Module YAML
In: lib/yaml.rb

YAML

YAML(tm) (rhymes with ‘camel’) is a straightforward machine parsable data serialization format designed for human readability and interaction with scripting languages such as Perl and Python. YAML is optimized for data serialization, formatted dumping, configuration files, log files, Internet messaging and filtering. This specification describes the YAML information model and serialization format. Together with the Unicode standard for characters, it provides all the information necessary to understand YAML Version 1.0 and construct computer programs to process it.

See yaml.org/ for more information. For a quick tutorial, please visit YAML In Five Minutes (yaml.kwiki.org/?YamlInFiveMinutes).

About This Library

The YAML 1.0 specification outlines four stages of YAML loading and dumping. This library honors all four of those stages, although data is really only available to you in three stages.

The four stages are: native, representation, serialization, and presentation.

The native stage refers to data which has been loaded completely into Ruby‘s own types. (See +YAML::load+.)

The representation stage means data which has been composed into +YAML::BaseNode+ objects. In this stage, the document is available as a tree of node objects. You can perform YPath queries and transformations at this level. (See +YAML::parse+.)

The serialization stage happens inside the parser. The YAML parser used in Ruby is called Syck. Serialized nodes are available in the extension as SyckNode structs.

The presentation stage is the YAML document itself. This is accessible to you as a string. (See +YAML::dump+.)

For more information about the various information models, see Chapter 3 of the YAML 1.0 Specification (yaml.org/spec/#id2491269).

The YAML module provides quick access to the most common loading (YAML::load) and dumping (YAML::dump) tasks. This module also provides an API for registering global types (YAML::add_domain_type).

Example

A simple round-trip (load and dump) of an object.

    require "yaml"

    test_obj = ["dogs", "cats", "badgers"]

    yaml_obj = YAML::dump( test_obj )
                        # -> ---
                             - dogs
                             - cats
                             - badgers
    ruby_obj = YAML::load( yaml_obj )
                        # => ["dogs", "cats", "badgers"]
    ruby_obj == test_obj
                        # => true

To register your custom types with the global resolver, use add_domain_type.

    YAML::add_domain_type( "your-site.com,2004", "widget" ) do |type, val|
        Widget.new( val )
    end

Methods

Constants

Resolver = YAML::Syck::Resolver
DefaultResolver = YAML::Syck::DefaultResolver
GenericResolver = YAML::Syck::GenericResolver
Parser = YAML::Syck::Parser
Emitter = YAML::Syck::Emitter

Public Class methods

Add a global handler for a YAML domain type.

Detect typing of a string

Converts obj to YAML and writes the YAML result to io.

  File.open( 'animals.yaml', 'w' ) do |out|
    YAML.dump( ['badger', 'elephant', 'tiger'], out )
  end

If no io is provided, a string containing the dumped YAML is returned.

  YAML.dump( :locked )
     #=> "--- :locked"

Returns a YAML stream containing each of the items in objs, each having their own document.

  YAML.dump_stream( 0, [], {} )
    #=> --- 0
        --- []
        --- {}

Calls block with each consecutive document in the YAML stream contained in io.

  File.open( 'many-docs.yaml' ) do |yf|
    YAML.each_document( yf ) do |ydoc|
      ## ydoc contains the single object
      ## from the YAML document
    end
  end

Calls block with a tree of +YAML::BaseNodes+, one tree for each consecutive document in the YAML stream contained in io.

  File.open( 'many-docs.yaml' ) do |yf|
    YAML.each_node( yf ) do |ydoc|
      ## ydoc contains a tree of nodes
      ## from the YAML document
    end
  end

Returns a new default emitter

Returns a new generic parser

Load a document from the current io stream.

  File.open( 'animals.yaml' ) { |yf| YAML::load( yf ) }
     #=> ['badger', 'elephant', 'tiger']

Can also load from a string.

  YAML.load( "--- :locked" )
     #=> :locked

Calls block with each consecutive document in the YAML stream contained in io.

  File.open( 'many-docs.yaml' ) do |yf|
    YAML.load_documents( yf ) do |ydoc|
      ## ydoc contains the single object
      ## from the YAML document
    end
  end

Load a document from the file located at filepath.

  YAML.load_file( 'animals.yaml' )
     #=> ['badger', 'elephant', 'tiger']

Loads all documents from the current io stream, returning a +YAML::Stream+ object containing all loaded documents.

Allocate blank object

Parse the first document from the current io stream

  File.open( 'animals.yaml' ) { |yf| YAML::load( yf ) }
     #=> #<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccce0
          @kind=:seq,
          @value=
           [#<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccd94
             @kind=:scalar,
             @type_id="str",
             @value="badger">,
            #<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccd58
             @kind=:scalar,
             @type_id="str",
             @value="elephant">,
            #<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccd1c
             @kind=:scalar,
             @type_id="str",
             @value="tiger">]>

Can also load from a string.

  YAML.parse( "--- :locked" )
     #=> #<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82edddc
           @type_id="tag:ruby.yaml.org,2002:sym",
           @value=":locked", @kind=:scalar>

Calls block with a tree of +YAML::BaseNodes+, one tree for each consecutive document in the YAML stream contained in io.

  File.open( 'many-docs.yaml' ) do |yf|
    YAML.parse_documents( yf ) do |ydoc|
      ## ydoc contains a tree of nodes
      ## from the YAML document
    end
  end

Parse a document from the file located at filepath.

  YAML.parse_file( 'animals.yaml' )
     #=> #<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccce0
          @kind=:seq,
          @value=
           [#<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccd94
             @kind=:scalar,
             @type_id="str",
             @value="badger">,
            #<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccd58
             @kind=:scalar,
             @type_id="str",
             @value="elephant">,
            #<YAML::Syck::Node:0x82ccd1c
             @kind=:scalar,
             @type_id="str",
             @value="tiger">]>

Returns a new default parser

Allocate an Emitter if needed

Method to extract colon-seperated type and class, returning the type and the constant of the class

Returns the default resolver

Convert a type_id to a taguri

Apply a transfer method to a Ruby object

Apply any implicit a node may qualify for

[Validate]

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