Dash Markup

Introduction

0. “Dash” refers to the ASCII glyph 0x2d - , which is also called “hyphen” or “minus” in various context.

1. Dash Markup is line of text that ends with dash:

   Dash - Markup --

2. Dash Markup is designed for typing & parsing with ease.

   For example, it can translate to XML:

   <Dash Markup />

   That said, you may use & extend it for anything suitable in your mind.

3. Let’s define:

   • “ - ” is a single dash,
   • “ -- ” is a double dash, and
   • other things between spaces are words.

4. Note that,

   • only dashes, spaces, and newlines are meaningful for Dash Markup syntax;
   • mixing up dash markup and plain text or whatever format is completely ok;
   • spaces around the dashes are strict;
   • indentations are treated as plain text;
   • in case regular dashes are wanted where dashes parsed as part of syntax, use more than 2 dashes;
   • Dash Markup should be reasonably loose: it shouldn’t blame one for trying out edge & undefined cases.

That’s all for Dash Markup itself.

Example Use Case(s)

See an excellent use case: Dash XML.