TeXML


TeXML is – as a process – a TeX-based alternative to XSL-FO.
TeXML has been developed as an open-source project with the aim to automatically present XML data as PDF with sophisticated layout properties.
By means of an auxiliary structure definition, TeXML overcomes the syntax-based differences between TeX and XML.
Technically, the markup elements of TeX are described by using the XML syntax.
WWW Official Site

History

TeXML is a further development of a specification originally defined by Douglas Lovell at IBM, where Structure and Transformation have to be distinguished.
  • Structure
  • Transformation
at the 1999 annual meeting of the TeX Users Group.

Application

TeXML is used to generate Technical Documentation from XML data.
After the transformation TeXML → TeX, the entire LaTeX-defined range of TeX macros is available.
By means of using TeX macros, it is possible to publish XML data having configurable layout options.

Specials

  • TeXML allows automatic publication of XML data by means of a typesetting engine, which was originally designed for manual typesetting.
  • In contrast to publication using the XSL-FO technique layout properties of XML data can be manipulated by using exception rules in the intermediate code.
  • Exception rules are learned by the publication process, the layout properties are thus enhanced with each generation cycle.
  • High-speed publishing processes, an increase in speed of up to 100 times compared to XSL-FO based processes, especially in the case of large documents.

TeXML structure

The Document Type Definition of the TeXML structure consists of the XML elements:
  • Root element: TeXML
  • Encoding commands: cmd
  • Encoding environments: env
  • Encoding groups: group
  • Encoding math groups: math and dmath
  • Encoding control symbols: ctrl
  • Encoding special symbols: spec
  • PDF literals: pdf

Composition of a TeXML document

An example of an XML document, which has already been transformed into the TeXML structure:



\documentclass
\usepackage
\usepackage


Misinterpretation of special characters as being functional characters is called "Escaping", thus: $, ^, >



TeXML process

The TeXML process transforms XML data which are described in the auxiliary intermediate TeXML structure to TeX:

\documentclass
\usepackage
\usepackage
\begin
Misinterpretation of special characters as being functional characters is called "Escaping", thus: \textdollar, \^,
\textgreater
\end

Supporting processes

Works on the "Data Collection Level" and on the "Publication Level" are supported by different tools, for example:
  • Data Collection Level: XML editors
  • Publication Level: synchronization between code and generated PDF by means of pdfSync:

Literature