Text::XLogfile 0.03

Text::XLogfile module allows reading and writing xlogfiles.

SYNOPSIS

use Text::XLogfile :all;

my @scores = read_xlogfile("scores.xlogfile");
for (@scores) { $_->{player} = lc $_->{player} }
write_xlogfile(@scores, "scores.xlogfile.new");

my $xlogline = make_xlogline($scores[0], -1);
my $score = parse_xlogline($xlogline);
print "First place: $score->{player}n";
print "$xloglinen";

xlogfile format

xlogfile is a simple line-based data format. An xlogfile is analogous to an array of hashes. Each line corresponds to a hash. A sample xlogline looks like:
name=Eidolos:ascended=1:role=Wiz:race=Elf:gender=Mal:align=Cha
This obviously corresponds to the following hash:

{
ascended => 1,
align => Cha,
name => Eidolos,
race => Elf,
role => Wiz,
gender => Mal,
}

xlogfile supports no quoting. Keys and values may be any non-colon characters. The first = separates the key from the value (so in a=b=c, the key is a, and the value is b=c. Colons are usually transliterated to underscores. Like a Perl hash, if multiple values have the same key, later values will overwrite earlier values. Heres something resembling the actual grammar:

xlogfile <- xlogline [n xlogline]*
xlogline <- field [: field]*
field <- key=value
key <- [^:=n]*
value <- [^:n]*

xlogfiles are used in the NetHack and Crawl communities. CSV is too ill-defined. XML is too heavyweight. YAML is multiline. JSON is feasible, but weve already chosen xlogfile.