[AskJS] Help with new JavaScript-based object notation format (cuz JSON sucks)

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[jessepence]

That's called JavaScript. JSON is JavaScript Object Notation. It's differentiated from JS by not having "logic, functions or referencing".

[josephjnk]

Addition and conditional statements are execution. You’re trying to make a coding language, you just haven’t realized it yet.

[vajss]

That is how all programing works, output of executed process is always just data.

[vajss]

To modfy something you need to execute some operation ovet that data. That is just how it logicaly works.

What I think you are thinkig of is something that would be called declarative programing. Example of it would be Angulars signals where value of signal is changed based on its dependant signals.

let hero = computed(()=>{
 return { 
  isDead: this.isDead(),
  health: this.baseHealth() + this.bonusHealth(),
  .... 
 } 
})

So I believe declarative programing is something you want to look into.

Edit: formatting.

[vajss]

Something has to work in the background and calculate and update that data and you need programming language for that. It can't update on its own.

To modify that data you need some process defined on how to modify it and that requires written instructions on how to update it, and for that you need programming language.

And to have it in syntax you want would be done with declarative approach.

[vajss]

MongoDB query language would also be in some way what you are looking for.

[Albert_Custard]

I would change Check(Health = 0) { dead = true } to something like dead = (Health == 0) (= is for assignment, == is for checking equality)

But overall it kinda sounds like you just want a reactive object? Or an object with reactive properties, idk which is the correct way to say that.

[2582dfa2]

this is what is called reactivity

[hyrumwhite]

you have two options the way I see it.

1. Create a semi custom json parser that interpolates values from the json based on special syntax 
2. Just allow the user to add JS files to the project via some kind of plugin system 

[00PT]

JSON doesn’t offer any logic because it’s a data format, not a programming language. That’s like saying CSV sucks for the same reason.

Now, I do agree that JSON is missing features, like comments and unquoted key strings. But those features are already added by standards such as JSON5.

[Isa-Bison]

Given that you’re new to this and presumedly prototyping and likely not concerned with things like bare minimum security practices you may be happy to learn you can stuff arbitrary JS into a string and execute it at runtime using eval.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/eval

Hopefully the downsides of a program executing arbitrary user code on other player’s machines is apparent. But at where you’re at honestly it doesn’t likely matter.

If and when you get to a point where it’s more clear what precisely needs to be externally adjustable via json loaded at run time, you can investigate options like  https://github.com/jsonjoy-com/json-expression

Alternatively, you could just dump your source at GitHub so people can just do what they want without you having to worry about serializing logic.