JSON alternatives (for the purpose of specifying configuration)?

Question

I like json as a format for configuration files for the software I write. I like that it\'s lightweight, simple, and widely supported. However, I\'m finding that there are some

Answer 1

The 'J' in JSON is "Javascript". If a particular desired syntax construct isn't in Javascript, then it won't be on JSON.

Heredocs are beyond JSON's purview. That's a language syntax construct for simplified multi-line string definition, but JSON is a transport notation. It has nothing to do with construction. It does, however, have multiline strings, simply by allowing \n newline characters within strings. There's nothing in JSON that says you can't have a linebreak in a string. As long as the containing quote characters are correct, it's perfectly valid. e.g.

{"x":"y\nz"}

is 100% legitimate valid JSON, and is a multiline string, whereas

{"x":"y
z"} 

isn't and will fail on parsing.