biology

IBM Generalized Markup Language

IBM Generalized Markup Language is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IBM Generalized Markup Language rather than just read about it. In short: Generalized Markup Language (GML) is a set of macros that implement intent-based (procedural) markup tags for the IBM text formatter, SCRIPT. SCRIPT/VS is the main component of IBM's Document Composition Facility (DCF).

Key takeaways

IBM Generalized Markup Language belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IBM Generalized Markup Language to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IBM Generalized Markup Language from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Generalized Markup Language (GML) is a set of macros that implement intent-based (procedural) markup tags for the IBM text formatter, SCRIPT. SCRIPT/VS is the main component of IBM's Document Composition Facility (DCF). A starter set of tags in GML is provided with the DCF product.

Characteristics GML was developed in 1969 and the early 1970s by Charles Goldfarb, Edward Mosher and Raymond Lorie (whose surname initials were used by Goldfarb to make up the term GML). Using GML, a document is marked up with tags that define what the text is, in terms of paragraphs, headers, lists, tables, and so forth. The document can then be automatically formatted for various devices. For example, it is possible to format a document for a laser printer or a line (dot matrix) printer or for a screen by specifying a profile for the device, without changing the document itself. The Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), an ISO-standard technology for defining generalized markup languages for documents, is descended from GML. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) was initially a streamlined and simplified development of SGML, but has outgrown its parent in terms of worldwide acceptance and support.

A GML script example :h1 id='intr'.Chapter 1: Introduction :p.GML supported hierarchical containers, such as :ol. :li.Ordered lists (like this one), :li.Unordered lists, and :li.Definition lists :eol. as well as simple structures. :p.Markup minimization (later generalized and formalized in SGML), allowed the end-tags to be omitted for the "h1" and "p" elements.

Related programs In the early 1980s, IBM developed a dedicated publishing tool called Information Structure Identification Language (ISIL) based on GML. ISIL was used to generate much of IBM documentation for the IBM PC and other products at this time. In the late 1980s, a commercial product called BookMaster was developed, based mostly on ISIL. During the early 1980s, Don Williams at IBM developed DWScript to use the SCRIPT/VS on the IBM PC. In 1986, he developed a PC version of ISIL called DWISIL. These products were used only internally at IBM. IBM uses GML as description language on IBM i and predecessors for objects called "panel groups". Panel groups can present just formatted help text to the user when pressing the help key (often F1), resemble the typical IBM i menus with embedded help texts, or complete application displays with input/output fields, and other TUI elements being formatted on screen according to IBM CUA Standards. The overall facility is called User Interface Manager (UIM) and documented in Application Display Programming.

See also HyperText Markup Language Standard Generalized Markup Language XML SCRIPT (markup) Information Presentation Facility - a descendant of GML, used by IBM to write OS/2's electronic books and online help.

References

External links Document Composition Facility Generalized Markup Language Implementation Guide (SH35.0050-2) GML Starter Set Tag Reference Application Display Programming (SC41-5715)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IBM Generalized Markup Language

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IBM Generalized Markup Language claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IBM Generalized Markup Language before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IBM Generalized Markup Language ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IBM Generalized Markup Language

In research: IBM Generalized Markup Language appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IBM Generalized Markup Language in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IBM Generalized Markup Language is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics IBM software, Markup languages, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IBM Generalized Markup Language outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IBM Generalized Markup Language in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IBM Generalized Markup Language means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IBM Generalized Markup Language out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IBM Generalized Markup Language in simple terms?

Why does IBM Generalized Markup Language matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IBM Generalized Markup Language?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IBM Generalized Markup Language.