YAML description format

This page documents the organization of YAML documents delivered at the URIs of the standard tags in the FamilySearch GEDCOM 7 specification and the extension tag registry. The YAML documents are not part of the standard itself, and while the intent is that they remain stable and usable in the long term, if a valid reason arises they may be changed independently of the versioning process.

YAML documents in this form are used to define

• Structure types
• Enumeration values and sets
• Calendars and months
• Payload datatypes
• Known payloads for URI-valued structures

For ease of presentation, we call whatever a YAML document is describing a “concept”.

Readable YAML

The files are provided in YAML 1.2. YAML was chosen because it is readily parseable in many programming languages and it can be formatted in a human-readable way. Because YAML provides many formatting options, using a readable style is an option, not a guarantee, and should be considered when preparing the YAML documents.

The YAML should use only untagged nodes with types seq, map, and str from the fail safe schema and null from the JSON schema.

Long strings should be wrapped on whitespace to keep the YAML under 80 columns if feasible. Strings containing newlines should be presented using the literal block style. Strings without newlines may presented in any flow style (though note the restrictions on plain style strings).

Sequences and mappings should be in the block style unless they are empty, in which case a flow style should be used instead. The top-level mapping should have a blank line between each mapping entry.

To ease machine identification of YAML blocks, document markers are recommended. In particular, documents should begin with both the YAML directive “%YAML 1.2” and the directives end marker “---”, and should end with the document end marker “...”.

YAML document schema

Each YAML document is a map with str keys.

The following shorthand types are used in this document:

Name	YAML type	Other constraints
Cardinality Marker	str	A cardinality marker as defined in the FamilySearch GEDCOM 7 specification
extTag	str	Matching extTag from the FamilySearch GEDCOM 7 specification
Language Tag	str	A valid language tag, as defined in BCP 47
stdTag	str	Matching stdTag from the FamilySearch GEDCOM 7 specification
Tag	str	Matching Tag from the FamilySearch GEDCOM 7 specification
URI	str	A valid URI, as defined by RFC 3986

Required keys

Three keys are always present:

• Key	lang
  Type	Language Tag
  Required by	all
  Allowed by	—

  A language tag, as specified in BCP 47. The entire YAML document is presented in this language.

• Key	type
  Type	str from a limited set (see below)
  Required by	all
  Allowed by	—

  One of the following string values:

  • structure
  • enumeration
  • enumeration set
  • calendar
  • month
  • data type
  • uri

  Which other keys are present depends on the type.

  It is anticipated that additional types will be added in the future. Types for assisting in knowing which extensions a given application supports and for finding a translation of the YAML document into other languages are expected.

• Key	uri
  Type	URI
  Required by	all
  Allowed by	—

  The URI that identifies the concept documented in this YAML file. If the YAML file also includes the key fragment, this URI should be followed by a fragment identifier when used; the meaning of the fragment is defined by the fragment entry.

  For example, if uri is “https://gedcom.io/terms/v7/RIN” and fragment is “Source System”, then a full URI might be “https://gedcom.io/terms/v7/RIN#MyProgram” where the fragment identifier “MyProgram” indicates the source system that generated the RIN payload value.

Other keys

The following keys may appear in a YAML file. Their names may be changed a YAML file with a lang other than en.

• Key	abnf production
  Type	str
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	type: data type

  The rule name of an ABNF rule defining this datatype. Should only be included if the corresponding ABNF grammar is provided.

• Key	calendars
  Type	seq of URI
  Required by	type: month
  Allowed by	—

  A list (in no particular order) of the URIs of calendars that use this month.

  The list may be incomplete, as a new calendar might be defined that uses an existing month.

• Key	change controller
  Type	str
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  An identifier of who is allowed to authorize changes to this file. For example, it could be FamilySearch, another company name, or a domain name. If not present, the change controller is the GEDCOM Steering Committee.

• Key	contact
  Type	str
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  Contact information for the maintainer of this file. For example, it could be personal contact information or a mailing list.

• Key	documentation
  Type	seq of URI
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  One or more external URLs where additional documentation can be found. If there is no such URL, this entry should be omitted.

• Key	enumeration set
  Type	URI
  Required by	type: structure with payload either g7:type-Enum or g7:type-List#Enum
  Allowed by	—

  The URI of the set of enumeration values permitted in the payload of this structure.

• Key	enumeration values
  Type	seq of URI
  Required by	type: enumeration set
  Allowed by	—

  A list (in no particular order) of URIs of enumeration values supported by the structure.

  The listed URIs needn’t identify only enumeration values: some structures explicitly enumerate other concepts, such as https://gedcom.io/terms/v7/SOUR-EVEN enumerating even types.

  The list may be incomplete, as a new enumeration values might be defined that may be included in existing structures.

• Key	epochs
  Type	seq of Tag
  Required by	type: calendar
  Allowed by	—

  A list of all of the epoch markers used in the given calendar.

  The list should be taken as exhaustive. Extensions may not add new epochs to existing calendars.

• Key	extension tags
  Type	seq of extTag
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	types calendar, enumeration, month, structure

  A list, with the most-preferred tag first, of extension tags known to be used by applications for this concept.

  Standard structures may have an extension tags entry to list fully compatible extensions that predated the standard and can be converted to the standard tag without any other modification. For example, 7.0’s UID structure is fully compatible with the common 5.5.1 extension identified by tag _UID.

• Key	nonconformant tags
  Type	seq of stdTag
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	types calendar, enumeration, month, structure

  A list of nonconformant tags known to be used by applications incorrectly using a stdTag rather than an extTag for extensions. Such nonconformant tags may be recognized when reading a GEDCOM file, but should be converted to equivalent conformant tags (whether standard or extension tags) when writing a GEDCOM file.

• Key	fragment
  Type	str
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	type: uri

A recommended brief name or label for a fragment identifier, to show to users. Labels are user-centric; for programmer-centric explanations of the concept, see specification.

Labels are short to fit in forms and other constrained-space UI elements; for more detailed text see help text.

By being present in the YAML file, this field also implies that the URI should have a fragment identifier appended to it when used.

• Key	help text
  Type	str
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  A recommended detailed description to show to users. For programmer-centric explanations of the concept, see specification.

  Help text may be lengthy; for brief text to use in UI elements, see label.

• Key	label
  Type	str
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  A recommended brief name or label to show to users. Labels are user-centric; for programmer-centric explanations of the concept, see specification.

  Labels are short to fit in forms and other constrained-space UI elements; for more detailed text see help text.

• Key	months
  Type	seq of URI
  Required by	type: calendar
  Allowed by	—

  A list of all of the months used in the given calendar. Months are listed in the order they appear in a year to facilitate chronological sorting. Some calendars include leap months, so it may be that not all months appear every year in the given calendar.

  The list should be taken as exhaustive. Extensions may not add new months to existing calendars.

• Key	payload
  Type	null or str; see below for more
  Required by	type: structure
  Allowed by	—

  Indicates the payload type of the given structure. This will be one of

  • null, meaning no payload is permitted
  • The special string “Y|<NULL>”, meaning the payload is either “Y” or omitted
  • The URI of a datatype, meaning a payload of this type is required
  • A string of the form @<URI>@, meaning the payload is a pointer to a structure whose type is given by the URI.

• Key	prerelease
  Type	bool
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  If present with a true value, the URI documented by this YAML file is not yet released; breaking changes may appear in the future without changing the URI.

  If absent, or if present with a false value, the URI documented by this YAML file is released; patches may be applied, but any minor or major revisions would require a new URI.

• Key	specification
  Type	seq of str
  Required by	all except type: enumeration set
  Allowed by	all

  A list (in no particular order) of descriptions of the concept the YAML document is defining.

  The specification are generally programmer-centric; for user-centric text, see label and help text

• Key	standard
  Type	bool
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	enumeration set

  If present with a true value, the enumeration set is defined in an official GEDCOM standard document, but may still be in prerelease depending on the value of the prerelease field. the URI documented by this YAML file is not yet released; breaking changes may appear in the future without changing the URI.

  If absent, or if present with a false value, the enumeration set is not in any official GEDCOM standard.

• Key	standard tag
  Type	stdTag
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	types calendar, enumeration, month, structure

  The tag for this concept, either as given in an official GEDCOM standard document, or for an extension-defined substructure that uses a tag matching stdTag.

• Key	subsumes
  Type	seq of URI
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  A list of URIs that can be replaced by this URI without any loss of information or change of meaning. This does not simply mean they can express the same thing, but rather that they express the same thing in the same way, i.e., with no change in payloads or substructures.

  One example use-case is an extension becoming standard and being given a URI with a gedcom.io host, in which case both the extension URI’s YAML file and the standard URI’s YAML file can list the other as URIs it subsumes.

  Another example use-case is an extension that adds to another extension, for example by allowing a larger set of payloads or more substructures. In this case the more permissive/larger extension would say it subsumes the more strict/smaller extension, but not the other way around.

• Key	substructures and superstructures
  Type	map with URI keys and Cardinality Marker values
  Required by	type: structure
  Allowed by	—

  These express how structures may be nested, and with what cardinality. Structure types are given by URI; cardinalities are expressed using the same strings as the standard (i.e. “{0:1}”, “{1:1}”, “{0:M}”, and “{1:M}”)

  Because new structures may be added over time in any order, x may be a substructure of y if either x’s superstructures includes y or y’s substructures includes x.

  If the relationship is listed in both a substructures entry and a superstructures entry, the two must have the same cardinality.

  If superstructures is an empty map, then the structure is a record and must not appear in any other structure’s substructures.

• Key	translated from
  Type	Language Tag
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  A language tag, as specified in BCP 47, which must be different from the language tag included in the lang key. If present, this field indicates that this YAML file is a translation of a different YAML file, one presented in the indicated language. In the event that the two disagree, the other YAML file shall be taken as more correct.

• Key	used by
  Type	seq of str
  Required by	—
  Allowed by	all

  A list of g7:HEAD-SOUR values of applications known to use an extension tag for this concept.

• Key	value of
  Type	seq of URI
  Required by	type: enumeration
  Allowed by	type: structure*

  * Note that potentially any concept could be referred to in an enumeration set, and hence any YAML file could include the value of key. So far, all known examples are either type: enumeration or type: structure.

  A list (in no particular order) of enumeration sets that are known to contain this concepts as an enumeration value.

  The list may be incomplete, as a new enumeration set might be defined that re-uses an existing enumeration value.