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YAML Indentation and Separation

Learn how YAML handles indentation rules and string separation, including flow blocks, block lists, and multi-line string formatting with examples.

Indentation and separation are two fundamental concepts for learning any programming language.

Indentation in YAML

YAML does not include mandatory spaces. Also, it is not necessary to be consistent.

An example of valid YAML indentation is shown below:

a:
   b:
      - c
      -   d
      - e
f:
      "hello!"

Remember that:

  • Flow blocks must have at least some spaces with surrounding current block level.
  • Flow content of YAML spans multiple lines and the beginning of flow content is defined with { or [.
  • Block list items include same indentation as the surrounding block level because - is considered as a part of indentation.

Example

--- !tutorialreference.com/^invoice
invoice: 123456
date   : 2022-05-20
bill-to: &id001
   name  : Tom
   surname : Nolan
   address:
      lines: |
            458 Walkman Dr.
            Suite #292
      city    : New York
      state   : NY
      postal  : 10001
ship-to: *id001
product:
    - sku         : BL321D
      quantity    : 2
      description : Basketball
      price       : 150.00
   - sku         : BL1221H
      quantity    : 4
      description : Super Shoes
      price       : 999.00
tax  : 175.62
total: 4471.62
comments: >
    Early morning is best.
    Backup contact is Liam.

String Separation in YAML

Strings are separated using double-quoted string.

If you escape the newline characters in a given string, it is completely removed and translated into space value.

Example

An example of a list of animals:

-
- Cat
- Dog
- Bird
-
- Python
- Lion
- Tiger
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