Embedding XML inside source code
What's an XML oriented programming language?
Since October 2003, Scriptol allows to define an XML document into a source as a class, and to modify its content, using the fields as attributes of a class.There are lot of projects to add statements to XML document, or serialize XML into classes of the language, but Scriptol if the first language to use XML directly as a data structure, in a way that is a lot simpler than the dom's method of W3c.
This has inspired the specification of E4X, a similar standard from Ecma implemented into EcmaScript in June 2004, but with a less readable design.
More info about these projects at History of Programming Languages.
Light XML
XML is not readable enough to be used into a source. Scriptol use a light
version instead, that if just XML without the angle-brackets:
A program named lighter if provided inside the archive to convert an XML
file into light XML source.
Static XML and Dynamic XML
An XML document defined into a source may be used directly, the name of
the document beeing referenced as a static class, and the values or data,
read or assigned.
You can also declare a dom instance, and build a dom tree from the document.
In this case, the structure of the tree may be modified, element addeds,
removed, replaced... A dom class is included into the standard scriptol
library.
The version 6 of the compiler implements only dynamic XML (but if you can
the more, you can the less)
Using the standard DOM
Thank to the new header file, it is now possible to use the methods of the Document Object Model from W3C to access data from a HTML page or an XML document, or to build dynamically a document.
Building easily a GUI with an XML document
XUL is a project at Mozilla
for an XML language to describe graphical user interfaces and all the widgets:
windows, buttons, menus and so ones...
XUL has seduced Microsoft that has announced its proper version named XAML,
for its future Vista operating system.
The XUL project here at Scriptol intends to incorporate XML into
Scriptol source code and to design graphical tools, by associating easily
actions to widgets on a unique sheet of code.
The project is currently in its very early stage of development.
You can for now:
- define or import an XML document into Scriptol source, modify it needed
and generate a pure XUL file.
- build a graphical XUL project with JavaScript statements and events.
A small XUL example is included into the free Scriptol archive.
XUL programs require Mozilla for them to be displayed (a SDK should be provided
in the future).
A website dedicated to
XUL.