Here is some possibly relevant information. I suspect the reason that `(clojure.edn/read-string ":a:")` gives an error is that Clojure's EDN reader implementation was originally developed as an adaptation from Clojure's reader, and `(read-string ":a:")` also gives an error. The reference documentation for Clojure's reader here https://clojure.org/reference/reader#_symbols says "Symbols beginning or ending with ':' are reserved by Clojure. A symbol can contain one or more non-repeating ':'s". That is likely why Clojure's reader gives an error attempting to read ":a:".
Perhaps it was intended that the last sentence should be included in the EDN specification, too. I do not know. My personal guess: the authors of the EDN specification and implementation are content with their level of detail, and might not be interested in making them 100% equivalent in all ways. (This is only my personal guess. Realize that making specifications and implementations match can be an exhausting and unrewarding process.) Andy On Sat, Oct 31, 2020 at 5:38 AM 'EuAndreh' via Clojure < clojure@googlegroups.com> wrote: > Sean Corfield <s...@corfield.org> writes: > > > If you find valid EDN that a particular EDN reader fails to process > > correctly, that's a bug. If you feed it invalid EDN, well, you may or may > > not get an error or a value or... > > This is a good guideline. A valid edn reader should read valid edn, and > the behaviour for "illegal" edn is unspecified. In fact, it is helping > me to think about my own implementation. Good tip. > > Other than a few more "illegal" things that clojure.edn accepts, I have > found a valid edn value that it doesn't: > > user=> (edn/read-string ":a:") > Execution error at user/eval33 (REPL:1). > Invalid token: :a: > > As per the spec, a keyword: > "Keywords follow the rules of symbols, except they can (and must) > begin with `:`" > > And for symbols: > "`: #` are allowed as constituent characters in symbols other than > as the first character." > > It follows that ":a:" is a valid keyword, as ":a#" is. The first > produces an error, while the second is a valid keyword. > > From what we've discussed on this thread, this is a bug. > > Did I miss anything? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Clojure" group. > To post to this group, send email to clojure@googlegroups.com > Note that posts from new members are moderated - please be patient with > your first post. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > clojure+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/clojure?hl=en > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Clojure" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to clojure+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/clojure/87mu02607y.fsf%40euandre.org. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Clojure" group. To post to this group, send email to clojure@googlegroups.com Note that posts from new members are moderated - please be patient with your first post. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to clojure+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/clojure?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Clojure" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to clojure+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/clojure/CAKvLtDbrr%2B-ZQwLi6vYEUiMePdUExh589ZPjCHV3MHxTkRt9eg%40mail.gmail.com.