XML is a bad idea. If you ever think "Oh I could use XML for this" then just take a step back, insert a large metal spike into your ear, extract it via the other ear, and then think again. Just say "no" to XML. It's your civic duty.
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As a followup, JSON is rarely the right answer unless you're a nice RESTful API being exposed to a JavaScript application running in a browser.
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If you expect a human to interact with the content in any way, please use something less awful such as YAML, or a DSL for your particular use-case. In general, YAML.

Mar 23, 2018 ยท 4:19 PM UTC

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And *whatever* you end up using, for goodness sake ensure you have competent, pervasive, well-written diagnostics which point *exactly* at where something bad came from.
Replying to @dsilverstone
YAML, imo, is the most egregious sin in the history of software. It's non-regular and typeless - ergo, in the majority of cases, and in all cases where it's used as a "human editable database", it leads to the conspicuous "type:" or "kind:" field at the top level of every file.
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