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Front matter format comparison: Wikipedia infobox in various config languages
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front-matter-formats.md

Front Matter Format Comparison

Comparing how a Wikipedia infobox would look in various configuration languages that could be used for article front matter.

The original has three distinct elements:

  1. {{Short description|...}} - a metadata field
  2. {{Use dmy dates|...}} - a date format directive
  3. {{Infobox fashion designer|...}} - an infobox widget (with a specific type)

Original Wikipedia Template

{{Short description|Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox fashion designer
| name               = Valentino
| honorific_suffix   = [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic|OMRI]] [[Order of Merit for Labour|OML]]
| image              = Valentino (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Valentino at the [[2007 Cannes Film Festival]] 
| birth_name         = Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1932|5|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Voghera]], Lombardy, [[Kingdom of Italy]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2026|1|19|1932|5|11|df=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Rome]], Lazio, Italy
| education          = {{plainlist|
* [[Beaux-Arts de Paris]]
* [[École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne]]
}}
| partner            = [[Giancarlo Giammetti]] (1960–1972)<br>Vernon Bruce Hoeksema (1980–2026)<ref>{{cite news |title=Valentino, chiusa la camera ardente: 10mila visitatori in due giorni |url=https://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/cronaca/foto/valentino-camera-ardente_108174543-202602k.shtml |access-date=23 January 2026 |agency=tgcom24.mediaset.it |publisher=tgcom24.mediaset.it |date=22 January 2026}}</ref>
| label_name         = [[Valentino (fashion house)|Valentino]]
| awards             = {{hlist|[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]|[[Order of Merit for Labour|Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour]]|[[Knight of the Legion of Honour]]|[[Order of Arts and Letters|Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters]]|[[Medal of the City of Paris]]
}}
| website            = {{URL|valentino.com}}
}}

YAML

---
short_description: Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)
date_format: dmy

infobox:
  type: fashion designer
  name: Valentino
  honorific_suffix:
    - OMRI
    - OML
  image: Valentino (cropped).jpg
  caption: Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
  birth_name: Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani
  birth_date: 1932-05-11
  birth_place: Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy
  death_date: 2026-01-19
  death_place: Rome, Lazio, Italy
  education:
    - Beaux-Arts de Paris
    - École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne
  partners:
    - name: Giancarlo Giammetti
      years: 1960–1972
    - name: Vernon Bruce Hoeksema
      years: 1980–2026
  label_name: Valentino
  awards:
    - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
    - Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour
    - Knight of the Legion of Honour
    - Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
    - Medal of the City of Paris
  website: https://valentino.com
---

TOML

+++
short_description = "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)"
date_format = "dmy"

[infobox]
type = "fashion designer"
name = "Valentino"
honorific_suffix = ["OMRI", "OML"]
image = "Valentino (cropped).jpg"
caption = "Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival"
birth_name = "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani"
birth_date = 1932-05-11
birth_place = "Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy"
death_date = 2026-01-19
death_place = "Rome, Lazio, Italy"
education = [
  "Beaux-Arts de Paris",
  "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne"
]
label_name = "Valentino"
awards = [
  "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic",
  "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour",
  "Knight of the Legion of Honour",
  "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters",
  "Medal of the City of Paris"
]
website = "https://valentino.com"

[[infobox.partners]]
name = "Giancarlo Giammetti"
years = "1960–1972"

[[infobox.partners]]
name = "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema"
years = "1980–2026"
+++

KDL (Cuddly Document Language)

short-description "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)"
date-format "dmy"

infobox type="fashion designer" {
    name "Valentino"
    honorific-suffix "OMRI" "OML"
    birth-name "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani"
    birth 1932-05-11 place="Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy"
    death 2026-01-19 place="Rome, Lazio, Italy"

    image "Valentino (cropped).jpg" caption="Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival"

    education {
        - "Beaux-Arts de Paris"
        - "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne"
    }

    partner "Giancarlo Giammetti" years="1960–1972"
    partner "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema" years="1980–2026"

    label-name "Valentino"

    awards {
        - "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic"
        - "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour"
        - "Knight of the Legion of Honour"
        - "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters"
        - "Medal of the City of Paris"
    }

    website "https://valentino.com"
}

HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language)

short_description = "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)"
date_format       = "dmy"

infobox "fashion designer" {
  name             = "Valentino"
  honorific_suffix = ["OMRI", "OML"]
  birth_name       = "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani"
  
  birth {
    date  = "1932-05-11"
    place = "Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy"
  }
  
  death {
    date  = "2026-01-19"
    place = "Rome, Lazio, Italy"
  }

  image {
    file    = "Valentino (cropped).jpg"
    caption = "Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival"
  }

  education = [
    "Beaux-Arts de Paris",
    "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne"
  ]

  partner {
    name  = "Giancarlo Giammetti"
    years = "1960–1972"
  }

  partner {
    name  = "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema"
    years = "1980–2026"
  }

  label_name = "Valentino"

  awards = [
    "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic",
    "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour",
    "Knight of the Legion of Honour",
    "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters",
    "Medal of the City of Paris"
  ]

  website = "https://valentino.com"
}

CUE

short_description: "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)"
date_format:       "dmy"

infobox: {
    type:             "fashion designer"
    name:             "Valentino"
    honorific_suffix: ["OMRI", "OML"]
    birth_name:       "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani"

    birth: {
        date:  "1932-05-11"
        place: "Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy"
    }

    death: {
        date:  "2026-01-19"
        place: "Rome, Lazio, Italy"
    }

    image: {
        file:    "Valentino (cropped).jpg"
        caption: "Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival"
    }

    education: [
        "Beaux-Arts de Paris",
        "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne",
    ]

    partners: [
        {name: "Giancarlo Giammetti", years: "1960–1972"},
        {name: "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema", years: "1980–2026"},
    ]

    label_name: "Valentino"

    awards: [
        "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic",
        "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour",
        "Knight of the Legion of Honour",
        "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters",
        "Medal of the City of Paris",
    ]

    website: "https://valentino.com"
}

Jsonnet

{
  short_description: "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)",
  date_format: "dmy",
  
  infobox: {
    type: "fashion designer",
    name: "Valentino",
    honorific_suffix: ["OMRI", "OML"],
    birth_name: "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani",
    
    birth: {
      date: "1932-05-11",
      place: "Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy",
    },
    
    death: {
      date: "2026-01-19", 
      place: "Rome, Lazio, Italy",
    },
    
    image: {
      file: "Valentino (cropped).jpg",
      caption: "Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival",
    },
    
    education: [
      "Beaux-Arts de Paris",
      "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne",
    ],
    
    partners: [
      {name: "Giancarlo Giammetti", years: "1960–1972"},
      {name: "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema", years: "1980–2026"},
    ],
    
    label_name: "Valentino",
    
    awards: [
      "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic",
      "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour",
      "Knight of the Legion of Honour",
      "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters",
      "Medal of the City of Paris",
    ],
    
    website: "https://valentino.com",
  },
}

HOCON

short-description = "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)"
date-format = dmy

infobox {
  type = "fashion designer"
  name = Valentino
  honorific-suffix = [OMRI, OML]
  birth-name = "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani"

  birth {
    date = 1932-05-11
    place = "Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy"
  }

  death {
    date = 2026-01-19
    place = "Rome, Lazio, Italy"
  }

  image {
    file = "Valentino (cropped).jpg"
    caption = "Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival"
  }

  education = [
    "Beaux-Arts de Paris"
    "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne"
  ]

  partners = [
    {name = "Giancarlo Giammetti", years = "1960–1972"}
    {name = "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema", years = "1980–2026"}
  ]

  label-name = Valentino

  awards = [
    "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic"
    "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour"
    "Knight of the Legion of Honour"
    "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters"
    "Medal of the City of Paris"
  ]

  website = "https://valentino.com"
}

SDLang (Simple Declarative Language)

short-description "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)"
date-format "dmy"

infobox type="fashion designer" {
    name "Valentino"
    honorific-suffix "OMRI" "OML"
    birth-name "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani"
    birth date=1932-05-11 place="Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy"
    death date=2026-01-19 place="Rome, Lazio, Italy"

    image "Valentino (cropped).jpg" caption="Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival"

    education {
        school "Beaux-Arts de Paris"
        school "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne"
    }

    partner "Giancarlo Giammetti" years="1960–1972"
    partner "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema" years="1980–2026"

    label-name "Valentino"

    awards {
        award "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic"
        award "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour"
        award "Knight of the Legion of Honour"
        award "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters"
        award "Medal of the City of Paris"
    }

    website "https://valentino.com"
}

NestedText

short_description: Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)
date_format: dmy

infobox:
    type: fashion designer
    name: Valentino
    honorific_suffix:
        - OMRI
        - OML
    birth_name: Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani
    birth:
        date: 1932-05-11
        place: Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy
    death:
        date: 2026-01-19
        place: Rome, Lazio, Italy
    image:
        file: Valentino (cropped).jpg
        caption: Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
    education:
        - Beaux-Arts de Paris
        - École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne
    partners:
        -
            name: Giancarlo Giammetti
            years: 1960–1972
        -
            name: Vernon Bruce Hoeksema
            years: 1980–2026
    label_name: Valentino
    awards:
        - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
        - Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour
        - Knight of the Legion of Honour
        - Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
        - Medal of the City of Paris
    website: https://valentino.com

Ion (Amazon)

{
  short_description: "Italian fashion designer (1932–2026)",
  date_format: dmy,

  infobox: {
    type: "fashion designer",
    name: "Valentino",
    honorific_suffix: [OMRI, OML],
    birth_name: "Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani",
    birth: {
      date: 1932-05-11,
      place: "Voghera, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy"
    },
    death: {
      date: 2026-01-19,
      place: "Rome, Lazio, Italy"
    },
    image: {
      file: "Valentino (cropped).jpg",
      caption: "Valentino at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival"
    },
    education: [
      "Beaux-Arts de Paris",
      "École de la chambre syndicale de la couture parisienne"
    ],
    partners: [
      {name: "Giancarlo Giammetti", years: "1960–1972"},
      {name: "Vernon Bruce Hoeksema", years: "1980–2026"}
    ],
    label_name: "Valentino",
    awards: [
      "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic",
      "Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour",
      "Knight of the Legion of Honour",
      "Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters",
      "Medal of the City of Paris"
    ],
    website: "https://valentino.com"
  }
}

Comparison

Format Feel Standout Feature
KDL Most natural for this data - positional args + attributes feel like wiki templates infobox type="fashion designer" { ... }
HCL Clean labeled blocks infobox "fashion designer" { ... }
SDLang Very similar to KDL Native date literals
HOCON Relaxed - unquoted strings, optional commas Least punctuation
NestedText Looks like YAML but everything is a string (no surprises) No quoting needed
CUE/Jsonnet Overkill unless you want validation/templating Type constraints
TOML [infobox] section works well, but nested [[infobox.partners]] is awkward Great for flat data
Ion Symbols (unquoted identifiers) are interesting dmy vs "dmy"

KDL and HCL handle the "typed block" concept most elegantly - infobox type="fashion designer" or infobox "fashion designer" mirrors the original {{Infobox fashion designer}} template syntax nicely.

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