Author DSL Parser

The Author DSL parser reads and validates author.txt files. It turns them into a clean abstract syntax tree (AST) for use in scripts, websites, or applications. The format is designed for author profiles and metadata. It supports blocks, typed keys, lists, and multiline values.

Full specification: Author DSL Specification

Specification

• File name: author.txt
• Location: /author.txt or /.well-known/author.txt
• Purpose: Provide machine-readable metadata about authors or maintainers.

The DSL is line-oriented. Each line is a statement, block, or comment.

Syntax Rules

• Comments: Lines starting with # are ignored.
• Statements: Key: Value pairs.
• Typed keys: Key@type: Value. Common types include url, email, date, and multiline.
• Blocks: Begin with Begin Name and end with End Name.
• Lists: Repeated keys or comma-separated values.
• Multiline values: Use triple quotes """ to span multiple lines.
• Includes: Include: <path> to reference another file.

Reserved Keys

• Author-DSL – DSL version
• Include – references another file
• Expires – expiration date
• PublicKey / Fingerprint – optional identity proof

Example

# Author file example
Author-DSL: 1.0
Author: Lexi
Handle: 0x800a6
Alias: lexi, author, sysprog
Website@url: https://0x800a6.dev
Contact@email: mailto:[email protected]

Bio@multiline: """
Systems programmer.
Privacy advocate.
Inspired by Serial Experiments Lain.
"""

Begin Profile
    Skills: Assembly, Rust, C, TypeScript
    Motto: "Building the future, one line at a time"
End Profile

Include: https://0x800a6.dev/more-links.txt

AST Example

{
  "Author": "Lexi",
  "Handle": "0x800a6",
  "Alias": ["lexi", "author", "sysprog"],
  "Website": { "type": "url", "value": "https://0x800a6.dev" },
  "Bio": "Systems programmer.\nPrivacy advocate.\nInspired by Serial Experiments Lain.",
  "Profile": [
    { "Skills": ["Assembly", "Rust", "C", "TypeScript"], "Motto": "Building the future, one line at a time" }
  ]
}

Installation

npm install @0x800a6/author-txt

or clone directly:

git clone https://github.com/0x800a6/author.txt.git
cd author.txt

Usage

Basic Usage

import { readFileSync } from "fs";
import {
  parseAuthorDSL,
  formatParsedData,
  validateParsedData,
} from "@0x800a6/author-txt";

function main(): void {
  const inputPath = "author.txt";
  let input: string;

  try {
    input = readFileSync(inputPath, "utf-8");
  } catch (err) {
    console.error(`Failed to read file: ${inputPath}`);
    if (err instanceof Error) {
      console.error(err.message);
    }
    process.exit(1);
    return;
  }

  try {
    const data = parseAuthorDSL(input);
    console.log("Parsed JSON:", JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));
    console.log("Formatted:\n", formatParsedData(data));

    const warnings: string[] = validateParsedData(data);
    if (warnings.length > 0) {
      console.warn("Validation warnings:");
      for (const warning of warnings) {
        console.warn(`- ${warning}`);
      }
    }
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Parsing failed.");
    if (err instanceof Error) {
      console.error(err.message);
    } else {
      console.error("Unknown error:", err);
    }
    process.exit(1);
  }
}

main();

Using the Plugin System

import { 
  parseAuthorDSLWithPlugins, 
  validateParsedDataWithPlugins,
  PluginManager,
  JsonFormatterPlugin,
  YamlFormatterPlugin 
} from "@0x800a6/author-txt";

// Use with default plugins
const data = parseAuthorDSLWithPlugins(input);
const warnings = validateParsedDataWithPlugins(data);

// Or create custom plugin manager
const pluginManager = new PluginManager();
pluginManager.register(new JsonFormatterPlugin());
pluginManager.register(new YamlFormatterPlugin());

// Get available output formats
const formats = pluginManager.getAvailableFormats();
console.log('Available formats:', formats); // ['json', 'yaml', 'yml']

// Format data
const jsonOutput = pluginManager.formatData(data, 'json', { indent: 2 });
const yamlOutput = pluginManager.formatData(data, 'yaml');

Errors

The parser reports descriptive errors with line numbers. It will throw when:

• Blocks are unclosed or mismatched
• Multiline values are not closed
• Keys or types are invalid
• Keys or values are empty

Plugin System

The Author DSL Parser includes a comprehensive plugin system for extensibility:

Plugin Types

• Type Plugins: Handle custom value types (@phone, @github, @color)
• Validation Plugins: Add custom validation rules
• Formatter Plugins: Create custom output formats (JSON, YAML, Markdown)
• Parser Plugins: Hook into the parsing process

Built-in Plugins

• Type Plugins: @url, @email, @date, @phone, @github
• Validation Plugins: Enhanced validation, security checks
• Formatter Plugins: JSON, YAML, Markdown output

Creating Custom Plugins

import { TypePlugin, PluginContext, PluginMetadata } from '@0x800a6/author-txt';

class CustomTypePlugin implements TypePlugin {
  metadata: PluginMetadata = {
    name: 'custom-type',
    version: '1.0.0',
    description: 'Custom type plugin'
  };

  supportedTypes = ['custom'];

  processValue(value: string, type: string, context: PluginContext): any {
    return { type, value: value.toUpperCase() };
  }
}

// Register and use
const pluginManager = new PluginManager();
pluginManager.register(new CustomTypePlugin());
const data = parseAuthorDSL(input, pluginManager);

See Plugin System Documentation for complete details.

Extensibility

The DSL can grow without breaking existing files. You can:

• Add new types (@phone, @github, @color)
• Add new blocks for projects, skills, or social profiles
• Add attributes to keys (Social::Handle{preferred=main})
• Create custom plugins for any aspect of parsing, validation, or formatting

Parsers should ignore unknown keys to stay forward-compatible.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.