in delimited strings can be escaped by a / prefix. Escaped ts and ns become tabs and newlines.
    • "quoted string"
    • 'apostrophed string'
    • `backticked string`

    • """
      public static void main(String... args) {
          System.out.println("There's no escaping the quotation marks.");
      }
      """
      

Compound elements

• A pair comprises 2 elements joined by = or a primitive element followed by a structure (array or map).
  • 1.0 = 1
  • pocket [wallet, phone]
  • times {start = 8:00, end = 13:00}
• An array is a sequence of elements separated by \n or , and enclosed in [].
  • [string, true]
  • [a = b, a = c]

  • [
        element 0
        element 1
    ]
    

• A map is a sequence enclosed in {} of pairs with primitive keys and that are separated by \n or ,.
  • {key 0 = value 0, key 1 = value 1}

  • {
        color = dark gray, length = 40
        pocket [wallet, phone]
    }
    

Sole top-level structures' delimiters can be omitted:

## This file represents an array.
one
2
three

## This file represents a map; not an array of pairs.
key = value
question = Remember properties?

## This file represents a map.
autosave interval = 5

Comments

• A line comment starts with ## and lasts until the next line.
  • time = 6:00 ## My alarm is set to ring at this time.
• A block comment starts with /*, is terminated by */ and can be nested. Delimiter characters in block comments can be escaped by a / prefix. Escaped ts and ns become tabs and newlines.

  • /* an example /* nested */
    comment */