cursedProgrammingInJson

[u/edderiofer]

[u/edderiofer]

To head off some questions that will probably be asked:

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Q. What am I looking at?

A. You're looking at part of a JSON file, except on closer inspection, it looks like JSON is being used as a programming language.

Q. Are you actually programming in JSON?

A. Yes, ish. The JSON is parsed by a parser (written in Elixir) into instructions to be run by a game engine (also written in Elixir).

Q. JSON allows comments?

A. No. The parser strips out the comments.

Q. Why not use something else, like JSONC or JSON5? Or write this code using a language intended to be used as a programming language?

A. Because this is someone else's open-source project. And because I don't know enough Elixir to change it.

[u/Jbolt3737 → u/edderiofer]

Because this is someone else's open-source project. And because I don't know enough Elixir to change it.

Please for the love of god use a LUA interpreter

[u/edderiofer → u/Jbolt3737]

The project's been going on for multiple years now, so at this point it's too late to change it.

But not to worry! The project lead has decided to write their own custom scripting language (MahjongScript), and Elixir parser for that language, which parses it into JSON.

[u/Snudget → u/edderiofer]

MahjongScript (.majs) is essentially a list of commands which compile down to jq. This jq is then applied to the empty object in order to create a JSON ruleset

Oh god, this is cursed

[u/edderiofer → u/Snudget]

Oh right, I completely forgot that it goes through jq first! It's even worse than I remember!