What is YAML?

• YAML stands for Yet Another Markup Language. Now, we call it YAML Ain't Markup Language.

• It's not a programming language, instead, it's a data format used to exchange data just like JSON and XML are used.

• We use YAML for data storing operations.

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Why would you need to use YAML Files?

• YAML is a digestible data serialization language often used to create configuration files with any programming language.

• Designed for human interaction

• YAML is a strict superset of JSON, another data serialization language.

• has strict syntax -> indentation is important

• more powerful when using complex data

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What is Data Serialization?

• a process of converting data objects into a complex data structure/stream of bytes.

• serialization helps the data to save or transmit into either YAML files, memory etc.

• The reverse process—constructing a data structure or object from a series of bytes—is deserialization

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Languages used for Data Serialization?

• YAML

• JSON

• XML

These languages are used to represent data in form of code

Object -> File: Serialization

File -> Object: Deserialization

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Getting into the coding side of YAML

• The extension to make a YAML file is : .yml or .yaml

Datatypes in YAML

• String variables:

• These are some of the ways to create string variables in YAML

myself : Akash
fruit : "orange"
job : 'swe'

• Integer, Float, Bool:

number : 54
marks : 56.6
booleanV : No(false)
booleanV : Yes(true)

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Specifying the datatypes in YAML

'!!' are used with the data type you want to create

• For integers:

zero : !!int 45
binaryNum : !!int 0b11001
commaValue : !!int + 540000

• For floating values:

marks : !!float 56.89

• Other data types:

infinite : !!float .inf
not a num : .nan
boolV : !!bool No
strig : !!str
exponential num : 6.023E56

Comments in YAML

• '#' is used to create comments in YAML

• It does not support Multi- line comments

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Lists in YAML

There are multiple ways to create lists in YAML. Some are given below

-apple
-mango
-banana

cities : [newdelhi , mumbai , gujrat]

• YAML is a collection of documents.

• Documents are separated by '---':

-apple
-mango
-banana
---
-hero
-heroine
-model
---

• To end a document, '...' are used

-apple
-mango
-banana
---
-hero
-heroine
-model
...

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Advance Data types in YAML

• We write the list as a sequence in YAML

students : !!seq
-marks
-name
-rollno

Note: There might be a case when some keys are empty. Then the sequence is called a "Sparse Sequence".

sparse seq:
-marks
-name
-
-rollno

Nested Sequence

-
    -mango                               #nested items
    -apple                               #nested items 
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Key-Value pair or Maps

• The syntax to create such maps are:

name : Akash
age : 15

Nested Map

name : Akash
role : 
        age : 15
        email : "aka@yahoo.com"

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Reusing the properties using Anchors

• Reusing the properties is the same as using a bunch of codes in different places without just copying and pasting the same code again and again

likings : &likes
    fav fruit : mango
    dislikes : grapes

# to copy the properties above to another map

person1 : 
    name : Akash
    << : *likes
    # you can overwrite too 
    dislikes : berries

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Reference

Kunal Kushwaha

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