Open Datascript (HDS) by Pkg.lat

Open Datascript (HDS) is a streamlined data-authoring language designed by Pkg.lat. It acts as a human-centric abstraction layer over JSON, allowing for structured data that is easy for people to write while remaining perfectly identifiable by machines.

---

🚀 Core Concepts

$3

HDS uses a brace-delimited structure. When braces are opened, a root is established.

``hds
{
// This data lives in the root
thisDataLivesInRoot
}

`

$3

HDS supports nested object structures for organizing complex data.

`hds
{
object = {
data = {Hello}
}
}

`

$3

You can nest objects indefinitely to represent sophisticated data trees.

`hds
{
object = {
data = {Hello}
data2 = {
object = {
data = {Hello}
}
}
}
}

`

---

🛠 Helpers

Helpers are optional features that allow for dynamic data injection and caching. They must be manually enabled to avoid conflicts with static data structures.

$3

Use the @helpers block to define fields and behaviors like caching.

`hds
{
@helpers {
field 1
cache enabled
}
object = {
data = {@field(1)}
}
}

`

$3

You can define specific data blocks within helpers to ensure only specific variables are cached or retrieved from external fields.

`hds
{
@helpers {
@data-1 {
field 1
cache enabled
}
}
object = {
data = {@data-1}
}
}

`

$3

HDS supports environment-specific data injection via the @env helper.

`hds
{
env = {
prod = {@env(BUILD_TYPE)}
}
}

`

---

📝 Syntax Features

$3

The HDS engine ignores lines starting with //, allowing for documentation within your data files.

`hds
{
// This is a comment and will be omitted by the HDS engine
key = {value}
}

`

---

🔨 The Compiler

HDS is designed for humans, but its output is for machines. The compiler natively converts .hds files into .json.

$3

The compiler is built for high performance and portability, available as:

* Native Binaries: For CLI-based workflows.
* WASM (WebAssembly): For integration into web applications and browser environments.

$3

#### Native CLI

Pass fields and output paths directly via the terminal:

`bash
hds compile ./test.hds \
-o ./test.json \
--field 1=hello \
--field 2=world

`

#### WASM API

Integrate HDS compilation directly into your JavaScript projects:

`javascript
const output = hds.compile(source, {
fields: { 1: "hello" },
set: { "cache.enabled": true }
});

``

---