configuration formats / languages

[wavic]

Well, convert the set into list, before jsonify it. Or use jsonpickle. You can store whatever Python object you want and will be readable.

[Skaperen]

but how does one code a set in JSON so that after it is loaded it is a set?

[wavic]

I have never used this module. But I knew about it. I  have just tried it.

import jsonpickle

members = set(['Dallas - Captain', 'Kane - Executive Officer', 'Ellen Ripley - Warrant Officer', 'Ash - Science Officer', 'Lambert - Navigator', 'Parker - Chief Engineer', 'Brett - Engineering Technician'])

doomed = {'name': 'USCSS Nostromo', 'crew number':  7, 'crew members': members}

type(doomed['crew members'])
Out[4]: set

serialized = jsonpickle.encode(doomed)

serialized
Out[6]: '{"crew members": {"py/set": ["Lambert - Navigator", "Ash - Science Officer", "Ellen Ripley - Warrant Officer", "Kane - Executive Officer", "Parker - Chief Engineer", "Brett - Engineering Technician", "Dallas - Captain"]}, "crew number": 7, "name": "USCSS Nostromo"}'

data = jsonpickle.decode(serialized)

data
Out[8]:
{'crew members': {'Ash - Science Officer',
  'Brett - Engineering Technician',
  'Dallas - Captain',
  'Ellen Ripley - Warrant Officer',
  'Kane - Executive Officer',
  'Lambert - Navigator',
  'Parker - Chief Engineer'},
 'crew number': 7,
 'name': 'USCSS Nostromo'}

type(data['crew members'])
Out[9]: set

So, it works. I can see at out[8] that 'crew members' holds a set.

[metulburr]

you cannot put comments in JSON

ive never really needed to comment in JSON, but i guess you could always make a sibling entry in the form of

"//": "comment",

and then just ignore it in your program

[Skaperen]

i comment config files a lot.  i often see config file comments, sometimes big multiline ones.  i don't know if sibling entries would be very easy to read big ones.

there might be the option to have some code that reads in a bunch of lines, throws away lines where the first non-whitespace is # and processes those lines as JSON.