ECMAScript for XML

ECMAScript for XML (E4X) was an extension to ECMAScript (which includes ActionScript, JavaScript, and JScript) to add native support for XML.[1] The goal was to provide a simpler alternative to the DOM interface for accessing XML documents. E4X added XML as a primitive data structure to allow for faster access[clarification needed] and better support within the language.

E4X was standardized by Ecma International in the ECMA-357 standard. The first edition was published in June 2004 and the second edition in December 2005. However, the E4X standard was deprecated by the Mozilla Foundation in 2014,[2] and it was withdrawn by ISO/IEC in 2021.[1]

The first implementation of E4X was designed by Terry Lucas and John Schneider and appeared in BEA's Weblogic Workshop 7.0, released in February 2002.[citation needed] BEA's implementation was based on Rhino and released before the ECMAScript E4X spec was completed in June 2004.[citation needed]

  1. ^ a b "ISO/IEC 22537:2006 Information technology – ECMAscript for XML: E4X specification". International Organization for Standardization. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  2. ^ "E4X – Archive of obsolete content – MDN". Mozilla. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.