Extensible Forms Description Language

The Extensible Forms Description Language ( XFDL ) belongs to the class of XML languages ​​and is described in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) NOTE-XFDL-19980902, Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL) 4.0 of September 2, 1998. XFDL is a high-level language that enables a form to be defined as a stand-alone object using XML elements and attributes. You have precise control over the layout of the form, and existing commercial / government forms can be converted into a human-readable open standard using XFDL .

In addition to providing a syntax for linear mathematical and conditional expressions, XFDL offers the creator the option of integrating user-defined entries, options and external code functions into the form.

Not only does XFDL support multiple digital signatures , these signatures can only be applied to specific parts of a form to prevent changes to the signed content.

These advantages of XFDL have led larger organizations, including the United States Army , to migrate their forms from other formats to XFDL.

Web links

• Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL) 4.0
• XML cover pages
• Boyer, John: "XFDL: The Extensible Forms Description Language - An XML-based forms language for e-commerce." July 22, 2001.
• United States Army Publishing Directorate