Line breaks don't show up right in YAML? - yaml

Question

I am looking at a YAML config file for a database, and all I see is a big jumble of text. However, I notice that there is a missing character every now and then if I use my keyboard's arrow keys to navigate around, I notice that there is occasionally a spot where the cursor gets stuck and requires me to press the arrow key two times instead of one. I am currently assuming that this is a line break that only YAML parsers can read. When I force a line break by pressing ENTER, the YAML parser does not understand the config file anymore. How can I get past this limitation without using a non-windows program? This line break has a Hex value of 0A.
As requested, a snippet of what the current YAML text looks like and what I would like it to look like can be found at the links below (due to StackExchange's limited use of indents. Note that these are two different files for a game's configuration. The API for the parser is here.
What I would like the config to look like
What the config currently looks like
It has also come to my attention that the second link might show it as a YAML file since it registers the line-break as a line break. However, the chunk below might give you an idea of what it looks like to me.
RWtorchLight: Version 1.2 made by MYCRAFTisbest
indent1: ''
NOTE: 'The Meta data valuse is the number after the :'
For Example: Black wool, put 35 in Light_Block and 15 in Meta Data
Light_Block: 89
Meta_Deta_LB: 0
IMPORTANT: The torch and boots are not compatable with Meta Data yet
Torch_Item: 50
Helmet_Item: 314
Boot_Item: 317
indent2: ''
Torch_Use: true
Helmet_Use: true
Boot_Use: true
T-or-T Mode: Will create dim light when wearing pumpkin and all below features
Trick-or-Treat Mode: true
C of C: Chance of Cookie is the chance of how often trick-or-treaters get candy
Set to: '"0" for no chance'
Chance of Cookie: 5000
N of C: 'Will randomly chose a number between 1 and # when Cookies are received'
Number of Cookies: 5

Answer 1

BACKGROUND
After reviewing your question and the associated discussion in comments, a likely case is your YAML file is being corrupted either by:
notepad.exe;
your FTP/SFTP/Web page/whatever used for uploading the text; OR
a combination of both of the above
PROBLEM
YAML syntax is whitespace and indentation sensitive, and using MSFT notepad.exe is not recommended because it may not support the encoding specified in your YAML file.
Since YAML uses whitespace to delimit the data, any kind of modification to the text that is not consistent with the original encoding and whitespace of the original YAML will potentially render the file unusable.
This is one of the aspects of YAML that makes it potentially more brittle than alternative formats, such as JSON or XML.
SOLUTION
Use another editor such as Notepad++ (as recommended in the comments) or, if you do not have sufficient privileges to install another text editor, use an online text editor such as editpad (http://www.editpad.org/) to edit and save the YAML to a local file on your machine.
After saving the file to your local machine using a text editor besides notepad.exe, upload your file using an option that does not apply any kind of text filter to the text.
For example, some websites strip out characters from user-uploaded text to prevent things data corruption and security risks.
STEP BY STEP
start with a known well-formed YAML file, such as the one you specified in "What I would like the config to look like"
paste it into Notepad++ (local machine) or editpad (web-based editor)
modify the YAML file so it matches the settings you want
save your modifications to the original file
upload the file via SFTP or other means that preserves the original encoding