recordnotation

Recordnotation is a notation system used to describe data records in a compact, human-readable form. It provides a syntax for listing field names and their values, often with support for nested records, optional fields, and type annotations. While not tied to a single language, recordnotation appears in programming languages with record types and in data modeling practices as a general approach to documenting data structures.

Typical forms emphasize clear field labeling and delimitation using braces or similar grouping. Nested records are indicated by nesting braces or indentation, and optional fields may be omitted or marked with a default. Type annotations help static tooling verify correctness and interoperability between systems.

Example: Person { name: 'Alice', age: 30, address: { city: 'Paris', country: 'France' } }.

Applications include configuration files, API schemas, database schema definitions, data interchange between services, and knowledge bases where entities are represented as labeled records. Recordnotation supports readability and ease of parsing for both humans and machines, making it useful in documentation, tooling, and rapid prototyping workflows.

Relation to other notations: recordnotation is related to structured data formats such as JSON, YAML, and XML, but it emphasizes explicit field labels and, in typed contexts, formal semantics for records. There is no single universal standard, and variants exist across languages and frameworks, sometimes combining features from multiple paradigms.

Limitations and considerations: the lack of a single standard can hinder interoperability; therefore, tooling and conventions (such as field name conventions, ordering, and type syntax) are important for ensuring consistent interpretation across systems.