Vector Markup Language

Infobox file format
name = Vector Markup Language


caption =
extension = .vml
mime =
owner = Microsoft
creatorcode =
genre = vector image format
container for =
contained by =
extended from = XML
extended to =

Vector Markup Language (VML) is an XML language used to produce vector graphics. VML was submitted as a proposed standard to the W3C in 1998 by Microsoft, Macromedia, and others. Around the same time other competing W3C submissions were received in the area of web vector graphics, such as PGML from Adobe, Sun, and others. [ [http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/NOTE-PGML-19980410 PGML] ] .

As a result of these submissions, a new W3C working group was created, which produced SVG.

Even though largely ignored by developers, Microsoft still implemented VML into Internet Explorer 5.0 and higher and in Microsoft Office 2000 and higher.

Google Maps currently uses VML for rendering vectors when running on Internet Explorer 5.5+, and SVG on other browsers. [ [http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/#XHTML_and_VML Google Maps] ]

Example

The following code displays an oval filled in blue:

The SVG equivalent for this code would be:

Curiously, the "fillcolor" attribute of VML becomes a CSS property in SVG, and the four attributes of the SVG "ellipse" tag become CSS properties in VML.

oftware

VML is used by most Microsoft Office applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Visio, etc., to create online files, while using the Save As HTML option (plain HTML or MHT, Microsoft HyperText Single File Format). Such files retain complete vector information, and can be reopened for editing using applications, such as Microsoft PowerPoint. VML is natively supported by Microsoft's Internet Explorer within inline HTML, compared to SVG that is natively supported by Firefox, Opera, and Safari inline only in XHTML mode. [ [http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/SVG_In_HTML_Introduction SVG In HTML Introduction - MDC] ]

Several online utilities also use VML as the primary language of choice for storing vector information in HTML.Fact|date=June 2008

References

ee also

* Scalable Vector Graphics
* Office Open XML

External links

* [http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/NOTE-VML-19980513 W3C VML proposal]
* [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb250524.aspx MSDN VML Page]
* [http://www.bayersoft.net/beditorvml2/ Ancyra Online VML Drawing]
* [http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/ W3C SVG standard]
* [http://secunia.com/advisories/21989/ Vector Graphics Rendering Library Buffer Overflow]
* [http://www.glory-online.com First browser game fully created using VML libraries, "Fields of Glory"]
* [http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/640 Windows VML Vulnerability FAQ (CVE-2006-4868)]