Playing around with json in bitbake

bitbake-json.patch

diff --git i/lib/bb/parse/ast.py w/lib/bb/parse/ast.py
index eae840f..2fa5664 100644
--- i/lib/bb/parse/ast.py
+++ w/lib/bb/parse/ast.py
@@ -102,13 +102,23 @@ class DataNode(AstNode):
             bb.data.update_data(e)
             val = e.expand(groupd["value"], key + "[:=]")
         elif "append" in groupd and groupd["append"] != None:
-            val = "%s %s" % ((self.getFunc(key, data) or ""), groupd["value"])
+            val = self.getFunc(key, data) or ""
+            if isinstance(val, basestring):
+                val += " " + groupd["value"]
+            else:
+                val += groupd["value"]
         elif "prepend" in groupd and groupd["prepend"] != None:
-            val = "%s %s" % (groupd["value"], (self.getFunc(key, data) or ""))
+            val = self.getFunc(key, data) or ""
+            if isinstance(val, basestring):
+                val = groupd["value"] + " " + val
+            else:
+                val = groupd["value"] + val
         elif "postdot" in groupd and groupd["postdot"] != None:
-            val = "%s%s" % ((self.getFunc(key, data) or ""), groupd["value"])
+            val = self.getFunc(key, data) or ""
+            val += groupd["value"]
         elif "predot" in groupd and groupd["predot"] != None:
-            val = "%s%s" % (groupd["value"], (self.getFunc(key, data) or ""))
+            val = self.getFunc(key, data) or ""
+            val = groupd["value"] + val
         else:
             val = groupd["value"]

diff --git i/lib/bb/parse/parse_py/ConfHandler.py w/lib/bb/parse/parse_py/ConfHandler.py
index 1edf2ef..85aa90d 100644
--- i/lib/bb/parse/parse_py/ConfHandler.py
+++ w/lib/bb/parse/parse_py/ConfHandler.py
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@
 # 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.

 import re, os
+import json
 import logging
 import bb.utils
 from bb.parse import ParseError, resolve_file, ast, logger

-#__config_regexp__  = re.compile( r"(?P<exp>export\s*)?(?P<var>[a-zA-Z0-9\-_+.${}]+)\s*(?P<colon>:)?(?P<ques>\?)?=\s*(?P<apo>['\"]?)(?P<value>.*)(?P=apo)$")

-__config_regexp__  = re.compile( r"(?P<exp>export\s*)?(?P<var>[a-zA-Z0-9\-_+.${}/]+)(\[(?P<flag>[a-zA-Z0-9\-_+.]+)\])?\s*((?P<colon>:=)|(?P<lazyques>\?\?=)|(?P<ques>\?=)|(?P<append>\+=)|(?P<prepend>=\+)|(?P<predot>=\.)|(?P<postdot>\.=)|=)\s*(?P<apo>['\"]?)(?P<value>.*)(?P=apo)$")
+__config_regexp__  = re.compile( r"(?P<exp>export\s*)?(?P<var>[a-zA-Z0-9\-_+.${}/]+)(\[(?P<flag>[a-zA-Z0-9\-_+.]+)\])?\s*((?P<colon>:=)|(?P<lazyques>\?\?=)|(?P<ques>\?=)|(?P<append>\+=)|(?P<prepend>=\+)|(?P<predot>=\.)|(?P<postdot>\.=)|=)\s*(?P<value>(?P<apo>['\"]?).*(?P=apo))$")
 __include_regexp__ = re.compile( r"include\s+(.+)" )
 __require_regexp__ = re.compile( r"require\s+(.+)" )
 __export_regexp__ = re.compile( r"export\s+([a-zA-Z0-9\-_+.${}/]+)$" )
@@ -125,6 +125,11 @@ def feeder(lineno, s, fn, statements):
     m = __config_regexp__.match(s)
     if m:
         groupd = m.groupdict()
+        if groupd["apo"]:
+            value = groupd["value"][1:-1]
+        else:
+            value = json.loads(groupd["value"])
+        groupd["value"] = value
         ast.handleData(statements, fn, lineno, groupd)
         return

local.conf.snippet

FOO = true
BAR = [5,7,9]
BAR += [11,13]
BAZ = {"foo": "bar"}
ALPHA = 5
ALPHA_append = 3
BETA = ["foo", "bar"]
BETA =+ ["alpha", "beta"]