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XML to HTML conversions: basic formatting

Related Concepts

Introduction

Describing the basic mapping from XML to HTML in OmniMark is extremely simple and straightforward. This sample uses a book metaphor for the incoming information. (It also assumes the HTML information will be created in the same order as the XML information is stored). A series of element rules is all that is necessary to perform the basic formatting.

Here is a simple example of the OmniMark element rules used to process the book's glossary:

  element glossary
     output "%n%n<h2>Glossary</h2>%n%n" _
                "<ul>%n%c" _
                "</ul>%n"

  element term
     output "<li>%c:"

  element defn
     output " %c%n"

The respective element rules are "fired" as OmniMark processes the XML data. The rules fire in a nested fashion, just as the elements are nested in the XML document. So, the following XML data:

  <glossary>
  <term>trigger<defn>The thing that makes the thing shoot.
  <term>laser doohicky<defn>The part that shoots.
  <term>battery chamber<defn>The thing that holds the batteries.
  <term>handle<defn>The thing you hold.
  </glossary>

  <h2>Glossary</h2>

  <ul>
  <li>trigger: The thing that makes the thing shoot.
  <li>laser doohicky: The part that shoots.
  <li>battery chamber: The thing that holds the batteries.
  <li>handle: The thing you hold.

  </ul>