Murata Makoto announced a new release of the document "How to RELAX," as well as a new implementation framework for RELAX, while Asami Tomoharu announced version 0.10 of Relaxer, a Java class generator.

RELAX, the REgular LAnguage description for XML, is "a specification for describing XML-based languages" built on hedge automata. It is seen by many as a potential competitor to the W3C's own XML Schemas (0 1 2).

Murata Makoto announced that "After publishing some errata to RELAX Core, we will start to translate the RELAX Core specification. I hope to publish it in August. The INSTAC XML S-WG of Japan intends to submit RELAX Core to ISO in September or October."

The revised "How to RELAX" includes a "simplified STEP 8, and finally translated STEPs 9 and 10."

The new implementation framework takes some cues from Document Structure Description (DSD). Murata described the new framework:

"Under the influence of DSD, we have decided to introduce a new framework for implementing RELAX Core. This framework is called semi-deterministic top-down hedge automata with one lookahead. We believe that implementation this framework is as easy as, or even easier than that of DTDs. Intuitively speaking, this framework is DTD validation combined with scope rules. Moreover, this framework can be built on top of SAX; that is, it does not need an element hierarchy in the main memory."

Relaxer 0.10 adds support for processing instructions, as well as context and idmap options.

Related stories:

• New mailing list for RELAX
• RELAX validation in Java
• RELAX gets noticed
• New XML Schema language - Document Structure Definition