recordjar

Overview ¶

Package recordjar implements the main file format used by WolfMUD. It is based on a combination of RFC5322 and the Record Jar format as described by Eric Raymond in "The Art of Unix Programming", chapter 5:

http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/taoup/html/ch05s02.html

It is not an actual implementation of the RFC5322 format just based on it:

• Unicode is allowed in field names and data
• Whitespace handling is more lenient
• Line endings can be CRLF or LF
• Comments are lines starting with '//' characters
• Multiple records are separated by the '%%' sequence
• If a record contains only a free text block a blank line does not need to preceed it.

White space may proceed field names, comments or record separators. Leading whitespace and blank lines will be preserved in the free text section.

Here is a simple example of two starting locations:

//
// The Dragon's Breath tavern. L1 to L4
//
    Ref: L1
   Type: Start
   Name: Fireplace
Aliases: TAVERN FIREPLACE
  Exits: E→L3 SE→L4 S→L2

You are in the corner of a common room in the Dragon's Breath tavern.
There is a fire burning away merrily in an ornate fireplace giving
comfort to weary travellers. Shadows flicker around the room, changing
light to darkness and back again. To the south the common room extends
and east the common room leads to the tavern entrance.
%%
    Ref: L2
   Type: Start
   Name: Common Room
Aliases: TAVERN COMMON
  Exits: N→L1 NE→L3 E→L4

You are in a small, cosy common room in the Dragon's Breath tavern.
Looking around you see a few chairs and tables for patrons. To the east
there is a bar and to the north you can see a merry fireplace burning
away.

When this example is read you would have a Jar which is a slice of Records - in this case two of them.