From: why the lucky stiff <ruby-talk@...>
Date: 2004-03-30T01:29:47+09:00
Subject: Re: YAML and initializers

Hal Fulton wrote:
> 
> Other questions...
> 
> 1. Have you given any thought to preserving comments in  yaml files?
> E.g., I read in an entire file, modify some stuff, and write it out
> again -- any practical way to keep the comments?

Okay, yeah.  It's one of those things I'd like to have, but there hasn't 
been a big demand for it.  Truly: I'm not too excited about coding it 
in.  But I could really use it as well.

> 2. I wish for a little more control over formatting. Possible?
>    a. Specify order of fields instead of alphabetic
>    b. Align field names and data in a "prettyprinted" way

Specifying field order is a cinch.

   class MyClass
     def to_yaml_properties
       ['@gamma', '@beta', '@alpha']
     end
   end

See the 'Type Families'[1] section in the docs for the low down on 
customizing loading and emitting further.

As for 2b, give me another day and I'll 'splain about how to lay things 
out with perfect daintiness.  Just takes a minute to detail.

_why

[1] http://yaml4r.sourceforge.net/doc/page/type_families.htm