2y ago

Can anyone tell me what format this uh.. nested dictionary is?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/4294116

I have a file with content like this:

    
item({
     ["attr"] = {
        ["size"] = "62091";
        ["filename"] = "qBuUP9-OTfuzibt6PQX4-g.jpg";
        ["stamp"] = "2023-12-05T19:31:37Z";
        ["xmlns"] = "urn:xmpp:http:upload:0";
        ["content-type"] = "image/jpeg";
     };
     ["key"] = "Wa4AJWFldqRZjBozponbSLRZ";
     ["with"] = "email@address";
     ["when"] = 1701804697;
     ["name"] = "request";
});

I need to know what format this is, and if there exists a tool in linux already to parse this or if I need to write one myself?

Thanks!

21 comments

It's not really a standalone file format, it's executable Lua code.
It returns a new item with the given table contents.
That syntax with the keys in square brackets is the "long-form" method of creating a new table, that's allows the use of spaces and dashes in the key name.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/34687498/what-is-the-function-of-square-brackets-around-table-keys-in-lua
Maybe this is the lua-equivelent of a python Pickle file?
- Ohhhhh...
  Ok so I just have to write a bit of Lua to utilise the file and give me the info I want.
  Thanks!
  
  assuming you run it in the right lua environment. The item function must be defined, and we're only speculating about its return value without seeing proper docs, or the source
- ~~This isn't Lua code, Lua requires commas as separators for table items.~~
  EDIT: Retracted, it seems like Lua allows this madness
  
  Lua isn't that picky.

I think it's just normal Lua code.

Here's a quick json converter (based on https://stackoverflow.com/a/55575074), assuming you have lua installed:

lua

    
local function to_json(obj)
    local result = {}
    for key, value in pairs(obj) do
        if type(value) == "string" then
            value = string.format("\"%s\"", value)
        elseif type(value) == "table" then
            value = to_json(value)
        end
        table.insert(result, string.format("\"%s\":%s", key, value))
    end
    return "{" .. table.concat(result, ",") .. "}"
end

function item(obj)
    print(to_json(obj))
end

dofile(arg[1])

It just defines the item function to print json, and executes the data file.

arg[1], the first command line argument, is the path to the data file:

 bash

    
$  lua to_json.lua path/to/datafile.list

and pipe the output to something.json or whatever else you want to do.

Almost looks like mongodb output. What's the file extension?
- It's .list
  I believe the program that generated this file is written in Lua
- Not to worry; there's definitely no sensitive information in here and it's from a preprod environment.
  (If you're able to figure out a way to use that key field, you're either going to get shot by the FBI or hired by the CIA.)
  It is a file created that records information about files in another folder. I just want to extract some values from it. I would have expected this to be in like, xml or json. I believe the program that generated this file is written in Lua, but I don't know Lua.
  
  Security by obscurity is no security at all. You should really invalidate and change the key. I personally would fire you if I ever found out you leaked credentials and then did nothing about it.
Looks like somebody rewrote json to require brackets around keys and to require semicolons? Very likely custom.
- The semi-colons threw me off.. why is it not commas? Could be custom. Hope it isn't..
- I assume the semicolons would break it.
WTH is this shit? @postwatchbot@lemy.lol
- lua code apparently

21 comments