elementto

Elementto is a theoretical data transformation language designed to map elements of an input data structure to outputs in a configurable way. It functions as a domain-specific language for expressing element-level transformations within data pipelines, templates, and report-generation workflows.

The name blends element and to, reflecting its core purpose of converting or routing individual data elements to targeted representations. Elementto is presented as a lightweight, non-Turing-complete language intended for declarative specification rather than general computation.

Origins of elementto trace to academic and industry collaborations in the early 2010s, with several open specifications and reference implementations published as experimental projects. While not widely standardized, it has inspired several prototyping tools in data integration and templating platforms.

Design emphasizes readability and portability. A program consists of element selectors, which identify input data paths, and transformation rules, which describe how to derive output values. Rules may include basic operations (trim, upper case), formatting, conditional branches, and simple mappings.

Common use cases include renaming fields during schema migrations, formatting dates and numbers, extracting nested values, and composing output records for dashboards or reports. Implementations exist in multiple languages, with small libraries providing parsers, validators, and executors.

Reception to elementto has been cautious and generally niche. Critics note limited tooling and ecosystem, and potential performance concerns for large schemas. Proponents credit its clarity for straightforward transformations and its role as a teaching example of declarative data mapping.

Related languages and standards include JSONata and JMESPath.