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net-xml-generator - A Pretty Printing XML Generator for Common Lisp

Table of contents

  • Description
  • Author
  • Author comments
  • Documentation
  • Platforms
  • Dependencies
  • Installation
  • Configuration
  • Licence
  • Notes
  • Examples
  • Franz Inc. Open Source Info

Description

This module consists of a single source file net-xml-generator.cl.

It provides a modified readtable that allows normal Lisp source code to contain possibly-nested marked subforms that emit an XML element. The tree that is Lisp source code integrates transparently with the tree that is the intended XML, and the entire panoply of Lisp operators (iteration, special forms, function calls) can be mixed with XML generation. The Lisp code that emits XML has a structure paralleling the XML.

The Common Lisp pretty printer is optionally used to indent the emitted XML for human readability. See the file xml-generator-blurb.html distributed along with this module for a gentle introduction, and xml-generator-blurb.cl which shows how that html file was itself generated using the module.

Author

Steven Haflich, Franz Inc.

Author comments

Platforms

All Allegro Common Lisp versions. It mostly should work on other implementations, but uses the ACL named-readtable facility (which could trivially be added to any other implementation) and more importantly may depend on subtle details of the pretty printer.

Dependencies

Allegro Common Lisp

The Allegro Common Lisp excl:named-readtable facility.

Installation

Start your lisp and compile and load net-xml-generator.cl which is part of this project:

(load (compile-file "/path/to/your/net-xml-generator.cl")

To test,

(load "/path/to/your/xml-generator-blurb.cl")
(generate-this-page :out-path "./xml-generator-blurb-copy.html" )

and that named file will be generated which should be an exact copy of xml-generator-blurb.html

Configuration

No configuration is necessary, but see the documentation in the source file how to use the customized readtable in your Lisp code.

Documentation

The full documentation is contained in block comments in the net-xml-generator.cl source file itself.

License

The net-xml-generator source code is licensed under the terms of the Lisp Lesser GNU Public License, known as the LLGPL. The LLGPL consists of a preamble and the LGPL. Where these conflict, the preamble takes precedence. This project is referenced in the preamble as the LIBRARY.

Notes

An earlier version of this code was first released as part of the Ray Tracing example in the Franz Inc Dynamic Learning Center.

Examples and Information

The xml-generator-blurb.cl is an odd, self-referential example of Lisp code using the generator.

Franz Open Source Info

This project's homepage is http://opensource.franz.com. There is an informal community support and development mailing list opensource@franz.com for these open source projects. We encourage you to take advantage by subscribing to the list. Once you're subscribed, email to opensource@franz.com with your questions, comments, suggestions, and patches.