BNI Format Specification

BNI (Blizzard Notation INI) is a strictly line-based configuration format used in classic Blizzard games such as Warcraft III. While inspired by the traditional INI format, BNI introduces relaxed syntax rules and game-specific conventions tailored for structured game data.

Tools

Related tools that support or build on the BNI format:

• tree-sitter-bni — a Tree-sitter grammar for the BNI format, enabling syntax-aware parsing, highlighting, and editor support.
• JASS-Tree-sitter-Rust — a standalone binary providing Tree-sitter-powered language support for JASS and BNI via LSP, integrated with VSCode and usable independently.

These tools are maintained in separate repositories and can be used independently or together.

Key Features

• Section headers using [SectionName] syntax.
• Every meaningful line must contain an =.
• Keys and/or values may be omitted, but the equals sign is required.
• Values are separated by commas and parsed independently.
• Comments start with // and can follow any content.
• Empty lines are allowed anywhere.
• Parsing is performed line-by-line, no multi-line constructs.

Minimal Example

// a comment

[Units]

unit1="Orc",100,strong
unit2="Elf",80,agile
= value that includes all spaces exactly as written
= value, list, separated, by, comma
="If you need a comma, use quotes."
key_only=

Syntax Rules

BNI is parsed line-by-line. Each line must match one of the following:

• Section header: [Name]
• Comment line: starts with //
• Key-value line: must contain =, with optional key or value
• Empty line: ignored

The equals sign is mandatory for all value lines. Even loose values must be written as:

=some_value

Value Types

Each value is parsed as a raw token between commas. Whitespace around values is significant.

Numbers

• 42, -5, 3.14, 1e6

Quoted Strings

• May use single '...' or double "..." quotes
• Everything up to the closing quote is included
• Quotes cannot be escaped

description = "Basic grunt unit"
flavor = 'Strong and brave'

Unquoted Strings

• Any sequence not containing a comma or newline
• Quotes are not required
• Leading/trailing spaces are not trimmed
• A leading space before a quote prevents it from being parsed as a quoted string
• Commonly used for: paths, IDs, flags, literals

Examples:

model=textures/unit.blp,textures/unit1.blp
icon=BTNHero
sound=Sound\Footstep.wav
path="starts with space and quote"

In the last line, the value is a literal space followed by a quote — not a quoted string.

Mixed Lists

Multiple values may appear in one line:

unit="Orc",100,strong,visible

Goals of This Repository

• Define a precise grammar for BNI
• Provide Tree-sitter and other parser implementations
• Build tools for linting, formatting, and transformation
• Serve as reference for modding tools and editors