FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is PML?

Why PML?

How does it work?

Can I see some real-life examples?

Which features are supported?

How mature is PML?

Do I have to pay to use PML?

Which license is used?

What do I need to use PML?

How do I get started?

Who created PML?



What is PML?

PML is an acronym for Practical Markup Language. It is a human-friendly markup language (Wikipedia) designed to write articles, books, reports, and other documents.

A PML document is converted into a HTML document with a tool called PML Companion (PMLC). You can use this tool to quickly create beautiful web documents.


Why PML?

Note: For an elaborated discussion of the benefits of PML, please read:
We Need a New Document Markup Language - Here is Why..

PML has been meticulously designed to get rid of some problems encountered with other markup languages.

The main objectives are:


How does it work?

It's easy.

  1. Create a text file named example.pml with the following content:

    [doc [title First test]
        This is a [i simple] example.
    ]
  2. Convert this PML file into a HTML file by entering the following command in a terminal:

    pmlc p2h example.pml
  3. Open file output/example.html in your browser. The result looks like this:

You can change the style and customize the result with standard CSS.


Can I see some real-life examples?

PML's User Manual and Reference Manual have been created with PML. You can look at the User Manual's markup code here.

There are a number of blog posts that have been written in PML, such as this one and this one.


How mature is PML?

PML is still in its early days. Some planned features are not yet implemented (see below).

If you miss a feature or encounter a bug, then please follow the instructions on the help page. Bugs are always treated with highest priority - you'll probably get an update within a few days.


Which features are supported?

List of current features:

Additional features planned in upcoming versions:


Do I have to pay to use PML?

No. PML is free of charge for everybody. However, you are politely asked to please send feedback after using PML, because user-feedback is essential to improve PML. Your voice counts!


Which license is used?

The PML Companion (PMLC) is open-sourced and licensed under the GNU General Public License Version 2 (GPL 2). The source code is available on Github


What do I need to use PML?

You just need a standard Windows/Linux/Mac desktop/laptop. You can then install the PML Companion and use any text editor to write your PML documents and convert them to HTML.


How do I get started?

  1. Install the PML Companion.

  2. Read the beginning of the User Manual. Then refer to the Reference Manual when needed.

  3. Visit the help page for further assistance.

Enjoy!


Who created PML?

Hello. My name is Christian Neumanns, born in Luxembourg, Europe. I am a curious software developer, a zealous simplifier, and a lifelong student of life. I created and maintain the Practical Markup Language (PML), the Practical Data and Markup Language (PDML) and the Practical Programming Language (PPL).

You can contact me at chris {at} pml-lang {dot} dev.