Micah Dubinko has written a new article on XML.com listing the Top 10 XForms Engines (2/9/2005). After reading the article, I wanted a compact summary, so I created the following table based on his article. I also added some details from my own investigations. Please send me corrections or updates. Thank you.
| Engine name | What is it? | Readiness | Requires browser plugin install? | Requires particular browser? | Server or client side? | Other limitations? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiba | Server-based XForms-to-DHTML transformer (standalone webapp, or integrates with Cocoon) | ready (just turned 1.0.0) | requires Java applet to run client side | no | primarily server, but can be client side | ? |
| DENG(/UGO) | DENG is a Shockwave/Flash "movie" that renders XForms in browser; DENG + UGO is a set of ECMAScript modules that implement cross-platform XForms processing (without Flash) | DENG works but doesn't include some basic features like GET submission method. UGO+DENG is still quite beta; no documentation. | No, but downloads .swf file or .js modules behind the scenes (can take several seconds, the first time; the .js modules are 185Kb). | no | client | The Flash form requires an extra layer of html file(s) to reference .swf file which renders XForms. The Flashless form only requires a <script> element to load a .js file. |
| x-port formsPlayer | a browser plugin for XForms | ready and fairly mature | yes | yes, IE6 SP1 | client |
|
| Mozilla/Firefox | native XForms capability being added to browser | beta; some basic examples working | yes, is currently a browser "extension" | yes, Mozilla/Firefox recent nightly build | client | ? |
| Novell XForms Engine / IE plugin | standalone Java program, exteNd suite, or browser plugin | standalone technology preview is preview?; exteNd suite is ready; IE plugin is beta | yes, plugin or separate java program | yes, plugin requires IE 6.0 | client (exteNd suite seems server-based) | IE plugin "will not work" with Windows XP SP2. |
| OpenOffice | support for XForms authoring/using in word processor | beta | not browser-based | not browser-based | n/a | Uses XForms markup for data model, but its own markup for controls! |
| Oracle Wireless Client | browser plugin for XForms et al. | preview release | yes, I think so | yes, IE 6.0 | client | ? |
| Orbeon | web application framework comparable to Cocoon | ready (v. 2.7+) | no | no | server | ? |
| xslt2xforms | an XSLT stylesheet for transforming XForms to DHTML | beta | no | no | server; eventually client too | ? |
| X-Smiles | a Java-based browser | ready | no | yes, X-Smiles is the browser | client | ? |
Note: By "DHTML" I mean some combination of HTML + CSS and/or Javascript/ECMAScript.