// or a string representing a sub-field or item. The string will follow one of these four formats:
// 'f:<name>', where <name> is the name of a field in a struct, or key in a map
// 'v:<value>', where <value> is the exact json formatted value of a list item
// 'i:<index>', where <index> is position of a item in a list
// 'k:<keys>', where <keys> is a map of  a list item's key fields to their unique values