XMPL Specification documentation

README.md

@@ -9,11 +9,15 @@ This project includes two main components:
 
 ## Features
 
-* XML to Binie conversion
+* XMPL to Binie conversion
 * PDF generation with custom fonts and images
 * [GDI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_Device_Interface) printing (Windows) via [Colony NPAPI (npcolony)](https://github.com/hivesolutions/colony-npapi)
 * [CUPS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUPS) printing (Linux) via [Colony NPAPI (npcolony)](https://github.com/hivesolutions/colony-npapi)
 
+## XMPL Specification
+
+The XML Markup Language for Printing (XMPL) is integral to our document processing pipeline. For an in-depth understanding of the XMPL structure and its seamless convertibility to Binie, see the [XMPL File Format Specification](xmpl.md).
+
 ## Installation
 
 ### Pre-requisites

xmpl.md

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# XMPL – XML Markup Language for Printing 1.0
+
+## Motivation
+
+XMPL is a file format specification developed to enable diverse applications to create and manipulate structured documents for printing purposes. 
+The design of XMPL facilitates its conversion into Binie format, making it a versatile intermediary for rendering structured, print-ready documents. 
+XMPL appends additional, implementation-agnostic information about the document layout, allowing a single XML-based file to be transformed into a fully-featured, print-ready format.
+
+## Specification
+
+XMPL uses an XML structure where each element and attribute is carefully defined to represent various components of a print document.
+
+### XMPL Document Structure
+
+XML documents are structured with nested elements, each representing a part of the print layout, such as blocks, paragraphs, lines, text, and images.
+
+#### Document Root: `printing_document`
+
+The root element for any XMPL document. It encapsulates all the content elements of the document.
+
+```xml
+<printing_document>
+    <!-- Nested Elements -->
+</printing_document>
+```
+
+#### Block Element: `block`
+
+Defines a container for grouping related content elements like paragraphs, text, and images.
+
+```xml
+<block>
+    <!-- Nested Elements -->
+</block>
+```
+
+#### Paragraph Element: `paragraph`
+
+Represents a paragraph within a block, including lines, text, or images.
+
+```xml
+<paragraph>
+    <!-- Nested Elements -->
+</paragraph>
+```
+
+#### Line Element: `line`
+
+Denotes a single line within a paragraph, typically holding text or image elements.
+
+```xml
+<line>
+    <!-- Nested Elements -->
+</line>
+```
+
+#### Text Element: `text`
+
+Specifies a segment of text within a line or a paragraph.
+
+```xml
+<text>
+    <!-- Text Content -->
+</text>
+```
+
+#### Image Element: `image`
+
+Used for embedding images within the document layout.
+
+```xml
+<image>
+    <!-- Image Attributes -->
+</image>
+```
+
+### Attributes and Properties
+
+Elements in XMPL files may have various attributes defining their properties, such as font for text or size for images.
+
+### Convertibility to Binie
+
+The XMPL format has been designed for easy and efficient conversion to the Binie file format. 
+This feature allows XMPL to serve as a flexible tool for creating structured documents that can be readily transformed into a print-ready format.
+
+### Example
+
+Below is an example of an XMPL document designed to display "Hello World" in a centered paragraph.
+
+```xml
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<printing_document name="hello_world" font="Calibri" font_size="9">
+    <paragraph text_align="center">
+        <line><text>Hello World</text></line>
+    </paragraph>
+</printing_document>
+```
+
+## Validation and Compatibility
+
+XMPL is structured to be robust and flexible, ensuring that the conversion to Binie maintains the integrity and layout of the document. 
+Implementations are expected to handle XMPL structure gracefully, supporting a wide range of document configurations.