Erbsland Configuration Language

The Erbsland Configuration Language (ELCL) is a human-centric configuration format designed with a focus on clarity and ease of use. ELCL simplifies software configuration, making it intuitive for both developers and end-users.

Where to Start?

• Short on time? Check out the Language Overview for a quick introduction.

• Looking for more details? Read the comprehensive introduction chapter to get started.

• Implementing a parser? Find all details the language reference chapter.

Design Rationale and Key Features

ELCL balances the flexibility required for human users to freely edit configuration documents and add comments, with the technical needs for strict and straightforward parsing. The language is designed to be familiar and easy to learn, enabling developers to quickly adopt it. Some of the main features include:

• Simplicity: ELCL offers an intuitive syntax with built-in type safety, minimizing common configuration errors.

• Safety: The language supports strict and safe parsers, ensuring robust and secure configurations.

• Comprehensive Documentation: Detailed specifications, along with user and developer guides, make ELCL easy to understand and implement.

• Reference Implementations: Available for Python and C++, these implementations help integrate ELCL into your application or serve as examples for writing your own parser.

• Compliance Test Suite: An extensive test suite ensures that parsers conform to the ELCL specification, fostering reliable and consistent implementations.

• Implementation Levels: ELCL supports various implementation levels, from lightweight micro-parsers for resource-constrained environments to full-featured parsers for complex use cases.

• Metadata Support: Metadata statements allow you to specify language versions and required features, ensuring backward compatibility and future-proofing.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Core Language
    • File Encoding and Line Breaks
    • Document Structure
    • Comments
    • Names
    • Sections
    • Subsections
    • Name-Value Pairs
    • Values
    • Core Value Types
    • Integer Values
    • Boolean Values
    • Text Values
    • Meta Values
    • Name Paths and Name Conflicts
    • Core Language: Key Takeaways and Beyond
  • Standard Features
    • Floating-Point Values
    • Byte Counts
    • Multi-line Text Values
    • Section Lists
    • Value Lists
    • Text Names
    • Date, Time, and Date-Time Values
    • Code Text
    • Byte-Data Values
    • Meta Command “Include”
  • Advanced Features
    • Regular Expression Values
    • Time-Delta Values
    • Validation Rules Support
    • Document Signatures
• Language Overview
  • The Core Language
  • Standard Features
  • Advanced Features
• The Test Suite
  • Test File Structure
    • Test Naming Convention
    • Outcome Files
    • Directory Structure
  • Writing a Test Adapter
    • Command Line Arguments
    • Return Codes
    • Output
  • The Test Outcome Format
    • General Format
    • Failure Format
    • Passing Format
    • Escaping of Text
• Parser Tiers
  • Requirements
  • Core Language
  • Features
  • Recommended Parser Naming
• Language Reference
  • Documentation Conventions
    • The EBNF Notation
    • The Rules
    • The Configuration Examples
    • Visualizations of Value Trees
    • Covered Features
  • Characters
    • Encoding
    • Illegal UTF-8 Sequences
    • Illegal Control Codes
    • Named Characters in EBNF
    • Character Groups in EBNF
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Line Break
    • Rules
    • Implementation Recommendations
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Spacing
    • Rules
    • Strict Indentation Patterns Explained
    • Ignored Spacing in Multi-line Text
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Comments
    • Rules
    • Implementation Recommendations
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Text
    • Basic Rules
    • Escape Sequence Rules
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Names
    • Name Definition
    • Rules
    • Name Normalization
    • Name Comparison
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Text Names
    • Text Name Rules
    • Text Name Normalization
    • Text Name Comparison
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Name Paths
    • Visualizing the Value Tree
    • Name Paths with One Element
    • Name Paths with Multiple Elements
    • Addressing a Section List
    • Addressing Section List Values without an Index
    • Addressing Values with an Index
    • Text Names in Name Paths
    • Parser-Specific Usage of Text Names
  • Name Conflicts
    • Using a Name
    • Straightforward Conflict Scenarios
    • Conflicts with Sections and Values Mixed
    • Why Section Lists Do Not Cause Conflicts
    • The Special Case of Intermediate Sections
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Section Names
    • Section Name Rules
    • Relative Sections Explained
    • Intermediate Section Rules
    • Section List Rules for Name Paths
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Sections
    • Rules for Regular Sections
    • Rules for Section Lists
    • Implementation
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Named Values
    • Named Value Rules
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Single-Line Value Lists
    • Single-Line Value List Rules
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Multi-line Value Lists
    • Multi-line Value List Rules
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Text Values
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Integer Values
    • Rules for All Integer Values
    • Rules for Decimal Integers
    • Rules for the Byte Count Format
    • Rules for Hexadecimal Integers
    • Rules for Binary Integers
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Boolean Value
    • Rules
    • Features
  • Floating-Point Value
    • Rules
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Multi-line Text Values
    • Rules for Multi-line Text
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Date, Time, and Date-Time Values
    • Date Rules
    • Time Rules
    • Date-Time Rules
    • Rules About Handling Times Without Offsets
    • About Time Offsets, UTC, Time Zones, and Local Time
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Code Text Values
    • Rules for Single Line Code Text
    • Rules for Multi-line Code Text
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Byte-Data Values
    • Rules for Single Line Byte-Data
    • Rules for Multi-line Byte-Data
    • Supported Byte-Data Formats
    • Rules for the Hexadecimal Format
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Regular Expression Values
    • Rules for Regular Expression Values
    • Rules for Multi-line Regular Expression Values
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Time-Delta Values
    • Rules for Time-Delta Values
    • Time Units
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Meta Values and Commands
    • Basic Rules for Meta Values
    • The Meta Value “Version”
    • The Meta Value “Features”
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Meta Command “Include”
    • Rules
    • Recommended Value Format
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Meta Command “Signature”
    • Rules for the Meta Value
    • Rules for the Implementation
    • Recommended Signature Implementation
    • Important Considerations
    • Features
    • Errors
  • Limits Summary
  • Names for Value Types
    • Containers
    • Values
  • Error Categories and Codes
    • Rules for Error Reporting
    • List of Error Codes
    • Available Data
  • Error Category Details
    • Relaxed Handling of Specialized Syntax Errors
    • Error IO
    • Error Encoding
    • Error UnexpectedEnd
    • Error Character
    • Error Syntax
    • Error LimitExceeded
    • Error NameConflict
    • Error Indentation
    • Error Unsupported
    • Error Access
    • Error Validation
    • Error Signature
    • Error Internal
  • Feature Identifiers
    • Feature Groups
    • Individual Language Features
    • Parser Features
    • Available Data
• Validation Rules
• Contributing Guidelines
  • Code of Conduct
    • Our Commitment
    • Our Standards
    • Our Responsibilities
    • Scope
    • Reporting and Enforcement
    • Enforcement Guidelines
  • How Can I Contribute?
    • Reporting Issues in the Language Specification
    • Suggesting Enhancements to the Language
• License
• Changelog
  • Version 1.0.4 - 2025-07-10
  • Version 1.0.0 - 2025-07-09
• Glossary

Dictionaries

• Index

• Search Page