```## tabid=welcome titletext='SimpleWiki language and module' subjecttext='SimpleWiki Markup Language and Module' infomarkup=homeinfobar
= Welcome to SimpleWiki.org =

|:p div crossbar-high:| Current version: 1 beta 1, November 24, 2009. [[Local:download | Download]]

|:p div float:right:|%s smaller%//[[Local:display/article/welcome|view source markup]]//

|:p posting:|posted November 20, 2009

|:b divider:|

This is the website for SimpleWiki, the [[Local:language | markup language specification]], and the parser/emitter [[Local:module | module]] for php5.

SimpleWiki markup starts with the %l newwin%[[http://www.wikicreole.org/|creole markup set]] for basic markup, then adds **decorators** (both inline decorators and block decorators) and **block declarations** for advanced markup. SimpleWiki also supports **macros**.

**Basic markup** allows users to post articles with the usual simple and concise markup for headings, paragraphs, bold, italics, images, links, lists, quick tables, etc..

What makes SimpleWiki unique (as far as we know) for more **advanced markup** is the consistency and simplicity of the arguments passed to markup objects through decorators. Arguments are always in one of three formats:

|:table standard compact width:100% background-color:bisque:|
``|:th width:13%:||=Format:
``|:th width:29%:||=Discreet-value format 
``|:th width:29%:||=Colon-separated format
``|:th width:29%:||=Equals-separated format |
|=Meaning: |class|style rule|attribute|
|=Example: |~|:table standard:~||%i border:'2px solid green'%|~|:td colspan=2:~||
|:th vertical-align:top:||=Interpretation: 
``|//block decorator:// add class "standard" to the //class attribute// of the table
``|//inline decorator:// place a border around an image
``|//block decorator:// make the current cell span two columns |
|:th vertical-align:top:||=Action:
``|adds class to underlying HTML element's //class attribute//
``|adds style rule to underlying HTML element's //style attribute//
``|passes attribute as-is to underlying HTML element|

|:p font-size:smaller font-style:italic text-align:right:|Decorators are always placed in front of the objects they decorate.

Any number of each argument format, in any appropriate combination, can be passed through decorators or declarations to markup objects.

In this way SimpleWiki can act as a **thin skin over HTML**, which is very easy to maintain. In other words it can be the basis of a CMS (//content management system//), without having to invent new markup syntax for every new required element.

The SimpleWiki module also supports **block declarations** (which can be nested) for advanced div, blockquote, table and list work; and it supports **macros**. Furthermore class names can be registered by client software as **methods**, and interpreted in interesting ways (for example //"footnote"//). Class methods, macros, block declarations, **symbolic links**, and certain **events** can all be extended through client add-ins.

The SimpleWiki module is [[Local:download|available]] for free, as open-source software, under the %l newwin%[[http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html|GPLv3]] licence.