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You have no doubt heard the buzz about XML, that it is taking the Web, computing, and publishing worlds by storm. Yet you probably have not yet heard a great deal about how ordinary mortals can actually code XML. With SoftQuad's release of XMetaL version 1.2, MIL word processing could easily go mainstream in much the same way Web development has gone over the last few years [thanks in part to tools like SoftQuad's own HoTMetaL.)
XMetaL combines the ease of a word processor with the ability to create disciplined, valid XML. You can also use ;MetaL to produce bWL and HTML documents (SGML is the foundation of these standards). However, SoftQuad's choice of the name XMetaL suggests its biggest use will be in the XML arena, and that is where this review will concentrate. If you know you want to learn more about XMetaL, but are still a little confused about the larger issues of a commitment to XML publishing, see this month's INFORMATION INSIDER (P. 601 for a little context.
what you need and what you get
I used a typical installation, which recommends installing Internet Explorer version 5 [or at minimum some of its components] as well as Microsoft's Database Access Components (version 2.5). Copies of both IE5 and MDAC are available on the installation CD-ROM. My installations (on several test machines) all went smoothly, Minimum system requirements are Windows 95/98/NT 4.0, a 133mHz or faster processor, and 32MB available RAM.
To begin using XMetaL, you must supply it with a Document Type Definition (DTD). In essence, this is a file explaining which tags (elements, attributes, and entities] are available when you create or edit a document. When you supply a DTD to XMetaL, it is as though XMetaL undergoes a personality change. Suddenly you see the specific elements (like "note"), attributes (like "critical"), and entities (like company boilerplate that you want to define once but use repeatedly) in a pick-list for entry into your document. To help you learn XMetaL, Softquad supplies a "Journalist" OTD. Initially skeptical that anything could be so easy, I took that DTD, simplified it, and then modified it using a modeling too[ called "XML Authority" from Extensibility. My modified DTD was designed for creating encyclopedia articles....