Keyword/Value lookup fields

I sometimes get a bit frustrated by the lack of associative arrays in the formula language (more specifically in keyword lookup-fields). I’ve thought about ways to emulate this a couple of times, but never got anywhere.

Today, I’ve come up with one way. It’s not beautiful, and one can argue that it’s bad practice.

lupField-syntax:
standard @DbLookup( .. )

Column Value-syntax:
"Error message - keyword-list not found" :
"keyword" : value
"apple" : banana;

Syntax for getting value:
lupField[ @Member( "keyword" ; lupField ) + 1 ]

Error handling

• Error message on "keyword value not found" maintained on a column basis.
• First item in the Column Value list should be the error message. Reason being @Member( "itemNotInList" ) = 0 (+1=1)
  
• "keyword-list not found" maintained in the lookup-field.
  

"Advantages":

• Put keyword/value wherever you want in the column formula
• Great for design-templates if you want to have configuration-settings in a logical order in the lookup-column (reorder them whenever)
  
• Print all settings through a simple @For-loop
• Readable
• @Word( settings ; "|" ; 24 )
• versus
  
• settings[ @Member( "stylesheet" ; settings) + 1 ]
• ..?
  

Disadvantages:

• Unreadable syntax for people not aware of the technique
• ..?
  

>> Ugly flash-demo
>> Ugly demo-application

If any of you have an even simpler syntax/better concept, please let me know!