GuideML is a markup language used on h2g2, and other bbc.co.ukcommunities which use the same "DNA" software. GuideML is an acronym for GuideMarkup Language, in reference to the "hitch-hiker's guide" part of h2g2's full name.
GuideML is compatible with XML standards, but mostly consists of a safe subset of HTML 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 straight-forward 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 standardised "GuideML 1.0" is under discussion, and would involve a specific subset of the currently supported tags being declared "official" parts of the language. This is an important change of approach, in that the current parser lets through any unrecognised tags, as long as they are XML-compliant, meaning that any HTML understood by the viewer's browser is implicitly part of GuideML.
Writing entries in GuideML (the markup language of the Guide) enables you not only to take advantage of the extensive markup features of GuideML, but more importantly it means your entry can be processed to pull out more information.
GuideML is not hard to learn, and if you want help we recommend a visit to the GuideML Clinic.
GuideML is a markup language based on XML which allows you to add meaning to what's in your entry, rather than just having text.
GuideML (Guide Markup Language) is a document markup language used on h2g2, and other Bbc.co.uk online community which use the same h2g2#DNA software.
GuideML is compatible with XML standards, but mostly consists of a safe subset of HTML with some extra tags for specific features of the software.
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.
Feeds |
Contact