XUL stands for XML user interface LANGUAGE and is a specification language for graphic user surfaces (GUI), which is based on XML. It was developed for the Mozilla project, is originally used however in the meantime also by other software.

In Mozilla applications (Netscape, Seamonkey, Firefox,"…) the entire user surface from XUL files is produced. "„The Gecko Rendering engine is used "“, which is used also for the representation by web pages.

With a Portierung on a certain operating system platform the complete Mozilla XUL Toolkit must be portiert on the new platform. In contrast to it do not need after a such Portierung XUL GUIs special adjustments.

Microsoft pursues a similar concept with the coming Windows Vista and calls this language XAML.

Advantages of XUL

The separation from layout and Design is made possible by XUL for the surface, because the appearance of a XUL user surface is specified normally not in XUL, but for example in Cascading Style Sheets. For this reason it is frequently possible without large expenditure to make a using possible from Skins to how it is for example in Mozilla Firefox the case. Thus that does not compile XUL files, but to be at run-time interpreted, it is to be worked on possible also as a user the user surface according to own desires and extended.

Further advantages are:

• XML conformal specification language
• Free source code by use of XML
• Applicable on many operating systems

Disadvantages

By the additional expenditure of processing the XUL files and the necessary computations of the layout and the appearance the processing and representation speed are frequently slower, than with native are the pedantic Portierung of the Mozilla XUL Toolkits on other operating systems a disadvantage.

Structure of a XUL file

A simple XUL file could look in such a way:

 xml version= " 1,0  >  xml stylesheet href= " chrome: //global/skin/ "“type= "  > <window id= " sample window"” title= " example"” xmlns= " http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul " > </window> 

Strange

The designation XUL has the origin in the film Ghostbusters, in which the spirit of the half God maintains Zuul, which took Dana bar-saved in possession: "„There is NO Dana, there is only Zuul "“. The developers of XUL took over this sentence easily modified as "„There is NO DATA, there is only XUL "“and referred to thereby the unusual characteristic contained of XUL as XML language, no data or documents too separate a user surface to describe.

One can read off further references on the film Ghostbusters to the XML namespace URI, http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul,, which is at the beginning of each XUL document. Key masters and Gatekeeper refer here also to characters from the film. If one calls the address in the Webbrowser, the sentence specified before appears "„There is NO DATA, there is only XUL "“.

In Mozilla software referring to "„Ghostbusters are not only "“in XUL. Also "„Venkman "“, the Javascript debugger of the Mozilla project, is designated after Dr. Venkman, a figure from Ghostbusters.

XUL was based applications

• Mozilla Application Suite
• SeaMonkey
• Mozilla Firefox
• Mozilla Thunderbird
• Mozilla Sunbird
• Nvu
• Songbird
• Activestate Komodo (IDE for Perl, Python and Javascript)
• the software that Begleit CD of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
• Google AdWords editor

See also

• Mozilla
• Rich Internet Application
• XML
• XAML

Related links

• Mozilla XPToolkit Project side
• XulPlanet.com - XUL Tutorial
• Article "„box set "“of Karsten
• The XUL Web log of Sascha Schumann
• Xul Dev Project

Articles in category "XML user interface LANGUAGE"

We found here 3 articles.

Related Websites

We found here 6 related websites.

• Luxor XML UI Language (XUL) Toolkit
  Luxor is a free, open-source XML User Interface Language (XUL) toolkit in Java that includes a ultra light-weight, multi-threaded web server, ...


• Luxor XML UI Language (XUL) Toolkit
  Luxor is a free, open-source XML User Interface Language (XUL) toolkit in Java that includes a ultra light-weight, multi-threaded web server, ...


• XML User Interface Language (XUL) Project
  The basis of the XUL specification Mozilla uses. Contains information pertaining to Mozilla and XUL.


• XUL 1.0
  XML User Interface Language (XUL) 1.0. Editor:: David Hyatt (AOL Time Warner) <hyatt@netscape.com>; Authors:: Ben Goodger (AOL Time Warner) ...


• XUL Planet
  The XML User Interface Language (XUL) is a markup language for describing user interfaces. With XUL you can create rich, sophisticated cross-platform web ...


• XUL Tutorial
  This tutorial describes XUL, the XML User-interface Language. This language was created for the Mozilla application and is used to define its user interface ...