An Example of the Combined Strength of OOM and XML: JDF

An example of the combined strength of OOM and XML is the Job Description Format (May 2000, www.job-description-format.org, by Adobe Systems, Agfa, Heidelberg, and MAN Roland.) JDF is an XML schema that provides the means to describe print jobs in terms of the products eventually to be created, as well as in terms of the processes need to create those products. The format provides also provides a mechanism to explicitly specify the controls needed by each process. A second part of JDF, the Job Messaging Format, or JMF provides the means for production components of a JDF worflow to communicate with systems controllers and administrative components.

    JDF organizes devices and machines into nodes that may be grouped according to the needs of any one job. Agents in a JDF workflow have the ability to create jobs, and to add and modify nodes to a job. The agents create and modify JDF information. In the JDF organization pools of resources and job parameters are feed to a node, the node acts upon the resources and produces a result. The result of a node may be the resource of another node. Each JDF construct full fills a defined Use Case. JMF performs a variety of functions including:

·        System Setup

·        Dynamic Status and error tracking for jobs & devices

·        Device Setup and job changes

·        Queue handling and job submission

·        Query

·        Command

·        Response

·        Signal

If this sounds like a SIMULA variation, ultimately it is. It is an example of the symbiotic relationship that is being built through the merger of XML and OOM: descriptive and functional computer languages.