Using YAML for MDITA maps

[Mark Giffin <mark@markgiffin.com>]

    This came up in our meeting today after Jenifer Schlotfeldt showed
    her YAML-based TOC/map for markedit/markdown files.
    
    Our current map for MDITA is a markdown file with links, described
    here:
    
http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/LwDITA/v1.0/cn01/LwDITA-v1.0-cn01.html#example-of-an-mdita-map
    
    This is the example given:
# Remote Lighting Network
   
   - [Introduction](introduction.md)
   - [Alternative lighting setups](alternatives.md)
       - [Low power installation](low-power.md)
       - [High power installation](high-power.md)
    I know of no implementations of this MDITA map. I don't think the
    DITA OT implements it, although it implements the XDITA map. Oxygen
    does not implement the MDITA map but implements the XDITA map. I'm
    not sure if Adobe implements it. When I do a LWDITA system for a
    client, I use an XML-based map, either XDITA or DITA 1.3.
    
    I see many non-LWDITA markdown systems and they often use YAML to
    define the TOC. I don't recall seeing a markdown file used as
    TOC/map, although it could be done. My educated guess on why YAML is
    used instead of markdown is that just about any programming language
    has a library or package that parses YAML, and YAML has become kind
    of a default format for config files of all kinds. YAML has actual
    structure and you can validate it easily.
    
    Just something to consider.
    
    Mark