Feature Request: Case sensitive YAML variables

Feature Request: Case sensitive YAML variables

[Dave Jarvis]

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Consider:


entity:
  name:
    singular: bacterium
    plural: bacteria
  capname:
    singular: Bacterium
    plural: Bacteria


The extra level of indirection could be eliminated by supporting case 
sensitivity:


entity:
  singular: bacterium
  plural: bacteria
  Singular: Bacterium
  Plural: Bacteria


The end user would have to enable case-sensitive YAML variables from the 
command-line, explicitly (to maintain backwards compatibility), such as:


pandoc filename.md --template filename.yaml --case-sensitive 


Using uppercase and lowercase also requires three tiers. The names aren't 
important; the following are equivalent:


entity:
  lc:
    singular: bacterium
    plural: bacteria
  uc:
    singular: Bacterium
    plural: Bacteria


entity:
  singular:
    lowercase: bacterium
    uppercase: Bacterium
  plural:
    lowercase: bacteria
    uppercase: Bacteria


I'd like to eliminate that extra tier altogether:


entity:
  single: bacterium
  Single: Bacterium
  plural: bacteria
  Plural: Bacteria


Variable case sensitivity would be useful for screenplays as well, where 
the first instance of a character's name is typically all uppercase:


name:
  first: Jean-Luc
  FIRST: JEAN-LUC


Further, several specifications respect case of YAML keys:

   - YAML and JSON should have interoperability <http://jsontoyaml.com/>, 
   and JSON is case-sensitive
   - RAML <http://docs.raml.org/specs/1.0/#raml-10-spec-markup-language>, 
   an application of the YAML 1.2 specification, is case-sensitive.
   - The Ruby YAML parser is case-sensitive, as are several Go YAML parsers.
   - Swagger <http://swagger.io/specification/> is case-sensitive.
   - Various tools <https://github.com/dbohdan/remarshal> convert between 
   TOML, YAML, and JSON.

There is a large tooling infrastructure that can be leveraged and a world 
of pipelines that are possible when the option of treating YAML 
case-sensitively exists. How many people would take advantage of such 
interoperability within their MD text is unknown, but likely rather small.


I read a few times that this extra command-line option would break 
backwards compatibility. First, I'm not sure how. Second, even if it did, a 
warning/log message could be given to the end-user (and a suitable error 
code returned). Third, documentation should explain how the option breaks 
backwards compatibility. Fourth, it is possible to list keys that should be 
treated case-insensitively (to maintain backwards compatibility).


For example:


pandoc filename.md --template filename.yaml --case-sensitive --case-except 'title'


Thoughts?

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Re: Feature Request: Case sensitive YAML variables

[John MacFarlane]

Let me clarify a few things (apologies, I didn't have this clearly in
view when commenting on the issue in the tracker).

The Markdown reader already supports case-sensitive fields
in YAML metadata:

```
% pandoc -t native -s
---
hi: 11
Hi: 12
...
Pandoc (Meta {unMeta = fromList [("Hi",MetaString "12"),("hi",MetaString "11")]})
[]
```

And the template engine does too!

Try this template, test.tpl:
```
$hi$
$Hi$
```

```
% pandoc --template test.tpl -s
---
hi: 11
Hi: 12
...
^D
11
12
```

So now I'm a bit confused about the issue!  Everything you're asking
for already seems to work in pandoc.  If you find otherwise, please
give the exact command line and input file to test with.


+++ Dave Jarvis [Nov 16 15 16:53 ]:
>   Consider:
>entity:
>  name:
>    singular: bacterium
>    plural: bacteria
>  capname:
>    singular: Bacterium
>    plural: Bacteria
>
>   The extra level of indirection could be eliminated by supporting case
>   sensitivity:
>
>entity:
>  singular: bacterium
>  plural: bacteria
>  Singular: Bacterium
>  Plural: Bacteria
>
>   The end user would have to enable case-sensitive YAML variables from
>   the command-line, explicitly (to maintain backwards compatibility),
>   such as:
>
>   pandoc filename.md --template filename.yaml --case-sensitive
>
>   Using uppercase and lowercase also requires three tiers. The names
>   aren't important; the following are equivalent:
>
>entity:
>  lc:
>    singular: bacterium
>    plural: bacteria
>  uc:
>    singular: Bacterium
>    plural: Bacteria
>
>entity:
>  singular:
>    lowercase: bacterium
>    uppercase: Bacterium
>  plural:
>    lowercase: bacteria
>    uppercase: Bacteria
>
>
>   I'd like to eliminate that extra tier altogether:
>
>entity:
>  single: bacterium
>  Single: Bacterium
>  plural: bacteria
>  Plural: Bacteria
>
>   Variable case sensitivity would be useful for screenplays as well,
>   where the first instance of a character's name is typically all
>   uppercase:
>
>name:
>  first: Jean-Luc
>  FIRST: JEAN-LUC
>
>   Further, several specifications respect case of YAML keys:
>     * YAML and JSON should have [1]interoperability, and JSON is
>       case-sensitive
>     * [2]RAML, an application of the YAML 1.2 specification, is
>       case-sensitive.
>     * The Ruby YAML parser is case-sensitive, as are several Go YAML
>       parsers.
>     * [3]Swagger is case-sensitive.
>     * Various [4]tools convert between TOML, YAML, and JSON.
>
>   There is a large tooling infrastructure that can be leveraged and a
>   world of pipelines that are possible when the option of treating YAML
>   case-sensitively exists. How many people would take advantage of such
>   interoperability within their MD text is unknown, but likely rather
>   small.
>
>   I read a few times that this extra command-line option would break
>   backwards compatibility. First, I'm not sure how. Second, even if it
>   did, a warning/log message could be given to the end-user (and a
>   suitable error code returned). Third, documentation should explain how
>   the option breaks backwards compatibility. Fourth, it is possible to
>   list keys that should be treated case-insensitively (to maintain
>   backwards compatibility).
>
>   For example:
>
>pandoc filename.md --template filename.yaml --case-sensitive --case-except 'titl
>e'
>
>   Thoughts?
>
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>
>References
>
>   1. http://jsontoyaml.com/
>   2. http://docs.raml.org/specs/1.0/#raml-10-spec-markup-language
>   3. http://swagger.io/specification/
>   4. https://github.com/dbohdan/remarshal
>   5. mailto:pandoc-discuss+unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
>   6. mailto:pandoc-discuss-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
>   7. https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pandoc-discuss/afb837fa-7623-4574-bfdc-48991f2b2e3f-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
>   8. https://groups.google.com/d/optout