Glossary

Definitions of key Internet Object terms.

Document — A complete Internet Object unit: an optional header, then data, optionally split into sections.

Header — The part of a document before ---, holding the schema, definitions, and metadata.

Data section — The part after --- holding the actual values: a single object or a collection. A document may have multiple named sections.

Section — A named (or default) block of data with an associated schema, introduced by a --- separator.

Collection — An ordered sequence of records, each beginning with ~.

Record — One item of a collection (an object).

Object — An ordered set of key/value members, written { … } or, at top level, unbraced.

Member — One key/value pair (keyed) or value (positional) inside an object.

Value — A scalar (string, number, bigint, decimal, datetime, binary, boolean, null) or a structured value (object, array).

Schema — A description of the shape and constraints of data, written in object syntax.

SchemaDef — A schema that describes an object's shape (its fields and their types).

MemberDef — A definition of a single field: its type plus constraints ({ string, maxLen: 40 }).

TypeDef — The fixed contract for a built-in type: the options a MemberDef of that type may use. Defined by the specification, not by authors.

Type — A named kind of value (string, int, decimal, …). Built-in types form a closed set; some are shortcuts (e.g. uint8, email) over a base type plus constraints.

Shortcut — A built-in name that stands for a base type plus preset constraints (int8 is int with an 8-bit range; email is string with an email pattern). A true 1:1 rename (e.g. byte for uint8) is an alias.

Definition — A header entry ~ key: value — metadata, a variable, or a reference.

Variable — A reusable value defined with @name and used as @name.

Reference (ref) — A reusable schema or type defined with $name and used as $name.

$schema — The special reference naming a document's default schema.

Open string / Regular string / Raw string — The three ways to write text: unquoted, quoted with escapes, and r'…' literal.

Extensible schema — A schema marked with * that accepts fields beyond those declared. Contrast strict schema, the default, which accepts only the fields it declares and reports unknown-member for anything else. Both are properties of a schema; they are unrelated to whether an object is written open (unbraced) or closed (braced) — see Open object. A reader coming from JSON Schema will know a strict schema as additionalProperties: false.

Strict schema — See Extensible schema.

Open object — An object written without braces, so its members are delimited by the enclosing record rather than by { and }. A closed object is written with braces. This is a question of syntax, and says nothing about whether the governing schema is strict or extensible.

Positional member — A member written as a value with no key, bound to a schema member by its position in the record rather than by name. Its key, where one is needed, is its index as a string: the first positional member is "0".

Optional / Nullable — A field marked ? may be omitted; a field marked * may be null.

See Also