> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dejvokep.gitbook.io/boostedyaml/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dejvokep.gitbook.io/boostedyaml/routing/routes.md).

# Routes

(2min read) This page defines two possible route variations.

BoostedYAML uses "routes" (URI-like objects) to access and modify data. There are 2 different routes you can use:

* [Route](https://javadoc.io/doc/dev.dejvokep/boosted-yaml/latest/dev/dejvokep/boostedyaml/route/Route.html) (objects) - any Java object as a key (beware of types)
* String routes (as in Spigot/BungeeCord API) - string keys only (all keys are converted to strings for type safety)

{% hint style="info" %}
No matter which KeyFormat you choose, you can always use both string routes (only to the extent of their limitations) and route objects (overkill for KeyFormat.STRING though, their non-string keys will be internally converted).
{% endhint %}

## Route objects

[Route](https://javadoc.io/doc/dev.dejvokep/boosted-yaml/latest/dev/dejvokep/boostedyaml/route/Route.html) (objects) can contain anything as a key (except `null`) - are capable of accessing data at locations which contain non-string keys (e.g. integers). **Use with KeyFormat.OBJECT (not a default, provide using GeneralSettings).**

For example, name of the user with ID 2 in the following snippet is available under route `["users", 2, "name"]`, which can be created using `Route.from("users", 2, "name")`.

```yaml
users:
  1:
    name: "Peter"
  2:
    name: "James"
```

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Recommended for documents whose syntax is strictly defined (e.g. protocol data transfer) and cannot be modified by a user.**

To access user names from the snipped above, you'd need to use an integer as the key. However, if a user decides to add their own configuration and **accidentally** puts quotes around, the key will be interpreted as a string, therefore, cannot be accessed using a route with an integer. Read more below for BoostedYAML's solution to this problem.
{% endhint %}

## String routes

String routes are represented by strings, which contain only string keys which are separated by [the configured separator](/boostedyaml/settings/generalsettings.md#path-separator) - just like file paths.

Assuming the snippet from above, you access anyone's name, because route to them contains an integer. That's when **KeyFormat.STRING (already a default)** comes into play: it converts are non-string keys to strings when the document is (re)loaded (irrevocable after saving). That means, the snippet would now look like this:

```yaml
users:
  "1":
    name: "Peter"
  "2":
    name: "James"
```

Now, assuming default separator `'.'`, name of the user with ID 1 in the following snippet is always conveniently available under route `"users.1.name"`.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Recommended for configuration files due to the type safety, because all keys, no matter how specified, will be strings.**
{% endhint %}