introduction

summary

As a tool Xilize transforms text files into well structured XHTML files. This guide shows you how to use it to

• build all or part of a website
• edit existing HTML markup in any type of file: HTML, PHP, perl, JavaScript, plain text, etc.
• use the Xilize plugin for jEdit
• run Xilize from the command line
• call Xilize from Java

As a markup language for generating XHTML, Xilize allows you to

• focus on content
• avoid the details of XHTML and still create well-formed XHTML files
• use explicit XHTML markup when you want or need to
• easily
  • apply CSS styling
  • incorporate JavaScript in your web pages

jEdit

Since Xilize can be run from the command line, any editor or wordprocessor that produces plain text files can be used to create Xilize markup. However, the Xilize plugin for jEdit makes that editor an especially effective tool.

jEdit is a free, opensource editor written in Java and so runs in any environment that supports Java, which is all the common ones like Windows, GNU/Linux, and Solaris. Created as an extensible programmer's editor, jEdit is rich with features for manipulating text and a wide assortment of plugins for many different purposes are available for download through its plugin manager.

assumptions

• You have jEdit on your system or can translate from the jEdit examples here to your editing environment.
• You have downloaded and installed Xilize and can run it. See the download, install, and run instructions.
• You know how to create directories (i.e. folders) and text files on your computer.
• You have a web browser that can display XHTML – all the popular ones do. The examples here use Firefox.
• You know how to add a bookmark in your browser.

Xilize has a number of features that will be of interest to people with programming and/or web development skills.