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User Interface Markup Language (UIML) render to html

I am currently investigating user interface (UI) generation through some meta-languages such as UIML. The language seems to be well standardized and it is one of the pioneers in that sense. (Here is a list of some other similar languages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface_markup_language).

There are several UIML implementations - one particular in .NET and one in Java that I am aware of (also they are publicly available for download). But I am looking for a way to bring UIML to a browser and possibly combine it with XForms (which would be a good complement to UIML). The questions is, has someone had some experience with something similar? Are you aware if such project exists?

Through some papers, I read that a company called Harmonia used to have a UIML to HTML renderer, but apparently not anymore. Besides the official website of UIML is down (www.uiml.org), and one can find information only on the OASIS committee's website (https://www.oasis-open.org/committees/download.php/28457/uiml-4.0-cd01.pdf).

Correct me if wrong, but I guess these are the only approaches:

  1. XSL transformation on the UIML document to a XHTML (possibly with XForms). Although, I feel that this approach is not the sort of 'native' way to UIML (due to it's vocabulary abstraction).
  2. Implementing my own UIML to HTML renderer in a language of choice with it's specific vocabulary and a 'transformation engine' to output a html file in the end.

Hopefully, someone did some work/research in that direction. Would really appreciate any comments/guides/advises/experiences/etc.! :)

Solution

  • Here are some options:

    • PyUIML, which is using the second approach listed in the question

    • KUIMLRenderer, which natively parses UIML for QtWebkit browsers such as QUPZilla

    • Android-UIML, a UIML renderer for Android

    • Harmonia LiquidWeb, which uses desktop UIML to render HTML

    References