使用Perl处理复杂的嵌套数据的最佳方法

Question

I am relatively new to programming. I have to process a massive file containing nested data on married couples like below. I tried to use writing a program in Perl but setting up so many flags to go into each of the nested data beginning { and ending with } does not seem like an efficient way to process this data. I am seeking your advice on how to best handle data like below in Perl.

Thanks a ton. Andy

I have some data that looks like below:

city{
 area : 50 sq miles ;
 population : 3000 ;
 healthIndex : 90.5/100 ;

 marriedCouples { //this begins one married couple data
  children : 2 ;
  chronologicalData() {
   date: 02-10-1990 ;
   incomeRising("TableVals") {
    values("0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9") ;
   }
   incomeFalling("TableVals") {
    values("0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9") ;
   }
  }
  child {
   name: Nathan;
   chronologicalData() {
     DOB: 02-13-1994 ;

    incomeRising("TableVals") {
     values("0 2 2 3 4 9 6 7 8 9") ;
    }
    incomeFalling("TableVals") {
     values("0 1 2 1 1 1 6 7 8 9") ;
    }
   }
   intrinsicVal() {
    risingVals {
     values("0 0.1 0.33 0.34 0.6 0.9 0.11 0.123 0.14 0.15") ;
    }
    fallingVals {
     values("0.15 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.08 0.078 0.75 0.6 0.5 0.4") ;
    }
   }
  }
 } // this finishes one married couple data

  child {  //Note that this child is not within the married couple and is a stand-alone child. It is outside of it
   name: Cody;
   chronologicalData() {
     DOB: 02-13-1974 ;

    incomeRising("TableVals") {
     values("0 12 22 33 44 49 56 57 58 59") ;
    }
    incomeFalling("TableVals") {
     values("0 41 32 21 21 19 18 17 16 15") ;
    }
   }
   intrinsicVal() {
    risingVals {
     values("0 0.1 0.331 0.34 0.6 0.9 0.11 0.123 0.14 0.125") ;
    }
    fallingVals {
     values("0.55 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.08 0.078 0.75 0.6 0.5 0.4") ;
    }
   }
  } // End stand alone child
} // End city data

Answer 1

If this is task you may do repeatably, I would consider writing simple parser for this mini-language. Doesn't seem to be very hard even from scratch, https://metacpan.org/pod/Parse::RecDescent may be of some use (if not overkill).

If I were in a hurry, had to handle such file once, and this file would be below 100MB, I would .... open a copy of that in emacs and make a few regexp replaces to make it correct perl by itself (or, if the file is very big, wrote short script to make those regexp replacemnets). That's not far, sth like:

city => {
    area => "50 sq miles",
    marriedCouples => { # this begins one married couple data
       children => 2, 
       #...
       values => qw(0 0.1 0.331 0.34 0.6 0.9 0.11 0.123 0.14 0.125),
    },

is proper perl, so changes like

• swap :(anything); with => "(anything)",
• add , after every }
• make qw out of ("...")

will go close...