Should we remove shorthand group syntax?

[whitfin]

The existing implementation allows this:

{
  "groups": [
    "field"
  ]
}

The inference here is that we're doing a string-based grouping. Does it make syntax to special case this? I'm not sure if it's that necessary, and it makes the parsing a little more complicated. I propose we strip it out for now and maybe put it back later if we change our minds.

[whitfin]

Thinking this out; maybe we could actually keep this shorthand but replace it with type:field as a string, such as:

{
  "groups": [
    "string:field"
  ]
}

This extends it for other field types, not just strings.

[vasil9v]

IMHO, the original shorthand (just the field name that implies "type": "string") is a keeper. I do also like the "fieldname:type" as well, but i'm willing to give that up more readily than the former if things in the parser are getting too complicated. so in summary i rank the following scenarios from most to least desirable:

have both shorthands
have only the fieldname shorthand
have only the field:type shorthand
have no shorthands