module Syck

YAML

YAML(tm) (rhymes with ‘camel’) is a straightforward machine parsable data serialization format designed for human readability and interaction with scripting languages such as Perl and Python. YAML is optimized for data serialization, formatted dumping, configuration files, log files, Internet messaging and filtering. This specification describes the YAML information model and serialization format. Together with the Unicode standard for characters, it provides all the information necessary to understand YAML Version 1.0 and construct computer programs to process it.

See yaml.org/ for more information. For a quick tutorial, please visit YAML In Five Minutes (yaml.kwiki.org/?YamlInFiveMinutes).

About This Library

The YAML 1.0 specification outlines four stages of YAML loading and dumping. This library honors all four of those stages, although data is really only available to you in three stages.

The four stages are: native, representation, serialization, and presentation.

The native stage refers to data which has been loaded completely into Ruby’s own types. (See YAML::load.)

The representation stage means data which has been composed into YAML::BaseNode objects. In this stage, the document is available as a tree of node objects. You can perform YPath queries and transformations at this level. (See YAML::parse.)

The serialization stage happens inside the parser. The YAML parser used in Ruby is called Syck. Serialized nodes are available in the extension as SyckNode structs.

The presentation stage is the YAML document itself. This is accessible to you as a string. (See YAML::dump.)

For more information about the various information models, see Chapter 3 of the YAML 1.0 Specification (yaml.org/spec/#id2491269).

The YAML module provides quick access to the most common loading (YAML::load) and dumping (YAML::dump) tasks. This module also provides an API for registering global types (YAML::add_domain_type).

Example

A simple round-trip (load and dump) of an object.

require "yaml"

test_obj = ["dogs", "cats", "badgers"]

yaml_obj = YAML::dump( test_obj )
                    # -> ---
                         - dogs
                         - cats
                         - badgers
ruby_obj = YAML::load( yaml_obj )
                    # => ["dogs", "cats", "badgers"]
ruby_obj == test_obj
                    # => true

To register your custom types with the global resolver, use add_domain_type.

YAML::add_domain_type( "your-site.com,2004", "widget" ) do |type, val|
    Widget.new( val )
end

YAML::BaseNode class

Constants used throughout the library

Handle Unicode-to-Internal conversion

Error messages and exception class

YAML::Loader class .. type handling ..

$Id$

yaml/tag.rb: methods for associating a taguri to a class.

Author

why the lucky stiff

Classes required by the full core typeset