More Advanced VML
Besides the material we've seen in this chapter, there's plenty more in VML. Like many graphics languages, VML has a lot of depth. Here's a last example, adapted from the examples in the Microsoft VML reference, which displays text along a VML text path, specified using VML formulae:
<HTML xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml">
<HEAD>
<TITLE>
Using Vector Markup Language
</TITLE>
<STYLE>
v:* {behavior: url(#default#VML);}
</STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<CENTER>
<H1>
VML Text Paths
</H1>
<v:shapetype id="MyShape"
coordsize="21600,21600" adj="9931"
path="m0@0c7200@2,14400@1,21600,
0m0@5c7200@6,14400@6,21600@5e">
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="val #0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod #0 3 4"/>
<v:f eqn="prod #0 5 4"/>
<v:f eqn="prod #0 3 8"/>
<v:f eqn="prod #0 1 8"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 21600 0 @3"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @4 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod #0 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @5 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @7 @8 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod #0 7 8"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @5 1 3"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @1 @2 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @12 @0 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @13 1 4"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @11 14400 @14"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path textpathok="t" />
<v:textpath on="t" fitshape="t" xscale="t"/>
</v:shapetype>
<v:shape type="#MyShape"
style='position:absolute; top:60pt; left:60pt;
width:207pt;height:63pt;' adj="8717"
fillcolor="blue" strokeweight="1pt">
<v:fill method="linear sigma" focus="100%"
type="gradient"/>
<v:shadow on="t" offset="3pt"/>
<v:textpath style='font-family:"Times New Roman";
v-text-kern:t'trim="t" fitpath="t" xscale="f"
string="VML"/>
</v:shape>
</CENTER>
</BODY>
</HTML>You can see the results of this VML in Figure 19.24. You may have seen text graphics like this in Microsoft Office products such as Word and PowerPoint, and now you know how it's done.
Figure 19.24. Using a VML text path.
For more information on VML, take a look at the Microsoft VML site. VML is a powerful language, but it's limited to Internet Explorer. One day, browsers will implement a W3C language such as SVG, and I'll be able to rewrite this chapter.
It's time to take a look at using Perl and XML on the server side, and I'm going to do that in the next chapter.