Generic XML Scholarly Publishing Framework
xMod is an application framework which allows the transformation of a repository of TEI (or other, valid) XML into a finished static or dynamic website of conceivably any size. xMod also supports a number of other output formats, and can be used to generate print-ready output (ranging from simple PDFs to highly formatted camera-ready copy). The xMod framework provides a number of tools to support large-scale, multiuser editorial and publication processes and is designed to be run as a standalone, desktop application, or as a dynamic web application on a server (running in Apache Cocoon).
xMod can be setup to output a basic website very quickly assuming some prerequisites:
- A set of valid XML files. These would normally comply with a TEI schema.
- Some basic configuration. xMod needs to be told about the structure of the documents and the way in which they relate to one another (this forms the basis of the navigation system).
- A 'personality pack'. xMod accepts a special set of customisable XSLT, CSS and image files which determine the look and feel. If these are not present, the completed website falls back on a default look and feel.
xMod is currently at version 2.1.0.
What makes xMod different?
- xMod is not a component or tool for development, but an integrated package designed to output a usable, and potentially and completely finished, website. Over the past few years, xMod has been used to generate a range of more than 50 websites which deal with very different source materials and have customised functionality.
- xMod allows for flexible indexing with full-text and semantic searching, and supports both Apache Lucene (via a CCH developed search framework known as Ereuna1) and Apache Solr.
- xMod can be used with simple XML files and/or alternative data sources, including traditional relational databases, and XML databases like eXist.
- xMod is designed to support task-based workflow, with clearly defined and separate roles for an editor / XML encoder, an XSL programmer and a web designer.
- xMod allows for extremely low level customisation, and this can be achieved without knowledge of how the application actually works.
- Alternatively xMod can be used without any customisation and will still produce a workable website, which allows rapid prototyping and testing.
Moving to Open Source
xMod is an internal tool at the moment and not yet ready for use outside CCH. However we are committed to making xMod Open Source and making it available to the community. We expect to release xMod under a GNU GPL License no later than June 2011; as soon as it is ready, it will be made available on SourceForge along with documentation and demonstration resources.
