sequencing data structures

[Martin Norbäck]

I want to sequence data structures in an efficient manner, to store them
to files and to send them over the network.

Simply deriving Show and Read is not very good, because it's space
inefficient and read cannot give any output until the whole data
structure is parsed.

So I thought I should store them in some space efficient format.

First problem: how to make them derivable (so that I don't have to write
boilerplate class instances for all my data structures).

I read the "derivable type classes" paper, but it's not implemented in
ghc (only Unit and :+: and :*: are, which is not enough).

So how to go about it? Using DrIFT? Template Haskell?

Second problem: how should such a format look like?

Ideally, I want to be able to write an infinite data structure (at least
one containing loops). If that is not possible I want to be able to read
as lazily as possible, this means traversing the data structure in
breadth first order, so that a cons form can be reached quickly.

Does anyone have any thoughts/pointers on this subject? It would
surprise me if nobody has had this problem before.

Regards,

	Martin

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Martin Norbäck          d95mback@dtek.chalmers.se              
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