Token name can be an empty string

[romainmenke]

The current specification does not require token names to be strings with a non-zero length.

https://tr.designtokens.org/format/#name-and-value

{
  "": { "$value": "3rem" },
  "other": { "$value": "{}" }
}

This parses just fine :

const json = `{
  "": { "$value": "3rem" },
  "other": { "$value": "{}" }
}`;

console.log(JSON.parse(json));
// { '': { '$value': '3rem' }, other: { '$value': '{}' } }

Is this intended?

[ilikescience]

Interesting! It's funny that JSON allows for this.

My feeling is that token names have to be non-zero. I can't imagine a use case for a token called "" ... but open to possibilities if we can think of them.

[romainmenke]

My feeling is that token names have to be non-zero.

I agree.

---

This is allowed in today's specification text, but is really awkward.

{
  "": {
    "": {
      "": {
        "": { "$value": "3rem" }
      }
    }
  }
}

Token ... has value 3rem

[srouse]

I found this useful for stepped tokens where the middle value represents what people think of as the color:

{
  “color”: {
    “primary”: {
    …
        “04”: { "$value": “#aa0000” },
        “05”: { "$value": “#bb0000” },
    "": { "$value": “#bb0000” },
        “06”: { "$value": “#cc0000” },
    …
    }
  }
}

Which can be transformed into:

…
color-primary-04: #aa0000;
color-primary-05: #bb0000;
color-primary: #bb0000;
color-primary-06: #cc0000;
…

[romainmenke]

@srouse That looks like a bug in your translation tool :/

I don't understand why it would convert this to color-primary. It should be color-primary- when following the naming logic for the other tokens. Now you have a naming conflict between a specific token and a token group.

---

It does illustrate why it is important for the specification to be explicit about allowing this or not. It is an edge case that should not be overlooked by implementers.

[kevinmpowell]

Related to #200