EFTL language reference

This is a compact index derived from the documents currently under docs/. Re-check the PDFs when exact wording, diagrams, or edge behavior matters.

Documentation map

elixForms_Doc_EFTL.pdf: EFTL specification through the documented 3.1.0 changes, language behavior, attributes, control flow, and examples.
elixForms_EFTLParser_syntax_rels.pdf: generated lexer/parser relationship diagrams.
elixForms_TAG_Sintassi.pdf: positional syntax for the ElixForms SCHEMAID and GETVALUEBYTAG plugins.

Common lexical and structural rules

EFTL uses square-bracket tags and requires properly nested, non-overlapping elements.
A bodyless element ends with /]; a block has matching opening and closing tags.
Attribute values are quoted. Attribute order is not semantically significant.
The main specification says uppercase and lowercase tag spellings are interpreted equally and recommends lowercase style. The current implementation is largely uppercase-only.
Text outside [EFTL]...[/EFTL] is not processed. Text inside an EFTL root but outside an executable tag is emitted as user text where the grammar permits it.
Comments use [!-- ... --] and may span lines.
The generated relationships include user text, ignored whitespace, CDATA, headers, comments, statements, code blocks, and output blocks. Consult the diagram PDF before enforcing a new parent/child restriction.

Root, directives, and context

Construct	Form	Key rules
EFTL	`[EFTL] ... [/EFTL]`	Root block; no documented attributes; a document needs at least one root to be processed.
HEADER	`[HEADER name="..." value="..." type="..." /]`	Declares a directive. The documented directive is `trimDocument`, with boolean `true` or `false`.
LOG	`[LOG] ... [/LOG]`	Writes evaluated content to the server log; no documented attributes.

Predefined execution-context names include currentDateTime, defaultLocale, currentLocale, and requestId. Other values may be supplied by the calling service.

Variables and value functions

Construct	Form	Key rules
VAR	`[VAR name="..." type="..." unique="..." ] ... [/VAR]`	`name` identifies a context variable. Documented types: `string`, `boolean`, `number`, `date`, `object`, `iterable`. `unique` defaults to `false` and is meaningful only for `iterable`.
VALUE_OF	`[VALUE_OF varname="..." index="..." /]`	Emits a variable value. `index` identifies the position for an iterable and may name another variable.
SIZE_OF	`[SIZE_OF varname="..." /]`	Returns iterable size, otherwise `0`.
IS_EMPTY	`[IS_EMPTY varname="..." /]`	Tests missing, null, blank string, empty iterable, or empty map according to the documented rules.
IS_NOT_EMPTY	`[IS_NOT_EMPTY varname="..." /]`	Logical negative of `IS_EMPTY`.
CONTAINS	`[CONTAINS varname="..." value="..." /]` or `[CONTAINS varname="..."] ... [/CONTAINS]`	Supports string or iterable input. Attribute `value` and body are alternatives; `value` has priority when both exist.

Do not require type merely because current examples commonly include it: some examples omit it. Resolve requiredness from the parser relations or runtime contract before emitting an error.

Transformations

Construct	Form	Key rules
FORMAT	`[FORMAT varname="..." type="..." /]` or `[FORMAT type="..." pattern="..."] ... [/FORMAT]`	`varname` takes precedence over the body. Documented formatting covers number and date families; number modes include currency, integer, double, percent, and generic.
SPLIT	`[SPLIT regex="..." emptyIfBlank="true	false"] ... [/SPLIT]`
TRIM	`[TRIM varname="..." /]` or `[TRIM] ... [/TRIM]`	Trims a named variable or evaluated body. A found variable takes precedence; otherwise the body is evaluated.

Control structures

IF shape: [IF] [CONDITION] ... [/CONDITION] [THEN] ... [/THEN] { [ELSE IF] ... [/ELSE IF] } [ELSE] ... [/ELSE] [/IF].
CONDITION must evaluate to boolean. There may be multiple ELSE IF blocks and at most one final ELSE; both are optional.
WHILE shape: [WHILE ...] [CONDITION] ... [/CONDITION] [DO] ... [/DO] [/WHILE].
The WHILE section documents an optional threshold with default and maximum 32766, but also contains a sentence saying the tag has no attributes. Treat this as an explicit documentation inconsistency.
FOR shape: [FOR varName="item" iterable="items"] ... [/FOR]. The loop variable exists during the loop and is removed afterward.
The FOR prose depends on both varName and iterable, but the generated relationship only shows a generic attribute node. Treat formal requiredness, attribute-name casing, duplicate/unknown attributes, null or non-iterable input, and shadowing as unresolved until confirmed against the runtime grammar.

Code blocks

Kind	Form	Meaning
Assignment	`[% target = expression; ... %]`	Mutates variables; documented statements end with `;`.
Evaluation	`[% expression %]`	Evaluates and returns a result, often boolean in `CONDITION`.
Output	`[%= variable %]`	Writes a context variable; a missing variable is a runtime error.

The expression language examples use assignment, equality/comparison, arithmetic, boolean operators, strings, numbers, booleans, and null. The PDFs do not provide a complete operator-precedence grammar; avoid inventing one without a runtime grammar source.

ElixForms TAG payloads

SCHEMAID is positional:

position 0: plugin name SCHEMAID;
position 1: schema ID;
position 2: column reference;
position 3: IUQOID;
position 4: line terminator, with a space selecting the default;
position 5: column separator;
position 6: default value;
position 7: date/time formatter;
position 8: language (documented as currently unused).

Positions 0 through 4 must be present. Preserve commas for omitted intermediate optional positions.

GETVALUEBYTAG is positional:

position 0: plugin name GETVALUEBYTAG;
position 1: tag name;
position 2: lookup type: REQUEST, MODULE, or USER_PROFILE;
position 3: IUQOID;
position 4: weight/order option;
position 5: column separator;
position 6: format string.

The weight list in the prose and the final syntax example differ in spelling and membership (UPDATED_FIST/UPDATED_FIRST, UPDATE_LAST/UPDATED_LAST, and CONCAT). Treat exact validation as ambiguous until confirmed against the TAG runtime.

Known implementation delta at skill creation

The current TypeScript tokenizer/parser does not yet model all documented constructs. Notably absent or incomplete are LOG, FOR, IS_EMPTY, IS_NOT_EMPTY, case-insensitive spellings, structural ordering inside IF/WHILE, attribute validation beyond VAR type, and full expression parsing. Re-check source before relying on this list because it is expected to shrink as the linter evolves.

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