What is T3Toon? 

T3Toon (Token-Optimized Object Notation) is a compact, human-readable, and token-efficient data format designed specifically for AI and LLM integrations in TYPO3 CMS.

It transforms large JSON or PHP arrays into a format that:

• Reduces token usage by up to 70% compared to JSON
• Maintains human readability (YAML-like structure)
• Preserves complete data structure and key order
• Supports bidirectional conversion (JSON ⇄ TOON)

Use Cases 

T3Toon is perfect for:

• AI Prompt Engineering: Compress structured data for LLMs (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Mistral)
• Token Optimization: Reduce token usage and API costs
• Data Preprocessing: Streamline complex structured inputs
• Logging & Debugging: Store compact, readable structured logs
• Database Storage: Reduce JSON storage size while preserving structure
• Developer Tools: Perfect for previews and compact dashboards

Why T3Toon? 

When working with AI APIs, every token counts. Traditional JSON format includes:

• Redundant quotes around keys and string values
• Verbose syntax (braces, brackets, commas)
• Repeated structural markers

T3Toon eliminates this overhead while maintaining:

• Complete data fidelity
• Human readability
• Easy parsing and conversion
• Support for complex nested structures

Example Comparison 

JSON Format (7.7 KB,  1,930 tokens):

{
  "user": "ABC",
  "message": "Hello, how are you?",
  "tasks": [
    {"id": 1, "done": false},
    {"id": 2, "done": true}
  ]
}

TOON Format (2.5 KB,  640 tokens):

user: ABC
message: Hello\, how are you?
tasks:
  items[2]{done,id}:
    false,1
    true,2

Result:  67% size reduction and  66.8% fewer tokens while retaining complete data accuracy.

Bidirectional Conversion 

Convert between JSON and TOON format seamlessly:

• JSON → TOON: Compress data for AI prompts
• TOON → JSON: Restore original structure

Readable & Compact 

• YAML-like structure that's human-friendly
• Maintains readability while reducing size
• Easy to edit and debug manually

Token-Efficient 

• Save up to 70% tokens on every AI prompt
• Reduces API costs significantly
• Optimized for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Mistral models

Preserves Key Order 

• Ensures deterministic data output
• Maintains structure integrity
• Critical for consistent AI responses

Built-in Analytics 

• Measure token, byte, and compression performance
• Compare JSON vs TOON metrics
• Track optimization benefits

Complex Nested Array Support 

• Fully supports deeply nested associative and indexed arrays
• Handles multi-level structures
• Preserves all structural information

AI & LLM Ready 

• Optimized for modern AI models
• Perfect for prompt engineering
• Reduces context window usage

TYPO3 Integration 

• Native TYPO3 extension
• Follows TYPO3 coding standards
• Dependency injection support
• Service-based architecture

Requirements 

• TYPO3 CMS 12.0.0 - 13.9.99
• PHP 8.0 or higher

Update the database scheme 

Open your TYPO3 backend with system maintainer permissions.

In the module menu to the left navigate to Admin Tools > Maintenance, then click on Analyze database and create all.

Clear all caches 

In the same module Admin Tools > Maintenance you can also conveniently clear all caches by clicking the button Flush cache.

Verify Installation 

After installation, you can verify that the extension is loaded by checking the extension manager or by using the service in your code:

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

// Test encoding
$data = ['test' => 'value'];
$toon = Toon::convert($data);
echo $toon; // Should output: test: value

Basic Encoding (JSON → TOON) 

Convert PHP arrays or JSON strings to TOON format:

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$data = [
    'user' => 'ABC',
    'message' => 'Hello, how are you?',
    'tasks' => [
        ['id' => 1, 'done' => false],
        ['id' => 2, 'done' => true],
    ],
];

$toon = Toon::convert($data);
echo $toon;

Output:

user: ABC
message: Hello\, how are you?
tasks:
  items[2]{done,id}:
    false,1
    true,2

Basic Decoding (TOON → JSON) 

Convert TOON format back to PHP arrays:

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$toon = <<<TOON
user: ABC
tasks:
  items[2]{id,done}:
    1,false
    2,true
TOON;

$data = Toon::decode($toon);
print_r($data);

Output:

Array
(
    [user] => ABC
    [tasks] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [id] => 1
                    [done] => false
                )
            [1] => Array
                (
                    [id] => 2
                    [done] => true
                )
        )
)

Token Estimation 

Estimate the number of tokens in a TOON string:

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$toon = Toon::convert($data);
$stats = Toon::estimateTokens($toon);
print_r($stats);

Output:

Array
(
    [words] => 20
    [chars] => 182
    [tokens_estimate] => 19
)

Using Dependency Injection 

For better testability and TYPO3 integration, use dependency injection:

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;
use TYPO3\CMS\Core\Utility\GeneralUtility;

$toonService = GeneralUtility::makeInstance(Toon::class);
$toon = $toonService->convert($data);
$decoded = $toonService->decode($toon);

Working with JSON Strings 

T3Toon automatically detects and handles JSON strings:

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$json = '{"user":"ABC","active":true}';
$toon = Toon::convert($json);
echo $toon;

Output:

user: ABC
active: true

Complex Nested Structures 

T3Toon handles deeply nested structures:

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$data = [
    'user' => [
        'id' => 101,
        'active' => true,
        'roles' => ['admin', 'editor'],
        'profile' => [
            'age' => 32,
            'location' => [
                'city' => 'ABC',
                'country' => 'India',
            ],
        ],
    ],
    'orders' => [
        [
            'order_id' => 'ORD-1001',
            'amount' => 1998,
            'status' => 'paid',
        ],
    ],
];

$toon = Toon::convert($data);
echo $toon;

This structure remains human-readable, reversible, and compact, even with deep nesting.

Access Configuration 

Navigate to Admin Tools > Settings > Extension Configuration and select T3Toon – Token-Efficient Data Format for TYPO3 AI.

Configuration Options 

items[2]{id,done}:
  1,false
  2,true

Programmatic Configuration 

You can also access configuration programmatically:

use RRP\T3Toon\Utility\ToonHelper;

$config = ToonHelper::getConfig();
// Returns:
// [
//     'escape_style' => 'backslash',
//     'min_rows_to_tabular' => 2,
//     'max_preview_items' => 200,
//     'coerce_scalar_types' => true,
// ]

Main Service Class: Toon 

The main service class provides static and instance methods for converting between PHP arrays/JSON and TOON format.

Class: RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$data = ['key' => 'value'];
$toon = Toon::convert($data);

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$toon = Toon::encode($data);

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$toon = "user: ABC\nactive: true";
$data = Toon::decode($toon);

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;

$stats = Toon::estimateTokens($toon);
// Returns: ['words' => 20, 'chars' => 182, 'tokens_estimate' => 19]

use RRP\T3Toon\Service\Toon;
use TYPO3\CMS\Core\Utility\GeneralUtility;

$toon = GeneralUtility::makeInstance(Toon::class);
$result = $toon->convert($data);
$decoded = $toon->decode($result);
$stats = $toon->estimateTokens($result);

Internal Services 

Utility Classes 

Extension Configuration 

The extension configuration is stored in the TYPO3 Extension Manager and can be accessed programmatically via ToonHelper::getConfig().

Configuration Array Structure 

[
    'escape_style' => 'backslash',        // string
    'min_rows_to_tabular' => 2,            // int
    'max_preview_items' => 200,            // int
    'coerce_scalar_types' => true,         // bool
]

Accessing Configuration 

use RRP\T3Toon\Utility\ToonHelper;

$config = ToonHelper::getConfig();
$escapeStyle = $config['escape_style'];

Configuration via Extension Manager 

Navigate to Admin Tools > Settings > Extension Configuration and select T3Toon – Token-Efficient Data Format for TYPO3 AI.

All configuration options are available through the Extension Manager interface.

Service Configuration 

The extension uses TYPO3's dependency injection container. Services are configured in Configuration/Services.yaml.

services:
  _defaults:
    autowire: true
    autoconfigure: true
    public: false

  RRP\T3Toon\:
    resource: '../Classes/*'
    exclude: '../Classes/Domain/Model/*'

services:
  RRP\T3Toon\Service\ToonEncoder:
    arguments:
      $config:
        escape_style: 'custom'
        min_rows_to_tabular: 3