TDMUL – Tranfer Data Markup Language

TDMUL is a simple, human-readable markup language designed for storing and transferring structured data. It’s inspired by JSON but is easier to read, write, and edit by hand, and supports dynamic references, lists, and nested sections.

Features

• Human-friendly syntax – indentation-based, no braces or quotes needed for simple values.
• Automatic type inference – numbers, booleans, strings, and lists are automatically detected.
• Nested sections – organize data hierarchically with indentation.
• Dynamic references – reuse values with &refName.
• Read & write support – parse TDMUL files and create new ones from JavaScript.

Syntax Overview

Sections

Sections are indicated with :: at the end of a line:

users::
    user:
        id = 101
        name = John Doe
        tags = [admin, editor]

Key-Value Pairs

Simple assignments use =:

main_email = [email protected]
age = 30
active = true

Lists

Lists are enclosed in square brackets []:

tags = [admin, editor, editor-in-chief]

Dynamic References

Reuse a value defined elsewhere using &:

primary_email = &main_email

Using TDMUL in JavaScript

Loading a TDMUL file

const TDMUL = require('./index.js');
const tdmul = new TDMUL();

tdmul.load('data.tdmul');
console.log(tdmul.getData());

Modifying Data

const data = tdmul.getData();

// Add a new user
data.users.push({
    user: {
        id: 104,
        name: 'Alice',
        email: '[email protected]',
        tags: ['editor'],
        age: 28
    }
});

tdmul.setData(data);

Saving Data Back to a File

tdmul.save('output.tdmul');

Example TDMUL File

users::
    user:
        id = 101
        name = John Doe
        email = [email protected]
        tags = [admin, editor]
    user:
        id = 102
        name = Jane Smith
        email = [email protected]
        tags = [editor]

main_email = [email protected]

Why TDMUL?

TDMUL is designed for people who don’t want to deal with JSON braces and quotes all the time. It’s ideal for:

• Configuration files
• Simple databases
• Data transfer between scripts or services
• Rapid prototyping

Installation

Clone the repository and use Node.js:

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd tdmul
node test.js

Notes

• TDMUL is case-sensitive.
• Indentation matters — always use spaces consistently.
• Lists can contain numbers, booleans, or strings.
• Dynamic references must refer to existing keys.