Vector Markup Language

Not to be confused with VRML.
Vector Markup Language
Filename extension.htm or .html
Internet media type
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.vmlDrawing
Developed byMicrosoft
Type of formatVector image format
Extended fromXML
StandardPart of ECMA-376 and ISO/IEC 29500:2008
WebsiteECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500-4:2012

Vector Markup Language (VML) is an obsolete XML-based file format for two-dimensional vector graphics. It was specified in Part 4 of the Office Open XML standards ISO/IEC 29500 and ECMA-376. According to the specification, VML is a deprecated format included in Office Open XML for legacy reasons only.[1][2]

VML was used extensively in MS Office 2007 Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.[1][3][4] In 2012, with the release of Internet Explorer 10, VML became obsolete and is no longer supported by Internet Explorer standard mode.[5] It is a legacy feature that is available in Internet Explorer 10 only when the browser is set to run in modes that emulate the functionality of previous versions of Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, and 9.

  1. ^ a b "Is VML in or out now, or was that a typo?". 2007-06-22. Archived from the original on 2008-06-21. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  2. ^ "Ecma TC45 - New proposed dispositions extend progress in addressing all National Body comments, seek to document and resolve legacy issues – Nearly 2/3 of comments now reviewed". 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  3. ^ Stephane Rodriguez (2007-09-04). "Microsoft Office XML formats ? Defective by design".
  4. ^ Yegor Kozlov. "POI API Documentation — Class XSSFVMLDrawing". Apache Software Foundation. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  5. ^ Microsoft. "VML is no longer supported".