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From: Bruce Hunter <bruce@sgml.dircon.co.uk>
Newsgroups: comp.text.sgml
Subject: PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT - SGML processing language with free tools
Date: 27 Nov 1995 02:18:51 GMT
Organization: Direct Connection (Call 0181 297 2200 for info)
Lines: 61
Message-ID: <49b76b$a4v@newsgate.dircon.co.uk>
NNTP-Posting-Host: sgml.dircon.co.uk


SGMLC - AN SGML DOCUMENT PROCESSING LANGUAGE, WITH FREE COMPILER AND
        RUNTIME PROCESSOR

SGMLC is an SGML document processing language which is based extensively upon the C programming language. It is the language at the heart of a  
suite of products, developed by SGML Systems Engineering, which enable  
the creation of powerful and flexible SGML document processing systems.  
These may range from simple transformation tools, for example to convert  
an SGML document into another form, to complex IETMS's and batch page  
composition systems.

Programs, or "rules files", are written in SGMLC using any text editor.  
They are then compiled into object form by the SGMLC compiler. There are  
several versions of the SGMLC compiler, ranging from a basic free one to  
the complete SGMLC Application Development Environment, which  
incorporates an interactive debugger, C language DLL interface, and  
system customisation facilities.

The resulting object file may then be freely distibuted to anyone who  
has the free SGMLC runtime processor. An SGML document is processed by simply opening it in the runtime processor and applying the relevant  
rules file.

The free version of the compiler, together with the free runtime  
processor, will be all that is needed to create stand-alone SGML  
document transformation applications. It is hoped that the free  
availability of these tools will remove the need for hybrid, multi-pass  
applications such as, for example, using perl to process the output of  
the sgmls parser.

For commercial organisations who require a supported product, but who do  
not need the full Application Development Environment, there will be an  
enhanced, supported version of the free compiler. The additional  
facilities will include enhanced regular expression patterm matching  
together with the ability to attach the inbuilt SGML parser to any  
stream rather than just the input stream. This will enable, for example,  
complex up-translations where the parser is used to parse the generated  
output. The output parser data structures are then available for making  
conditional decisions whilst processing the input.

A range of SGMLC add-on libraries will also be available. These include  
the SGMLC-View library, which provides the functionality for creating  
complex SGML browser applications, including support for complex tables  
and equations. The SGMLC-CALSTAB library provides pre-written viewer  
support for processing CALS tables. It conforms to the recommendations  
of the SGML Open White Paper on Tables Interoperability.

The range of products, which will be made generally available after the  
SGML 95 conference for the MS Windows operating systems, may be seen at  
the SGML Systems Engineering booth in the exhibition area at SGML 95. A  
limited number of diskettes, containing the free products and examples  
of some sophisticated viewer applications, will be available there.  
After SGML 95 the free SGMLC compiler and runtime processor will be made  
publicly available via the usual SGML archive ftp sites.


regards,

        Bruce Hunter
        SGML Systems Engineering
        bruce@sgml.dircon.co.uk