Data (X file format, text encoding)

Data objects contain the actual data or a reference to that data. Each data object has a corresponding template that specifies the data type. The following sections discuss the form and parts of data objects.

Form, Identifier, and Name

Data objects have the following form.

        <Identifier> [name] { [<UUID>]
    <member 1>;
...
    <member n>;
}

The identifier is compulsory and must match a previously defined data type or primitive. However, the name is optional.

Data Members

Data members can be one of the following: data object, data reference, integer list, float list, or string list.

A data object is a nested data object. This enables the hierarchical nature of the file format to be expressed. The types of nested data objects allowed in the hierarchy may be restricted.

A data reference is a reference to a previously encountered data object as shown in the following example.

{
  name |
  UUID |
  name UUID
}

An integer list is a semicolon-separated list of integers, as shown in the following example.

1; 2; 3;

A float list is a semicolon-separated list of floats, as shown in the following example.

1.0; 2.0; 3.0;

A string list is a semicolon-separated list of strings, as shown in the following example.

"Moose"; "Goats"; "Sheep";

Text Encoding