JsonML

http://jsonml.org

The utilities here represent a variety of JsonML-related tools for losslessly converting between XML/HTML and JSON. These are intended for use within a browser context for working with DOM representations of XML / HTML in JavaScript. A proof of concept XSLT is also included for converting from XML to JsonML.

Mixed-mode XML

**A common misconception is that JsonML is intended to replace a natural JSON data representation. This is not the case! **

JsonML-encoding is intended for situations of mixed-mode XML/HTML, i.e., where text nodes sit as siblings to element nodes. There isn't a natural JSON encoding for mixed-mode documents, and at worst the representation degrades to modeling DOM nodes themselves. JsonML is a more compact representation of mixed-mode XML/HTML which does not lose the structure of the original markup.

JSON Data

While mixed-mode is very common in markup scenarios (X/HTML) it is actually quite rare in data documents. In data scenarios, a "natural" JSON encoding, such as Badgerfish or Parker Conventions, is generally more efficient and intuitive to work with in JavaScript.

That being said, some have found JsonML to be a useful intermediate encoding of XML for manipulation within JavaScript. Your mileage may vary.

Utilities

Here are the various modules available in this repository:

jsonml-html.js (formerly jsonml2.js)

Methods for converting from JsonML to HTML:

• Element JsonML.toHTML(string|array jml, function filter) Converts a JsonML structure to HTML DOM nodes
• string JsonML.toHTMLText(string|array jml, function filter) Converts a JsonML structure to HTML text

jsonml-dom.js

Methods for converting from HTML to JsonML:

• string|array JsonML.fromHTML(Element node, function filter) Converts HTML DOM nodes to a JsonML structure

• string|array JsonML.fromHTMLText(string xmlText, function filter) Converts HTML text to a JsonML structure

jsonml-xml.js

Methods for converting between JsonML and XML:

• Element JsonML.toXML(string|array jml, function filter) Converts a JsonML structure to XML DOM nodes

• string JsonML.toXMLText(string|array jml, function filter) Converts a JsonML structure to XML text

• string|array JsonML.fromXML(Element node, function filter) Converts XML DOM nodes to a JsonML structure

• string|array JsonML.fromXMLText(string xmlText, function filter) Converts XML text to a JsonML structure

jsonml-utils.js

Utility methods for manipulating JsonML structures:

• boolean JsonML.isElement(string|array jml) Tests if a given object is a valid JsonML element

• string JsonML.getTagName(string|array jml) Gets the name of a JsonML element

• boolean JsonML.isAttributes(string|array jml) Tests if a given object is a JsonML attributes collection

• boolean JsonML.hasAttributes(string|array jml) Tests if a JsonML element has a JsonML attributes collection

• object JsonML.getAttributes(string|array jml) Gets the attributes collection for a JsonML element

• void JsonML.addAttributes(string|array jml, object attr) Sets multiple attributes for a JsonML element

• object JsonML.getAttribute(string|array jml, string key) Gets a single attribute for a JsonML element

• void JsonML.setAttribute(string|array jml, string key, string|int|boolean value) Sets a single attribute for a JsonML element

• void JsonML.appendChild(parent, child) Appends a JsonML child node to a parent JsonML element

• array JsonML.getChildren(string|array jml) Gets an array of the child nodes of a JsonML element

jsonml-jbst.js

Client-side templating library which executes JsonML Browser-Side Templates (JBST). This is the native runtime format generated by JsonFx-UI.

// JBST + JSON => DOM
var dom = JsonML.BST(jbst).bind(data);

// JBST + JSON => JsonML
var jsonml = JsonML.BST(jbst).dataBind(data);

NOTE: JBST has been rebuilt from the ground up as DUEL, a dual-side template library (client-side & server-side).

jsonml.xslt

Proof-of-concept XSL transformation from XML directly to JsonML.

jsonml2.js (deprecated)

NOTE: If you want the same functionality of jsonml2.js, use jsonml-html.js and jsonml-utils.js if you used the extra helper methods.