SXBL
Encyclopedia
sXBL is a mechanism for defining the presentation and interactive behavior of elements described in a namespace
other than SVG
's (an XML language supporting vector graphics, user events and scripted behavior). sXBL is very similar to XBL
, as it does for SVG
documents what XBL does for XUL
documents. For example, it is possible to define a generic scrollArea
in sXBL and use it in SVG documents.
As stated in the sXBL working draft:
Even if sXBL has borrowed a lot from XBL, there are some differences between these two standards (for example, the name of some of the elements are different).
However, there are also some subtle differences between the current state of the Mozilla XBL 2.0 working draft and the current state of the sXBL working draft.
As the sXBL specification has not evolved since the last working draft in August 2005, and since the September 2006 release of the XBL 2.0 last call working draft, it seems that sXBL will be dropped in favour of the more general XBL 2.0 approach.
XML Namespace
xmlns tagged XML namespaces are used for providing uniquely named elements and attributes in an XML document. They are defined in a W3C recommendation. An XML instance may contain element or attribute names from more than one XML vocabulary...
other than SVG
Scalable Vector Graphics
Scalable Vector Graphics is a family of specifications of an XML-based file format for describing two-dimensional vector graphics, both static and dynamic . The SVG specification is an open standard that has been under development by the World Wide Web Consortium since 1999.SVG images and their...
's (an XML language supporting vector graphics, user events and scripted behavior). sXBL is very similar to XBL
XBL
XBL is an XML-based markup language used to declare the behavior and look of XUL-widgets and XML elements.XBL was developed by the Mozilla project for use in the Mozilla Application Suite; the language is not currently described by any formal standard and is thus proprietary to Mozilla, with the...
, as it does for SVG
Scalable Vector Graphics
Scalable Vector Graphics is a family of specifications of an XML-based file format for describing two-dimensional vector graphics, both static and dynamic . The SVG specification is an open standard that has been under development by the World Wide Web Consortium since 1999.SVG images and their...
documents what XBL does for XUL
XUL
In computer programming, XUL , the XML User Interface Language, is an XML user interface markup language developed by the Mozilla project. XUL operates in Mozilla cross-platform applications such as Firefox...
documents. For example, it is possible to define a generic scrollArea
Scrollbar
A scrollbar is an object in a graphical user interface with which continuous text, pictures or anything else can be scrolled including time in video applications, i.e., viewed even if it does not fit into the space in a computer display, window, or viewport...
in sXBL and use it in SVG documents.
History, objectives, and future
sXBL specification derived from a specification called RCC (Rendering Custom Content) that was embedded in a 2003 working draft of the SVG 1.2 specification. The RCC part of the specification has since been removed in favor of the sXBL more modular approach.As stated in the sXBL working draft:
sXBL is intended to be an SVG-specific first version of a more general-purpose XBL specification (e.g., "XBL 2.0"). The intent is that, in the future, a general-purpose and modularly-defined XBL specification will be developed which will replace this specification and will define additional features that are necessary to support scenarios beyond SVG, such as integration into web browsers that support CSS. Once a general-purpose XBL is defined, sXBL would just become an SVG-specific subset (i.e., a profile) of the larger XBL specification.
Even if sXBL has borrowed a lot from XBL, there are some differences between these two standards (for example, the name of some of the elements are different).
However, there are also some subtle differences between the current state of the Mozilla XBL 2.0 working draft and the current state of the sXBL working draft.
As the sXBL specification has not evolved since the last working draft in August 2005, and since the September 2006 release of the XBL 2.0 last call working draft, it seems that sXBL will be dropped in favour of the more general XBL 2.0 approach.
Implementations
sXBL is a W3C working draft, is has not yet reached the status of a recommendation. However, the Batik SVG Toolkit, a Java library that can be used to render, generate, and manipulate SVG graphics, has a preliminary "almost full" implementation of the current state of the sXBL specification in its code base.External links
- Specification W3C Draft.
- Explaining the differences between sXBL and XBL 2.0 specifications
- Batik SVG Toolkit - Batik SVG toolkit website
- Current status of Batik's sXBL implementation