xale
XML Address List Editor

/ overview / goal / design / progress / screenshots / license / contributors / links /

overview

xale stands for XML Address-List Editor. It provides a simple interface that allows for quick and easy editing and searching of an XML document that stores people's names, addresses (postal and email), phone numbers, etc. I pronounce xale "ZAY-il", to rhyme with sail.

goal
The goals for this project fall fairly neatly into priorities, based on how much the itch itches.
  1. Provide an X-windows tool that allows me to quickly look up phone numbers and addresses that I've previously entered, and add new entries.
  2. Make sure the system (file format and user interface) is extensible, and extend it to track RSVP information for my wedding.
  3. Create alternate front-ends (console based, web based, X-windows without TCL/TK, etc.)
  4. Perhaps eventually allow it to be flexible enough to edit all (or a large sub-set) of XML file types
design

XML seemed a natural solution to the file extensibility problem, as well as a tool to address the eventual multiple front-ends. I started with TCL/TK because it provided the quickest path to a functioning system, and because it had the added benefit of working under Windows (which I use at work).

This means that it should be possible to store extra data in the file, attached to each name/address entry, even if the current version of the user interface doesn't know how to change it. I think this will promote sharing of address books between users.

progress

Version 0.3 covers goal number 1 above, and I've already introduced changes (in CVS) for goal 2. This means that xale as a TCL/TK app is usable. I wouldn't call it "stable" quite yet, although it doesn't crash particularly. And there are a couple of features I want to add before I would recommend it to a non-developer. But I'm using it almost daily as it is.

screenshots
version 0.3
prerequisites
license

This program is released under the GPL (GNU General Public License). Versions after 0.3 (currently only available in CVS), however, may rely on TclDOM and TclXML, which are released under their own licenses. TclDOM is required by xale, and is Copyright (C) 1998 Zveno Pty Ltd, and is "free of charge for any purpose". TclDOM in turn relies on either TclXML or TclExpat. TclXML is Copyright (c) 1998,1999 Zveno Pty Ltd, but is "available free of charge for non-commercial purposes only." To me this means that you may not use xale with TclXML for commercial purposes, but the whole bundle is free for non-commercial purposes. You may choose to use TclExpat instead of TclXML, but I have no idea what license TclExpat uses, and I've not actually tested xale with it.

I'm relatively unhappy with the license restrictions on TclXML, so if you know of a drop-in (or nearly drop-in) replacement that is more GPL-ish, please let me know.

contributors

Just me, so far. My name is Chris Houser, but you can call me Chouser. If you care to help, just let me know.

links