GuideML
Encyclopedia
GuideML is a document markup language used on h2g2
, and other bbc.co.uk
communities
that use the same "DNA" software.
GuideML is an application of XML
standards. It mostly consists of a safe subset of XHTML
with some extra tags for specific features of the software. The aim is to provide something which resembles HTML but is simpler to learn, and allows basically textual content to be formatted in a skinnable
way. Early versions of the h2g2 software offered full HTML markup as an option, but this was removed for security reasons; thus only parts of HTML which are considered to exist in GuideML can now be used, with things such as JavaScript
and externally hosted images being removed by the parser.
Some of the more elabourate features of GuideML are referred to as "gadgets" because they perform functions beyond straightforward formatting. These include the ability to format a list of user IDs into a drop-down list with the option of opening in the same or a different window; and the famous
A proposal for a standardized "GuideML 1.0" was under discussion, and would have involved a specific subset of the currently supported tags being declared "official" parts of the language. This would have been an important change of approach, in that the current parser lets through any unrecognized tags, as long as they are XML-compliant, meaning that any XHTML understood by the viewer's browser is implicitly part of GuideML.
H2g2
h2g2 is a British-based collaborative online encyclopedia project engaged in the construction of, in its own words, "an unconventional guide to life, the universe, and everything", in the spirit of the fictional publication The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from the science fiction comedy series...
, and other bbc.co.uk
Bbc.co.uk
BBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
communities
Online community
An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted...
that use the same "DNA" software.
GuideML is an application of XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
standards. It mostly consists of a safe subset of XHTML
XHTML
XHTML is a family of XML markup languages that mirror or extend versions of the widely-used Hypertext Markup Language , the language in which web pages are written....
with some extra tags for specific features of the software. The aim is to provide something which resembles HTML but is simpler to learn, and allows basically textual content to be formatted in a skinnable
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
way. Early versions of the h2g2 software offered full HTML markup as an option, but this was removed for security reasons; thus only parts of HTML which are considered to exist in GuideML can now be used, with things such as JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
and externally hosted images being removed by the parser.
Some of the more elabourate features of GuideML are referred to as "gadgets" because they perform functions beyond straightforward formatting. These include the ability to format a list of user IDs into a drop-down list with the option of opening in the same or a different window; and the famous
<VIEWER/> tag, which displays as the username of the person viewing the page, if they're logged in.A proposal for a standardized "GuideML 1.0" was under discussion, and would have involved a specific subset of the currently supported tags being declared "official" parts of the language. This would have been an important change of approach, in that the current parser lets through any unrecognized tags, as long as they are XML-compliant, meaning that any XHTML understood by the viewer's browser is implicitly part of GuideML.