Metadata

We create an IDL called Protoconf to describe Excel's structure(metadata), based on Protobuf (proto3).

Notation #

The syntax is specified using Extended Backus-Naur Form (EBNF).

Workbook -> Protoconf #

Basic #

workbook: (AliasTest)DemoTest, worksheet: (AliasActivity)DemoActivity

• protoconf file name is alias_test.proto. If with no (), name will be demo_test.proto
• configuration message name is AliasActivity. If with no (), name will be DemoActivity
• list: [ELEM-TYPE]COLUMN-TYPE, COLUMN-TYPE is column type, ELEM-TYPE is message name and list prefix (must not conflict with the protobuf keyword).
• map: map<KEY-TYPE,VALUE-TYPE>, KEY-TYPE must be scalar types, and VALUE-TYPE is message name and map prefix (must not conflict with build-in scalar type).
• import message types: .TYPE, e.g.: .Item represents the message Item already defined in the same protobuf package, and should not redefine it.
• well-known types
  • Timestamp: google.protobuf.Timestamp
  • Duration: google.protobuf.Duration

Activity.xlsx 

• Activity
• @TABLEAU

ActivityID	ActivityName	ActivityBeginTime	ActivityDuration	ChapterID	ChapterName	SectionID	SectionName	SectionItem1Id	SectionItem1Num	SectionItem2Id	SectionItem2Num
map<uint32,Activity>	string	timestamp	duration	map<uint32,Chapter>	string	[Section]uint32	int32	[.Item]int32	int32	int32	int32
1	activity1	2020-01-01 05:00:00	72h	1	chapter1	1	section1	1001	1	1002	2
1	activity1	2020-01-01 05:00:00	72h	1	chapter1	2	section2	1001	1	1002	2
1	activity1	2020-01-01 05:00:00	72h	2	chapter2	1	section1	1001	1	1002	2
2	activity2	2020-01-01 05:00:00	72h3m0.5s	1	chapter1	1	section1	1001	1	1002	2

// common.proto
message Item {
  int32 id = 1 [(tableau.field).name = "Id"];
  int32 num= 2 [(tableau.field).name = "Num"];
}

Output without prefix #

// demo_test.proto
import "common.proto"

message DemoActivity{
  map<uint32, Activity> activity_map = 1 [(key) = "ActivityID"];
  message Activity {
    uint32 id= 1 [(tableau.field).name = "ActivityID"];
    string name = 2 [(tableau.field).name = "ActivityName"];
    map<uint32, Chapter> chapter_map = 3 [(tableau.field).key = "ChapterID"];
  }
  message Chapter {
    uint32 id= 1 [(tableau.field).name = "ChapterID"];
    string name = 2 [(tableau.field).name = "ChapterName"];
    repeated Section section_list = 3 [(tableau.field).layout = LAYOUT_VERTICAL];
  }
  message Section {
    uint32 id= 1 [(tableau.field).name = "SectionID"];
    string name = 2 [(tableau.field).name = "SectionName"];
    repeated Item item_list = 3 [(tableau.field).name = "SectionItem"];
  }
}

Output with prefix #

// demo_test.proto
message DemoActivity{
  map<uint32, Activity> activity_map = 1 [(key) = "ActivityID"];
  message Activity {
    uint32 activity_id= 1 [(tableau.field).name = "ActivityID"];
    string activity_name = 2 [(tableau.field).name = "ActivityName"];
    map<uint32, Chapter> chapter_map = 3 [(tableau.field).key = "ChapterID"];
  }
  message Chapter {
    uint32 chapter_id= 1 [(tableau.field).name = "ChapterID"];
    string chapter_name = 2 [(tableau.field).name = "ChapterName"];
    repeated Section section_list = 3 [(tableau.field).layout = LAYOUT_VERTICAL];
  }
  message Section {
    uint32 section_id= 1 [(tableau.field).name = "SectionID"];
    string section_name = 2 [(tableau.field).name = "SectionName"];
    repeated Item section_item_list = 3 [(tableau.field).name = "SectionItem"];
  }
}

Incell #

workbook: (AliasTest)DemoTest, worksheet: (Env)Environment

--break-me-here--

IncellMessage #

Syntax: TODO: EBNF Type: message type Value: comma seperated field values, e.g.: 1,desc,100 Rules:

IncellList #

Syntax: []Type Type: any scalar type Value: comma seperated list items, e.g.: 1,2,3

IncellMap #

Syntax: map<Type,Type> Type: any scalar type Value: comma seperated key-value pairs, and key-value is seperated by colon. e.g.: 1:hello,2:world

IncellMessageList #

TODO…

IncellMessageMap #

TODO…

Output #

// demo_test.proto
message Env {
  uint32 ID = 1 [(tableau.field).name = "ID"];
  string name = 2 [(tableau.field).name = "Name"];
  Msg incell_message= 3 [(tableau.field).name = "IncellMessage"];
  repeated int32 incell_list= 4 [(tableau.field).name = "IncellList"];
  map<int32, string> incell_map = 5 [(tableau.field).name = "IncellMap"];
  repeated Elem incell_message_list= 6 [(tableau.field).name = "IncellMessageList"];
    map<int32, Value> incell_message_map = 7 [(tableau.field).name = "IncellMessageMap"];

    // defaut name: field + <tagid>
  message Msg {
    int32 id = 1;
    string desc= 2; 
    int32 value= 3;
  }
  message Elem {
    int32 id = 1;
    string desc= 2;
  }
  message Value {
    int32 id = 1;
    string desc= 2;
  }
}

• Incell message: comma seperated sequence: {TYPE [NAME],TYPE [NAME]}, NAME is optional, and will be auto generated as field + <tagid> if not specified.
• Incell list: []TYPE, TYPE must be scalar type.
• Incell map: map[KEY]VALUE, KEY and VALUE must be scalar types.
• Incell message list: []TYPE, TYPE must be message type.
• Incell message map: map[KEY]VALUE, KEY is scalar, and VALUE must be message type.

Protoconf -> Workbook #

TODO…