>Because the "a.b" is not a key, but a table "a" that contains an entry with key "b". If you write "a.b = 1" then that integer is not a table, and can't have an

>Because the "a.b" is not a key, but a table "a" that contains an entry with key "b". If you write "a.b = 1" then that integer is not a table, and can't have an entry called "c". Your explanation is perfect and I understand the justification why it isn't possible now - so thanks for that! The array alternative provided by xinau is also an acceptable replacement - maybe even better to be honest, especially in this particular scenario. >It's probably best to think of TOML as convenient syntax for creating a JSON-like structure. What kind of JSON would you expect as the result of your config examples? I came back from lunch and realized what I was trying to do didn't make sense while trying to convert it to JSON. Having name.first be both a value and contain an object doesn't make sense - unless it were to contain an array value but then why have the object and not just have the value? All very silly. So I guess my "only issue with TOML" is that I never sat down and tried to express what I wanted to express in any other way. It made a lot more sense in my head than on paper. :)