Glossary of budgeting notation
Concise definitions for core terms used in widapmeta. The entries describe how labels, qualifiers, symbols, and version markers are intended to be read and applied in budget records. Each short entry is descriptive and neutral in tone, focused on interpretation rather than instruction.
Single-term definitions
Category: a concise, singular noun phrase used to name a group of related items within a budget record. Categories are written to be stable and descriptive rather than prescriptive. A category should avoid embedded qualifiers and remain a readable header across exports and plain-text displays. Qualifier: a short token that narrows or clarifies the scope of a category. Qualifiers are typically rendered in square brackets for clarity; examples include [est] for estimated and [act] for actual. Qualifiers remain short to reduce ambiguity and to make simple parsing reliable. Version tag: a compact provenance marker that combines an ISO date and a revision ordinal, such as 2026-01-10:v3. The tag is intended to show when a line was recorded or updated and to enable tracing of revision chains without embedding long narrative text inline. Separator: a single, visible symbol used to group inline metadata; the recommended character is a mid-dot (•) because it is visually distinct and remains legible in monospaced and plain-text contexts.
Notation examples and templates
Canonical header: Category [qualifier] • YYYY-MM-DD:v#. This template preserves a consistent order that supports both human reading and simple extraction. Examples: Office Supplies [act] • 2026-01-10:v3, Travel [est] • 2025-12-01:v1. For compound qualifiers, list short tokens without commas, for example Category [est][deptA], to keep parsing rules deterministic. When a longer explanation is needed, pair the tag with a separate revision log entry rather than extending the inline header. Keep inline entries compact and place explanatory context in appended notes or a linked log. This approach preserves the original text while providing interpretive signals that are consistent and portable across systems.
Short templates
Category— base labelCategory [qual]— with qualifierCategory • YYYY-MM-DD:v#— with provenance
Reading layered annotations
Annotations provide interpretive context without changing the original record. Preferred patterns attach short, indexed notes rather than embedding long explanations inline. An inline annotation might look like Category [act] • 2026-01-10:v3 [A1], where [A1] references an appended note: [A1] Clarifies classification used for reporting; follows label guideline v1.2.. Keep annotation bodies brief (one or two sentences) and maintain an index for longer logs. When multiple annotations exist, use ordered tokens such as [A1],[A2] rather than nested brackets. Annotations should be dated or linked to a version tag when they explain a revision. This layered approach makes provenance and rationale discoverable while keeping the primary entry concise and readable in exported or plain-text formats.
Annotation pattern
Use [A#] tokens to reference short appended notes. Keep the note index and logs external to main lines for clarity.
Indexing and export notes
When exporting a document that uses widapmeta notation, include a small legend describing the symbols and tag format at the top of the export. This legend helps downstream readers or simple tools interpret the content without changing original text. For plain-text exports, keep the legend minimal: list the separator, bracket usage, arrow reference, and revision tag format. Preserve spacing rules in exports—single space around symbols—and provide a short example header. If machine parsing is required, produce a companion, machine-friendly file (for example a CSV or simple JSON) that maps line identifiers to parsed fields; the human-readable source should remain unchanged and authoritative. These practices maintain readability while enabling structured extraction where needed.
Quick legend
- • groups inline qualifiers
- [ ] scoped qualifier or annotation token
- → explicit cross-reference to another line
- YYYY-MM-DD:v# version tag