JML (JSON-style Markup Language)

JML is a lightweight, readable markup format inspired by JSON and DSLs. Designed for rapid UI template creation in Ascoos OS, it enables structured HTML generation with minimal syntax, full UTF-8 support, and easy editing via Abstract Syntax Tree (AST).

Why JML?

• Lightweight & Efficient: Up to 50% smaller size than equivalent HTML in complex pages, ideal for fast web transfers and browser polyfills.
• Developer-Friendly: Declarative syntax for quick prototyping – write once, parse to AST, render to HTML/DSL, and validate semantically.
• Future-Proof: Integrates with Ascoos OS macros, NLP, and decentralized Web 5.0 UIs.

Goal: Simplify web development – from simple tags to structured layouts, without unnecessary boilerplate.

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🚀 Features

• Minimal Syntax: Tags, attributes (:attr('value')) and content (`text`) in a JSON-like structure.
• Full UTF-8 Support: Handles Greek, emojis, and international text without issues.
• AST Parsing: Converts to hierarchical nodes for easy manipulation (e.g., semantic macros).
• Validation: Structural (e.g., head only under html) and semantic (no duplicate attributes, void tags).
• Conversions: JML ↔ HTML/DSL via DOM-based tools.
• Studio Tool: Live editor, preview, AST view, and exports.

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📦 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Ascoos OS or AWES 26 with DOM extension enabled.
• JML relies on Ascoos Kernel classes (e.g., TJmlTokenizer, TUTF8) – it does not work standalone.

Usage

1. Enable JML classes in your Ascoos OS via the Extras Classes Manager.
2. Open the JML Studio application within the windows-like environment of Ascoos OS.
3. Edit JML live – parse, render, and validate via Ascoos API.
4. Alternatively, use the online version of JML Studio through the official Ascoos OS websites.

Usage Example

Enter this into the JML Studio editor:

html {
  head {
    meta:charset('UTF-8')
    link:rel('stylesheet'),href('https://bootlib.ascoos.com/dist/bootlib-1.0.0a4.min.css')
  }
  body:class('dark-theme') {
    h1{`Welcome to JML!`}
    p{`Lightweight markup for Ascoos OS.`}
  }
}

• Preview: View the rendered HTML.
• AST: View the JSON tree.
• DSL: Export to structured format.
• Export: Download .jml or .html.

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📖 Full Specification

For detailed syntax, rules, AST structure, and validation: JML_SPEC.md (English) or JML_SPEC-GR.md (Greek).

Key Features:

• Tags: tagName { children }
• Attributes: :class('value'),id('main')
• Content: `Multiple lines` (preserves whitespace).

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🛠 Core Components

• TJmlTokenizer: Breaks JML into tokens (UTF-8 safe).
• TJmlParser: Builds AST from tokens.
• TJmlRenderer: Outputs HTML or DSL.
• TJmlValidator: Checks structure/semantics.
• TJmlConverter: Bidirectional HTML ↔ JML conversion.

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🤝 Contributing

1. Open a Pull Request.

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📚 References

• JML Studio – Live tool.
• Ascoos OS Web 5.0
• Semantic Macro Examples
• Ascoos OS Glossary – In-depth analysis of Ascoos technologies.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the Ascoos General License (AGL) – commercial, all rights reserved by AlexSoft Software. See LICENSE.md (English) or LICENSE-GR.md (Greek). For open contributions, contact support@ascoos.com.

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Version: 1.0 | Updated: October 07, 2025