Such a spec definitely exists (you don't write a compiler without
one), but it's not public domain.  A DTD wouldn't work for CFML, since
CFML doesn't conform to the SGML spec, and that's what DTDs are for. 
That CFML isn't XML is a more specific version of that same
observation.  There's no reason CFML should be like XML, in fact many
very nice things come out of the non-XML-compatible things it does:

<cfset myVar = 4 />
<cfset name="myVar" value="4" />

The first is definitely nicer.  Same goes for having
cfif/cfelseif/cfelse tags, rather than something like the
choose/when/otherwise JSP has.  Of course, since CFML is still
"mostly" a markup language, it stands to reason that it should be
"mostly" treated as one, if for no other reason that consistency.

cheers,
barneyb

On 8/2/05, Joseph Flanigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Has anyone ever seen an Abstract Syntax Notation for CF? Macromedia has
> never published one as far as I know. Until there is a formal syntax
> notation for CF, comparing it to other languages will always be
> unsatisfactory.   An interesting puzzle is that a DTD is an  abstract
> notation  for an XML application; so can a DTD be written for CF? If not,
> can CF ever be XML? And upon reflection, why should CF be like XML? What is
> the benefit?
> 
> Joseph
> 

-- 
Barney Boisvert
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
360.319.6145
http://www.barneyb.com/

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