XMLstä

XMLstä is a fictional XML-based data interchange format used here to illustrate how an XML-derived syntax could incorporate strong typing and metadata annotations. Although it is not an actual standard, XMLstä is designed to resemble features that researchers and standards bodies discuss when extending XML for reliable data exchange, interoperability, and machine readability.

Design principles of XMLstä include a compatible XML syntax, an optional schema language called XMLstä Schema (XST) for declaring element and attribute types, and a dedicated namespace (for example xt) to express typing constraints and metadata. Documents may declare complex types, enumerations, default values, and range checks; validation is performed against an XST or an existing XML Schema with added constraints. The modular model supports componentization through import-like mechanisms and reusable type definitions.

A typical XMLstä document combines core XML with type annotations, allowing validators to enforce both structure and semantics. Types are defined separately from data instances, enabling consistent interpretation across systems. Transformation and querying can be enhanced by type-aware templates or extension rules that operate on the declared types alongside traditional XML data.

Example snippet: <person xmlns:xt="http://example.org/xmlstä" xt:type="Person"><name>Jane Doe</name><age xt:range="0-120">29</age></person>

Usage and status: In practice, XMLstä remains a conceptual model rather than a deployed standard. Its imagined tooling would include validators, transformers, and pluggable processors that combine XML parsing with type-aware checking, analogous to the relationship between XML Schema, XSLT, and standard XML workflows.