Jim Starkey wrote:

>
> Here is a first cut on the format:
>
> <message> := <version> <item-count> [ <data-item> ]...
>
> <data-item> := dstNull
> := dstZero
> := dstOne
> := dstNegativeOne
> := dstNumber <number>
> := dstNegativeNumber <number>
> := dstScaledNumber <scale> <number>
> := dstNegativeScaledNumber <scale> <number>
> := dstDoubleFloat <float>
> := dstUTF8 <length> <utf-8-characters>
> := dstOpaque <length> <bytes>
> := dstDate <precision> <number>
> := dstNegativeDate <precision> <number>
>
> <number> := <unflagged-7-bit-byte>
> := <flagged-7-bit-byte> <number>
>
> <version> := <unsigned-byte>
>
> <scale> := <signed-byte>
>
> <precision> := <signed-byte>
>
> <item_count>:= <number>
>
> <length> := <number>
>


> Thoughts? Errors? Omissions?

Very good and dense suggestion.

It's possible to make it even denser, by using more data-items:

dstTwo
dstThree
dstFour
.
.
dstNegativeTwo
dstNegativeThree
dstNegativeFour
.
.
dstDoubleFloatZero
.
.
dstUTF8LengthOne <utf-8-characters>
dstUTF8LengthTwo <utf-8-characters>
dstUTF8LengthThree <utf-8-characters>
.
.
.


We can have 256 different data-items minus a couple
reserved for future use.


Steen Jansdal