SGML

SGML

 in full Standard Generalized Markup Language

Markup language for organizing and tagging elements of a document, including headings, paragraphs, tables, and graphics. The elements are marked according to their meaning and relationship to other elements rather than to the format of their presentation. The tagged elements can then be formatted in different ways according to the unique rules for different applications. Readable by both humans and computer programs, SGML is usable in a wide range of applications, including print publishing, CD-ROMs, and database systems. Generic coding of electronic manuscripts was first proposed in the late 1960s; in 1969 an IBM team developed GML, which was adopted by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Department of Defense. In the late 1970s the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) established a committee to create SGML from GML; it was accepted by the International Organization for Standards in 1986. See also HTML, XML.

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SGML

(Standard Generalized Markup Language) An ISO standard for defining the format in a text document. Widely used in the publishing industry, an SGML document uses a separate Document Type Definition (DTD) file that defines the format codes, or tags, embedded within it. Since SGML describes its own formatting, it is known as a "meta-language." SGML is a very comprehensive language that also includes hypertext links. HTML is an SGML document that uses a fixed set of tags, while XML is a simplified version of SGML. See HTML, XML and DSSSL.

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SGML - Standard Generalized Markup Language