GTML Reference Page
Author: Andrew E. Schulman,Bruno Beaufils, Gihan Perera
Description: GTML is a simple yet powerful HTML pre-processor, which has a lot of features to design AND maintain entire web sites. It's syntax is very close to the C language preprocessor one. Some of its features are: use of macros, conditionnal processing, file inclusion, sitemap generation and much more. It is written in perl.
Keywords: HTML pre-processor, perl, script, web site design, templates, free software, GPL

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- This is the reference page for the HTML pre-processor `GTML`. It describes all the `GTML` features and commands in detail. For more information about getting `GTML`, see the main `GTML` page. `GTML` features fall into four main areas, and we'll look at them in this order: `GTML` commands embedded among HTML text. The optional `GTML` project file, which allows you to manage a set of Web pages together. Special named constants generated or used by `GTML`. Command-line options. ## Commands The original syntax of `GTML` was stolen shamelessly from the C language pre-processor, and has been adapted to suit Web site management. It supports the following commands: `include` - Include the contents of another file. `define` and `newdefine` - Create named constants which can be used as shorthand definitions of frequently-used HTML segments. `undef` - Remove a named constant. `timestamp` and `mtimestamp` - Insert a formatted date/time stamp. `literal` - Turn off `GTML` processing. `definechar` - Define characters (or strings) translations. `entities` - Convert special characters to HTML entities. `if, ifdef, ifndef, elsif, elsifdef, elsifndef, else, endif` - Select sections of the source based on certain conditions. `compress` - Turn on file compression, eliminating HTML useless segments. `sitemap` and `toc` - Insert a map of all your site. ### Command syntax There are two ways of writing commands: You can insert the commands directly, in which case they are preceded by ``#`', and must appear at the start of a separate line (no preceeding spaces). Here's an example:
      #include "header.txt"
- The other method is to embed the command inside an HTML comment. In this case, the line must begin with ``<!-- ###`' followed by the command name, followed by the close-comment tag ``-->`'. Here's the same example in this format:
      <!-- ###include "header.txt" -->
The first method is simpler, and is the recommended way of writing `GTML` , if possible. However, if you're using an HTML authoring tool which complains about `GTML` commands, you can use the second method to hide the `GTML` commands from the tool. ### #include If you have some common text which you want inserted in more than one Web page, put it in a separate file - say, `common.txt`. Then, at the place where you want the text in each file, put the following line:
    #include "common.txt"
`GTML` replaces this line with the entire contents of the file `common.txt`. The name of the file can be defined in a named constant, as described next. The directories in which the file may be looked for can be defined in a special named constant. ### #define This is a simple way to create shorthand definitions - what we call named constants, or macros - for your frequently-used text. For some text which you use often - say, an e-mail address - include a line like this:
    #define MY_EMAIL gihan@pobox.com
This defines a named constant MY_EMAIL and its value `gihan@pobox.com`. The value can be any text, including spaces and HTML markup (leading spaces and tabs are ignored), as long as it's all on one line or it's all on multiple consecutives lines with a trailing ``\`' at the end of each lines, except the last. To use this named constant, whenever you want your e-mail address, specify it like this:
         <<MY_EMAIL>>
- The double angle-brackets tell `GTML` to substitute this with its definition (You can specify your own choice of delimiters instead of the double-angle brackets). There are a few other things you should know about `#define`: Named constants can be set from the command line when you run `GTML`. Nested definition values The value of a named constant can itself contain other named constants, like this:
      #define MAILTO <a href="mailto:<<MY_EMAIL>>">
- `GTML` will happily do both substitutions. Note: Definitions are evaluated at time of use, not time of definition. This allows you to change the nested value to get a different result. To get definitions body evaluated at time of definition, you must use the `#define!` command. Nested definition names If you want the name of a named constant to contain other named constants, use `#define!` instead of `#define`. For example, this sets the named constant A to `fred`:
      #define BLAH  A
      #define! <<BLAH>> fred
- (This doesn't achieve much here, but typically the second line is in a separate file, which is included by the file with the first line). Added values If you want to add something to the definition of a named constant, use `#define+`. For example, this sets the named constant A to `foobar`:
      #define A foo
      #define+ A bar
- Undefined values If a named constant is not defined before it's used, its value is a blank string. Re-defining values It's perfectly OK to have more than one `#define` for the same named constant. You can use this to change the value of a named constant part-way through the processing. Pre-defined values `GTML` creates some named constants for you automatically, such as the file name and links to the previous and next files. Variables values Sometimes the frequently-used text you want to shorthand may embed some variable pieces. `GTML` allows you to specify what the pieces are which may vary, the same way the C language preprocessor does for macros with arguments. Parameters are enclosed in parenthesis and seperated by a comma. For instance, this creates a shortand to make HTML links:
      #define url(x,y) <a href="mailto:x">y</a>
  Now the use of `<<url(<<MY_EMAIL>>,Gihan)>>` will give:
      <a href="mailto:gigan@pobox.com">Gihan</a>
- Added variables values If you add a variable valued definition with `#define+`, then you add the parameter to the initial constant. For instance, this adds a third parameter to the url macro:
      #define+ url(x) <a href="http://x">Perera</a>
  Now guess what the following line will give:
        <<url(<<MY_EMAIL>>,Gihan,www.pobox.com/~gihan)>>
  Yeah, you find:
        <a href="mailto:gigan@pobox.com">Gihan</a><a href="http://www.pobox.com/~gihan">Perera</a>
If you want to use commas in your arguments you just have to quote the complete argument with single or double quotes. ### #newdefine This is identical to `#define`, except that the definition applies only if the named constant has not been defined already. If it has been defined, the old definition is unchanged. `#newdefine!` is identical to `#define!` with the same exception. ### #undef Use this to remove the definition of a named constant:
If the named constant didn't exist previously, this does nothing. ### #if, #ifdef, #ifndef, #elsif, #elsifdef, #elsifndef, #else, #endif These commands are used together for conditional output: `#if <<FRED>> == foo` Process the following lines only if after substitution, the left and right values are equal. Here if value of named constant FRED is equal to `foo`. `#if foo != <<FRED>>` Process the following lines only if after substitution, the left and right values are different. Here if value of named constant FRED is different from `foo`. `#ifdef FRED` Process the following lines only if the named constant FRED is defined. `#ifndef FRED` Process the following lines only if the named constant FRED is not defined. `#elsif <<FRED>> == foo` If previous lines were not processed, then process the following lines only if after substitution, the left and right values are equal. `#elsif <<FRED>> != foo` If previous lines were not processed, then process the following lines only if after substitution, the left and right values are different. `#elsifdef FRED` If previous lines were not processed, then process the following lines only if the named constant FRED is defined. `#elsifndef FRED` If previous lines were not processed, then process the following lines only if the named constant FRED is not defined. `#else` The opposite effect of the most recent matching `#if`, `#ifdef`, `#ifndef`, `#elsif`, `#elsifdef` or `#elsifndef`. `#endif` End a block of conditional output. Every `#if`, `#ifdef` or `#ifndef` must have a matching `#endif` Conditional blocks can be nested. ### #timestamp The special named constant TIMESTAMP evaluates to the current date and time. But to use it, you must tell `GTML` what format to use to print the date/time. The format string is specified in the `#timestamp` statement like this:
    #timestamp   $dd/$MM/$yy at $hh:$mm:$ss
The value of `<<TIMESTAMP>>` will then be: `8/06/96 at 11:45:03`. As you can see, certain strings (like `$dd`) are replaced with values. The full set of substitution strings is as follows (everything else is left unchanged in the format string):
$hh | Hour (00 to 23)
$mm | Minute (00 to 59)
$ss | Seconds (00 to 59)
$Day | Full weekday name (Sunday to Saturday)
$Ddd | Short weekday name (Sun to Sat)
$dd | Day of the month (1 to 31)
$ddth | Day of the month with ordinal extension (1st to 31th)
$MM | Month number (1 to 12)
$Month | Full month name (January to December)
$Mmm | Short month name (Jan to Dec)
$yyyy | Year (e.g. 1996)
$yy | Short year (e.g. 96)
Monthnames are output in English by default; but they can be output in other languages, according to the LANGUAGE special definition. ### #mtimestamp This is identical to `timestamp`, except that the time used is not the current one, but the time the file was last modified. ### #literal The command `#literal ON` tells `GTML` to stop interpreting lines beginning with ``#`' as `GTML` commands, until the next `#literal OFF` line. Defined constants are still substituted, and entities are translated if desired. For example, this is useful for bracketing blocks of C code, which might have lines beginning with ``#`'. ### #entities The command `#entities ON` tells `GTML` to convert the characters ``<`', ``>`' and ``&`' into HTML entities so they aren't treated as part of HTML commands. Use `#entities OFF` to turn off this conversion. This is useful for bracketing blocks of program code, which often contain these characters. ### #definechar Basic HTML authorized characters may only be ASCII characters. Accentuated characters are coded in HTML in a certain way. For instance the ``é`' character is coded ``&eacute;`'. You may want to input ``é`' in your source file, and have the right code used in your HTML file. This character's translation may be defined with the `#definechar` command, like in this example:
    #definechar é &eacute;
Sometimes you might want to input special characters that are not available on your keyboard, but do not want to input its HTML code (Think of the German ``ß`' on an English keyboard). For instance if you want all occurrances of ``ss`' in your source file to be translated into ``ß`', you can use the `#definechar` command:
    #definechar ss &szlig;
- ### #compress The command `#compress ON` tells `GTML` to begin producing compressed HTML code, i.e. stripping multiple spaces, removing newlines, HTML comments, and all other stuff useless for an HTML browser to render a page. This compression is done on the output file until the next `#compress OFF`. ### #sitemap, #toc When you specify a hierarchy of pages in your project file you may insert a table of contents, or site map, of those pages, using the command `#sitemap`, or `#toc`. See Document hierarchy specifications for more information on how the list is created. ## `GTML` project files Because `GTML` is most useful for managing multiple files, it's quite common to change something in a #include'd file, and then run `GTML` on all the ``.gtm`' files which use it. To make this procedure easier, `GTML` supports a concept of a project file. This is a simple text file with the extension ``.gtp`'. It can contain: `define ...` As for `#define` in a source file. `define! ...` As for `#define!` in a source file. `define+ ...` As for `#define+` in a source file. `newdefine ...` As for `#newdefine` in a source file. `newdefine! ...` As for `#newdefine!` in a source file. `undef ...` As for `#undef` in a source file. `timestamp ...` As for `#timestamp` in a source file. `mtimestamp ...` As for `#mtimestamp` in a source file. `if ...` `ifdef ...` `ifndef ...` `elsif ...` `elsifdef ...` `elsifndef ...` `else` `endif` As for `#if, #ifdef, #ifndef, #elsif, #elsifdef, #elsifndef, #else, #endif` in a source file. `definechar ...` As for #definechar in a source file. `compress ...` As for #compress in a source file. `include ...` As for #include in a source file, but only on project files. `// ...` Comment lines (the ``//`' must be the first characters on the line), which are ignored. Blank lines are also ignored. `allsource` This is a shorthand way of specifying all source files from the current directory and sub-directories (recursively). `filename alias file` This is used to make an alias to a file, so that you may use the alias, as a defined constant, instead of the filename itself in source files. `GTML` will compute the right relative path to the file in each source file. This way you may move your files wherever you want, `GTML` will be able to recreate your pages without having to modify the source files. `filename.gtm` All other lines are names of source files, which are processed by `GTML` in turn. These files can be in other directories below the current directory. Simply specify the file name relative to the current directory (e.g. `sub/fred/index.gtm`). The file can be a defined alias filename. In this case use it as a filenamed constant, e.g.
         filename FOO bar/foo
         <<FOO>>
The file name can be followed by a level number and a title, to be used in creating a hierarchy of documents. In this case the file is processed after the project file has been completely read (in order to have the complete document hirearchy). `hierarchy` This is used to process all files of the declared hierarchy so far, so that you may process those files more than once, if you want to change some named constant values between each process. If not used files of the hierarchy are processed after the project file has been entirely read. When you run `GTML` with the project file as a command-line argument, it will process all the source files in the project file. They will all inherit the `define`, `definechar` and `timestamp` values, if any, in the project file. The `mtimestamp` value will change according to the modification date of the appropriate source file. You may use a project file, but process only selected source files (declared in the project) with the ``-F`' command line argument. Note that `#define`, `#newdefine` and `#undef` commands inside a file are local to that file - they don't carry over to the next file in the project. However, named constants defined in the project file are inherited by all files in the project. ### Document hierarchy `GTML` allows you to create a hierarchy of Web pages, with links between them. Each Web page can have a link to the previous page, the next page, or one level up in the hierarchy. Obviously, some of these links don't apply to some pages - `GTML` generates only those that apply to each page. #### Describing the hierarchy You describe the document hierarchy to `GTML` by listing the file names in the project file in a certain order, with a document level and title for each. Level 1 is for top-level documents, and 2, 3, 4, and so on are lower levels. File names without a level have no hierarchical information attached to them. When `GTML` processes a file, it defines special named constants which can be used in exactly the same way as other named constants. For each file, `GTML` generates the named constants, LINK_PREV, LINK_NEXT and LINK_UP. These correspond to the file names of the previous file, next file and one level up in the hierarchy. In addition, it also generates the corresponding named constants TITLE_PREV, TITLE_NEXT, TITLE_UP and TITLE_CURRENT to be the titles of these files (As stated above, the title follows the level number in the project file). Some of these named constants may not be applicable to some files, in which case the named constant is not defined for that file. #### Example Here's an extract from a hypothetical `GTML` project file:
        contents.gtm 1 Table of Contents
        chapter1.gtm 2 Introduction
        sec11.gtm    3 What's the Problem
        sec12.gtm    3 Old Approaches
        sec13.gtm    3 New Idea
        chapter2.gtm 2 Historical Evidence
        sec21.gtm    3 Early 1900's
        sec22.gtm    3 Recent Findings
        chapter3.gtm 2 Our Bright Idea
To take a simple case, the file `sec21.gtm` will have `LINK_NEXT` set to `sec22.html` (and `TITLE_NEXT` set to Recent Findings) and LINK_UP set to `chapter2.html` (and TITLE_UP set to Historical Evidence). LINK_PREV and TITLE_PREV will be undefined. #### Using the links The links can be used to create navigation links between the documents. In other words, each document can have links up the hierarchy and to the next and previous documents. Typically, you would place the navigation information in a common file and `#include` it into each `GTML` source file. The `GTML` `#ifdef` command can be used to exclude links which don't apply to a particular file. Here's a simple example:
    #ifdef LINK_NEXT
       <p>Next document: <a href="<<LINK_NEXT>>"><<TITLE_NEXT>></a>
    #endif
    #ifdef LINK_PREV
       <p>Previous document: <a href="<<LINK_PREV>>"><<TITLE_PREV>></a>;
    #endif
    #ifdef LINK_UP
       <p>Up one level: <a href="<<LINK_UP>>"><<TITLE_UP>></a>;
    #endif
#### Creation of table of contents When you have described a document hierarchy, and you use a `#toc` or `#sitemap` command into your source file, `GTML` includes a sitemap generated as a list with the help of the __TOC_#__(x), and __TOC_#_ITEM__(x,y) special named constants (``#`' being a file level). With the previous example it gives:
    <<__TOC_1__('
      <<__TOC_1_ITEM__('contents.html','Table of Contents')>>
      <<__TOC_2__('
        <<__TOC_2_ITEM__('chapter1.html','Introduction')>>
        <<__TOC_3__('
          <<__TOC_3_ITEM__('sec11.html','What's the Problem')>>
          <<__TOC_3_ITEM__('sec12.html','Old Approaches')>>
          <<__TOC_3_ITEM__('sec13.html','New Idea')>>
        ')>>
        <<__TOC_2_ITEM__('chapter2.html','Historical Evidence')>>
        <<__TOC_3__('
          <<__TOC_3_ITEM__('sec21.html','Early 1900's')>>
          <<__TOC_3_ITEM__('sec22.html','Recent Findings')>>
        ')>>
      ')>>
    ')>>
__TOC_#__(x), and __TOC_#_ITEM__(x,y) have the following default values:
    #define __TOC_#__(x)        <ul>x</ul>
    #define __TOC_#_ITEM__(x,y) <li><a href="x">y</a>
You may redefine this constant to whatever you want as long as you respect the number of variables. ## Special definitions #### Environment All environment variables are defined as named constants by `GTML`. #### Current file names The special named constants ROOT_PATH, BASENAME, FILENAME and PATHNAME are set to the current path to root of the project (where the project file resides), output file name without any extension and excluding any directory path information, output file name excluding any directory path information, and directory path information relative to the path to the root of the project. #### Search path for include files `GTML` always searches for include files in the directory of the processed source file first, then the current directory (where the `GTML` command is executed). In addition, if you define the named constant INCLUDE_PATH, `GTML` will interpret it as a list of directories (separated by colons), to search for include files. Those directories may be absolute, or relative to the root path of the project. #### Output directory By default, `GTML` writes its output files to the same directory as the corresponding source file. You can override this by defining the named constant OUTPUT_DIR as the name of the output directory. If you are doing this with a project file, specify OUTPUT_DIR as the top-level output directory. `GTML` will create the same directory hierarchy for the output files as for the input files (It creates sub-directories as required). #### Output suffix By default all created files are created by changing the .gtm, or .gtml extension of the source file to the .html one. You may change this behavior by defining the special constant EXTENSION to whatever extension you want. The definition of this constant does not have sense in a source file, since the output file is already created the moment GTML starts to parse the source file. It makes sense however to define it in the project file or on the command line. If the suffix is preceded by two dots as in `gtml.css..gtm`, then the source suffix is not replaced, but just removed, as in `gtml.css`. #### Fast generation `GTML` only processes files which are younger than the output files which they might produce. This is very useful, as it increases the generation speed of web sites with a big number of pages, when only one of them has been changed. Same kind of the way `make` works. To enable this feature you just have to define the special constant FAST_GENERATION. The use of this constant will work only in `GTML` project files or on the command line. This feature does not take into account included files, but only the main gtml source, and the wanted output. To deal with more complex file dependencies you may use the `make` tool in conjunction with the ``-F`' and ``-M`' command line arguments. #### Language localisation By default all timestamps produce monthnames and daynames which are output in English. You can output them in other languages by defining the constant LANGUAGE to a value corresponding to an available language. As of today seven languages are available. The default one is English. Following is the list of those language with the corresponding value for LANGUAGE constant: `fr` for French ; `de` for German ; `ie` for Irish ; `it` for Italian ; `nl` for Dutch ; `no` for Norvegian ; `se` for Swedish. If you can send me month and day names in other languages, just do it, I will integrate it in following versions of `GTML`. #### Substitution delimiters The default delimiters for substituting named constants are ``<<`' and ``>>`'. You can change these to any other strings by defining the named constants OPEN_DELIMITER and CLOSE_DELIMITER respectively. For example, if you had the following lines:
    #define OPEN_DELIMITER {{
    #define CLOSE_DELIMTER }}

    #define MY_EMAIL  gihan@pobox.com
then GTML substitutes MY_EMAIL when it finds the text `{{MY_EMAIL}}` instead of the default `<<MY_EMAIL>>`. #### Document hierarchy links As described above, `GTML` defines several named constants for links between documents. #### Embedded Perl code You may embed Perl code into your `GTML` source file, and have the result of the last evaluated expression inserted in your output file, with the help of the one argument macro __PERL__. Here is an example inserting the size of the source file:
    <<__PERL__(return (stat(<<ROOT_PATH>><<BASENAME>>.".gtm"))[7];)>>
#### Embedded system command code You may embed system command output into your `GTML` source file, with the help of the one argument macro `__SYSTEM__`. Here is an example inserting the list of files in the current directory:
    <<__SYSTEM__(dir)>>
## Command-line arguments ### -D When you run `GTML` from the command line, you can define named constants like this: `-DMY_EMAIL=fred` This is the same as `#define MY_EMAIL fred` in the file. These definitions can occur anywhere within the command-line options, but only affect the files after them. For example, if your command line is:
    perl gtml.pl fred.gtm -DMY_EMAIL=fred bill.gtm harry.gtm
then the MY_EMAIL definition doesn't apply to `fred.gtm`. ### -F When you run `GTML` from the command line on a project file you may want to process only some of the files used in it. This may be very useful in conjunction with `make` for page regeneration based on complex files dependencies (induced by `#include` commands). To process only one file of a project you can use the ``-F`' argument followed by the name of the file to process. File to be processed must appear, on the command line, before the project file it appears in. Let us suppose we have this project file, called `foo.gtp`:
    // Beginning of foo.gtp
    define MAIL beaufils@lifl.fr

    foo.gtm
    bar.gtm
    // End of foo.gtp
If you just want to regenerate the `bar.html` file your command line will be:
    perl gtml -Fbar.gtm foo.gtp
List of files to processed is cleared after each project file treatment. ### -M When you run `GTML` with the ``-M`' command line argument, `GTML` process project and source files, but do not produce ouput files. `GTML` generates a makefile ready to create output files. If you do not specify a filename, the generated makefile is created under the `GNUmakefile` name. To specify a filename, just add it after the ``-M`' argument, with a colon between the option and the file name. ### -h, --help To get a small command line usage description you can use the ``-h`', or ``--help`' command line argument. ### --silent If you specify the ``--silent`' command line argument, `GTML` will produce no processing information during its work. ### --version To get the version number of the `GTML` you are currently using you can use the ``--version`' command line argument.

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GTML home page Last modification: 1999/9/12 at 18:59 | Copyright © 1996-1999 Gihan Perera (gihan@pobox.com) Copyright © 1999 Bruno Beaufils (beaufils@lifl.fr) Copyright © 2004 Andrew E. Schulman (schulman@users.sourceforge.net)