Xfer is an innovative data-serialization language designed to provide a more flexible and strictly-typed alternative to JSON. Currently in its experimental phase, Xfer aims to enhance the way we manage data structure and type definition with several advanced features, including:

• Nested Elements: Xfer employs a unique syntax using angle brackets and specific marker characters for nested elements, allowing for clear organization within the data structure.

  <//This is how a comment </can contain another comment/>, //>
  <"""and a string can contain <""another string which <"contains another string">"">.""">
  

• Comment Support: Xfer documents can include comments that the parser will ignore, ensuring that developers can provide clear documentation without affecting the actual data.

  </ This is a comment. />
  

• Strict Typing: Unlike the loose typing of JSON, Xfer enforces strict data types, enhancing reliability and reducing errors in data handling.

  </ String element />
  <"Hello, World!">  
  

• Metadata Inclusion: Xfer allows the integration of metadata, providing context and additional information about the document itself, such as its version or message identification.

  <@
      <: version <"1.0"> :>
      <: message_id <"5D3208CB-77EC-4BC4-A256-97AD296BBEF7"> :>
      <: ttl <#3600#> :>
      <: description <"This is a sample document."> :>
  @>
  

• Placeholder Substitution: Provides the ability to include placeholders that can be dynamically replaced with values during runtime.

  <: message <"Hello, <|USER|>!"> :>
  

Xfer vs JSON

For comparison, consider the following JSON document:

{
    "name": "Alice",
    "age": 30,
    "isMember": true,
    "scores": [85, 90, 78.5],
    "profile": {
        "email": "alice@example.com",
        "joinedDate": "2023-01-15T12:00:00"
    }
}

The equivalent Xfer document showcases its explicit type definitions, leading to improved clarity and structure:

<{
    <: name <"Alice"> :>
    <: age <#30#> :>
    <: isMember <~true~> :>
    <: scores <[<*85*> <*90*> <*78.5*>]> :>
    <: profile <{
            <: email <"alice@example.com"> :>
            <: joinedDate <@2023-01-15T12:00:00@> :>
        }> 
    :>
}>  

Join us on this journey as we evolve Xfer into a professional-grade data-transfer language, with plans to extend its implementations to other programming languages like Rust, C++, JavaScript, and TypeScript. Contributions and feedback are highly encouraged, as we welcome the collaboration of fellow developers!