Document lattices

If the information conveyed by the markup in a document can be identified with the set of inferences we can draw from that markup, as has been proposed in earlier work, then the sets of inferences licensed by documents form an infinitely large lattice, by means of which the relative information content of any two documents (equivalence, subsumption, contradiction, consistency) can be displayed visually. The sets of inferences licensed by markup can be used to test translations from one markup language to another for equivalence or information loss; a simple example using XHTML and CALS table markup illustrates the process.

How to survive the coming namespace winter

Is XML condemned to be an orphaned syntax with a dimly lit future within the Web browser? What can information providers with rich sources of XML do, other than down-translate to HTML? The evolving Web Components environment may provide a solution! With some simple translations, stylesheets and scripts, it will be possible to wrap custom XML in a minimum amount of HTML and serve it over the Web. The browsers will never know they’re being tricked into delivering XML.

XForms User Interfaces for Small Arcane Nontrivial Datasets

Small Arcane Nontrivial Datasets (SANDs) are frequently complex enough to warrant custom software for access and editing, yet too small or specialized to justify a full-blown server-based database application. Such data is typically presented in tabular form within documents or as editable spreadsheets. To test the alternative of using XForms as a user interface for SANDs, an application was built for browsing a conformance test suite for Product and Manufacturing Information, a formal specification of a product's functional and behavioral requirements as they apply to production. XForms proved a much better match than tabulations for the underlying data model. To further test the concept, XForms was evaluated for use with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53 security control catalog, which is a comprehensive catalog of security controls for managing cyber-risk, many parts of which are already available in extensible markup language (XML) form. The model-view-controller (MVC) software pattern of XForms seems well-suited for creating specialized applications for tailoring and navigating this catalog.

Standard Change Tracking for XML

XML is generally accepted as the default markup language for structured document and data management systems worldwide. But, in spite of the fact that XML document standards have matured over the past decade and despite its widespread use, XML still has a significant shortcoming that limits its usefulness in this role. It has no native ability to track changes. There is rudimentary support for change tracking in some document formats, but a full solution is not available. The consensus emerging is that this is an XML problem rather than a DITA, DocBook or XHTML problem. A generic change-tracking standard would transform the utility of XML. It would allow documents to be moved from one XML editor to another, complete with change history and the ability to roll back to previous versions; it would allow editing applications to track changes in any XML document type; and software designed to handle change in XML could be applied to many different XML document types. The W3C now has a Community Group (W3C Change Community Group http://www.w3.org/community/change/) looking into developing a standard solution. This paper outlines one proposed solution to this important problem. The purpose of the proposed change tracking format is to represent successive changes or edits to an XML document, typically in one or more editing sessions. This paper describes how such changes may be represented in XML markup or in Processing Instructions. The tracked changes are designed to be used either as an independent addition to a file or integrated into the applicable schema.

GameX — Event-Based Programming with XML Technology

GameX, a student project at Technische Universität München, is a 'serious' browser game that is intended to further systemic thinking in players. GameX is implemented almost exclusively with XML technology, which makes the game essentially platform independent. XML lends itself to involving domain experts in all phases of development, and to the model-driven designs which can adapt easily to changing requirements. Browser games, however, are quintessentially event-driven, reactive systems — how can such applications be built using the XML technology stack? GameX uses XForms, SVG, XProc, XSLT, and XQuery, as well as the native HTML DOM to put the event-driven programming paradigm into practice on an implementation platform of XML technology.

JSOX: A Justly Simple Objectization for XML

XML can be as easy to work with as JSON. However, this has not been obvious until now. JSON is easy because it supports only datatypes that are already native to Javascript and uses the same syntax to access them (such as [1:10], ["x"], and “.” notation). XML, on the other hand, supports additional datatypes, and is most commonly handled via SAX or DOM, both of which are low-level and meant to be cross-language. Typical developers want high-level access that feels “native” in the language they are using. These shortcomings have little or nothing to do with XML, and can be remedied by a different API. Software that demonstrates this is presented and described. It uses Python's richer set of abstract datatypes (such as tuples and sets), and provides native Python style syntax with richer semantics than JSON or Javascript.

On Teaching XQuery to Digital Humanists

XQuery provides an excellent means for teaching programming to digital humanists because it works seamlessly with their existing XML data, has an elegant and simple core with a well-structured standard library, and can be used in conjunction with XML databases to develop end-to-end web applications. However, current teaching materials for XQuery do not address the needs of digital humanists, presupposing implicit knowledge of programming concepts that they frequently lack. Based on experience teaching XQuery to digital humanists (including alt-ac professionals, archivists, faculty members, graduate students, and librarians) in three distinct settings: a weekly training session for librarians, a graduate seminar on digital humanities, and a two week NEH-supported Institute for Advanced Topics in Digital Humanities, I suggest how the XML community might develop resources to widen the appeal and accessibility of XQuery.

Hierarchies within range space

LMNL provides a markup syntax for annotating arbitrary ranges, irrespective of hierarchical relations, in text. A LMNL processor can parse this syntax (or any other syntax, if mapped) into a generalized data model, which can be queried and processed. Among the applications that LMNL supports readily is the creation of visual "sketches" of the markup on a document, e.g. using SVG. Such sketches can discover and depict any range relations of interest. It turns out the overlap is often less interesting than the hierarchies. Examining texts showing overlapping hierarchies (MCH or multiple concurrent hierarchies) suggests some interesting things about the evolution, purposes and uses of the OHCO (ordered hierarchy of content objects) as a concept applied to "documents" or literary artifacts in general— and by implication of any hierarchical data model such as XML.

Analysing XSLT Streamability

Determining streamability of constructs in XSLT3.0 involves application of a set of rules that appear to be complex. A tool that analyses these rules on a given stylesheet has been developed to help developers understand why sections which were designed with streaming might fail the required conditions. This paper discusses the structure of this analysis tool. The development was funded by Saxonica.

Semantics and the Internet of Things

It usually starts with a coffeemaker. The number and variety of devices now connected to the internet is astonishing: computers and laptops, phones and tablets, of course, but also game consoles and televisions, heating and cooling systems, automobiles, sensors of every variety. Not far behind are watches, eye glasses, shoes, jackets, and fobs of every variety. Beyond simple connectivity, many of these devices carry significant processing power of their own: the ability to recognize faces, extract conversations from noisy rooms, or tell the difference between spoilt milk and stinky cheese in the refrigerator. Looking beyond the obvious concerns about privacy and security, if we want these devices to work for us as well as against us, they will have to be connected in ways that we can leverage. Using semantic technologies and SPARQL could save us from vendor or aggregator lock-in. Maybe.