Question 1

How do I parse a TOML file into a Go struct with BurntSushi/toml?

Accepted Answer

Use the toml.Decode function similar to json.Unmarshal: define a struct with fields matching TOML keys or use struct tags like `toml:"key_name"` for custom mapping. The README shows an example with age, cats, and other fields decoded into a Config struct.

Question 2

BurntSushi/toml vs pelletier/go-toml: which is better?

Accepted Answer

BurntSushi/toml offers a reflection-based API mirroring Go's standard library, ideal for those familiar with encoding/json, while pelletier/go-toml might have different performance profiles or API styles. BurntSushi/toml is praised for strict TOML v1.1.0 compliance and the included tomlv validator.

Question 3

How to handle custom types like dates or emails in BurntSushi/toml?

Accepted Answer

Implement the encoding.TextUnmarshaler interface or a custom UnmarshalTOML method. The README provides a working example with mail.Address, where a wrapper type parses email strings automatically during decoding.

Question 4

Does BurntSushi/toml support nested TOML tables?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it fully supports nested tables and arrays as per TOML v1.1.0. You can map them to nested structs in Go, using tags if field names don't match, similar to the standard json package.

Question 5

How to validate TOML files from the command line?

Accepted Answer

Install the tomlv CLI tool with `go install github.com/BurntSushi/toml/cmd/tomlv@latest` and run `tomlv your-file.toml`; it will output errors for invalid syntax, making it useful for CI/CD pipelines.

Question 6

Is BurntSushi/toml actively maintained?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the project has regular releases and changelogs, as indicated in the README's reference to the releases page and git tags, ensuring updates for bugs and spec changes.

toml

What is toml?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions