encode_value? decompile pike programs?

hi,

many many years a go there used to be a way to turn an array or mapping into a readable string that later could be turned into an array/mapping again.

i believe that back then the functions encode_value() and decode_value() were used for this. now these functions use some unreadable binary format.

what ways are there available today to achive something similar? sprintf("%O") may be used for encoding, but the result contains newlines and comments which i'd rather not have included.

is it possible to make sprintf("%O") produce something more compact?

on a related note i wonder how it could be achived to "decompile" a program or object. ie. have pike create the source necessary to recreate a value.

greetings, martin.