computer science

XMetaL

XMetaL is a computer science 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 XMetaL rather than just read about it. In short: XMetaL, or XMetaL Author, is a software application people use to create and edit documents in XML and SGML. It has some features common to word processors, but is a native XML editor that can be configured to work with various standard and custom DTDs and XML Schemas.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

XMetaL, or XMetaL Author, is a software application people use to create and edit documents in XML and SGML. It has some features common to word processors, but is a native XML editor that can be configured to work with various standard and custom DTDs and XML Schemas. XMetaL was first released by SoftQuad Software in 1999 and is currently developed by JustSystems.

Uses XMetaL has a user interface resembling a word processor, in contrast with other XML editors such as XMLSpy that are designed for XML programmers. XMetaL is used by both technical and non-technical writers, most often to develop technical documents, website content, newspaper and magazine content, and organizational policies and procedures. Government agencies also use XMetaL for tracking legislation.

Features XMetaL includes features common to word processors, such as a spellchecker, a thesaurus, and the ability to track changes made to documents. XMetaL provides different views of a document, known as “Normal”, “Tags On” and “Plain Text,” which reveal the underlying element tags and other XML markup to varying degrees, and uses standard CSS files to style documents for display within the editor. A “Resource Manager” pane can be used to locate and insert items such as image files and frequently reused text fragments. XMetaL can be configured to work with standard or custom DTDs or XML Schemas (XSDs). Once configured, the user interface displays options for inserting elements and attributes declared in the DTD or XSD, and ensures all changes to documents are valid according to the rules of the DTD or XSD. Developers can also associate menu items and toolbar buttons for editing images, tables, and lists with elements and attributes in the particular DTD or XSD. Through a macro facility, developers can add custom dialog boxes, menu commands, toolbar buttons, forms, and behaviors, using languages supported by the Microsoft scripting environment such as JScript and VBScript. It also includes interfaces for COM and Java. XMetaL includes features to import content from a database into an XML document, and can be integrated with other systems via APIs. XMetaL works with a variety of content management systems. The “Enterprise” version of XMetaL includes the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) DTDs and features for editing and publishing DITA topics and maps.

Thin-client version XMAX, a platform for creating thin client custom XML editors, was first released in 2003 under the name “XMetaL for ActiveX”. XMAX-based applications can run within the Internet Explorer browser for Windows, and can be embedded in other applications that support ActiveX.

History XMetaL was first developed by SoftQuad Software, which had previously developed the HTML editor HoTMetaL and the SGML editor Author-Editor. XMetaL 1.0, released in June 1999, was the first stand-alone XML editor to offer a word-processor-like user interface. In 2002, the Ottawa-based Corel Corporation bought SoftQuad, but failed to successfully develop the business. In 2003, XMetaL was rebranded as "XMetaL Author", as some features for extending and customizing the product were separated into a "XMetaL Developer" application. In 2004, Corel sold the XMetaL business to Blast Radius, a company based in Vancouver, which was still home to most members of the original XMetaL development team. Critique, a product that had been developed by Blast Radius for collaborative reviewing of XML documents, would later be rebranded as "XMetaL Reviewer". XMetaL was the first major XML editor to provide specific features for DITA. In 2006, Japan-based JustSystems Corporation acquired the XMetaL business from Blast Radius, keeping the XMetaL development team based in Vancouver.

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with XMetaL

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what XMetaL claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, 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 XMetaL 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 XMetaL 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 XMetaL

In research: XMetaL appears in computer science 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 XMetaL 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: XMetaL is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Technical communication tools, Windows text-related software, XML editors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for XMetaL 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 XMetaL in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what XMetaL 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 XMetaL out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is XMetaL in simple terms?

Why does XMetaL matter?

Because it connects several computer science 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 XMetaL?

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 XMetaL.