ST: New page: Microformat logo A '''microformat''' (sometimes abbreviated '''μF''' or '''uF''') is a web-basedMicroformats may be use...

2008-03-30T05:29:36Z

New page: frame|right|Microformat logo A '''microformat''' (sometimes abbreviated '''μF''' or '''uF''') is a web-based<ref>Microformats may be use...

New page

[[Image:Microformat-logo.png|frame|right|Microformat logo]]

A '''microformat''' (sometimes abbreviated '''μF''' or '''uF''') is a [[World wide web|web-based]]<ref>Microformats may be used in web pages and also any other context that supports HTML and XHTML. This includes [[RSS]].</ref> data formatting approach that seeks to re-use existing content as [[metadata]], using only [[XHTML]] and [[HTML]] classes<ref>[http://microformats.org/wiki/existing-classes existing-classes - Microformats]</ref> and other attributes.<ref name="uF-rel-faq">[http://microformats.org/wiki/rel-faq rel-faq - Microformats]</ref> This approach is intended to allow information intended for end-users (such as [[Address book|contact information]], [[Geographic coordinate system|geographic coordinates]], calendar events, and the like) to also be automatically processed by [[software agent|software]].

Although the content of web pages is technically already capable of "automated processing," and has been since the inception of the web, there are certain limitations. This is because the traditional [[markup language|markup tags]] used to display information on the web do not describe what the information means.<ref name="Wharton000">“What’s the Next Big Thing on the Web? It May Be a Small, Simple Thing — Microformats,” Knowledge@Wharton, 27 July 2005; http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=printArticle&ID=1247</ref> Microformats are intended to bridge this gap by attaching [[semantics]], and thereby obviate other, more complicated methods of automated processing, such as [[Information extraction|natural language processing]] or [[Screen scraping|screen scraping]]. The use, adoption and processing of microformats enables data items to be indexed, searched for, saved or cross-referenced, so that information can be reused or combined.<ref name="Wharton000" />

Current microformats allow the encoding and extraction of events, contact information, social relationships and so on. More are being developed. Version 3 of the [[Firefox]] browser,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://wiki.mozilla.org/Microformats | title=Microformats (Mozilla Wiki) | date=[[2007-05-24]] | accessdate=2007-06-03}}</ref> as well as version 8 of [[Internet Explorer]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070502-microsoft-drops-hints-about-internet-explorer-8.html | title=Microsoft drops hints about Internet Explorer 8 | last=Bounds | first=Darren | date=[[2007-05-02]] | accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref> are expected to include native support for microformats.

==Background==
Microformats emerged as part of a grassroots movement<ref name="Wharton000" /> to make recognizable data items (such as events, contact details or geographical locations) capable of automated processing by software, as well as directly readable by end-users.<ref name="Wharton000" /><ref>In this context, the definition of "End-user" includes a person reading a web page on a computer screen or mobile device, or an [[assistive technology]] software program such as a [[screen reader]].</ref> Link-based microformats emerged first. These include vote links that express opinions of the linked page, which can be tallied into instant polls by search engines.<ref name="Khare000">{{cite journal
| title = Microformats: The Next (Small) Thing on the Semantic Web?
| first = Rohit
| last = Khare
| journal = IEEE Internet Computing
| volume = 10
| issue = 1
| pages = 68-75
| issn =
| month = Jan/Feb
| pmid =
| doi =
| id =
| url =
| format =
| accessdate =
}}</ref>

As the microformats community grew, [[CommerceNet]], a nonprofit organization that promotes electronic commerce on the Internet, helped sponsor and promote the technology and support the microformats community in various ways.<ref name="Khare000" /> CommerceNet also helped co-found the microformats community site [http://microformats.org microformats.org].<ref name="Khare000" />

Neither CommerceNet nor Microformats.org is a standards body. The microformats community is an open
wiki, mailing list, and Internet relay chat ([[IRC]]) channel.<ref name="Khare000" /> Most of the existing microformats were created at the Microformats.org wiki and associated mailing list, by a process of gathering examples of web publishing behaviour, then codifying it. Some other microformats (such as [[rel=nofollow]] and [[unAPI]]) have been proposed, or developed, elsewhere.

==Technical overview==

[[XHTML]] and [[HTML]] standards allow for semantics to be embedded and encoded within the [[HTML element|attributes of markup tags]]. Microformats take advantage of these standards by indicating the presence of metadata using the following attributes:

* <code>class</code>
* <code>rel</code>
* <code>rev</code> (in one case, otherwise deprecated in microformats<ref name="uF-rel-faq" />)

For example, in the text "The birds roosted at 52.48,-1.89" is a pair of numbers which may be understood, from their context, to be a set of [[geographic coordinate system|geographic coordinates]]. By wrapping them in [[Span and div|spans]] (or other HTML elements) with specific class names (in this case <code>geo</code>, <code>latitude</code> and <code>longitude</code>, all part of the [[Geo (microformat)|geo microformat]] specification):

<source lang="xml">The birds roosted at
<span class="geo">
<span class="latitude">52.48</span>,
<span class="longitude">-1.89</span>
</span>
</source>

machines can be told exactly what each value represents and can then perform a variety of tasks such as indexing it, looking it up on a map and exporting it to a [[GPS]] device.

=== Example ===
In this example, the contact information is presented as follows:

<source lang="xml">
<div>
<div>Joe Doe</div>
<div>The Example Company</div>
<div>604-555-1234</div>
<a href="http://example.com/">http://example.com/</a>
</div>
</source>

With [[hCard]] microformat markup, that becomes:

<source lang="xml">
<div class="vcard">
<div class="fn">Joe Doe</div>
<div class="org">The Example Company</div>
<div class="tel">604-555-1234</div>
<a class="url" href="http://example.com/">http://example.com/</a>
</div>
</source>

Here, the formatted name (''fn''), organisation (''org''), telephone number (''tel'') and [[URL|web address]] (''url'') have been identified using specific class names and the whole thing is wrapped in <code>class="vcard"</code>, which indicates that the other classes form an hCard (short for "HTML [[vCard]])") and are not merely coincidentally named. Other, optional, hCard classes also exist. It is now possible for software, such as browser plug-ins, to extract the information, and transfer it to other applications, such as an address book.

<div class="noprint"> 

=== In-context examples ===
For annotated examples of microformats on live pages, see [[HCard#Live example]] and [[Geo (microformat)#Three_classes]].
</div>

== Specific microformats ==
Several microformats have been developed to enable semantic markup of particular types of information.
* [[hAtom]] - for marking up [[Atom (standard)|Atom]] feeds from within standard HTML
* [[hCalendar]] - for events
* [[hCard]] - for contact information; includes:
:* [[adr (microformat)|adr]] - for postal addresses
:* [[geo (microformat)|geo]] - for geographical coordinates ([[latitude]], [[longitude]])
* [[hReview]] - for reviews
* [[hResume]] - for resumes or CVs
* rel-[[directory (file systems)|directory]] - for distributed directory creation and inclusion
* rel-[[nofollow]], an attempt to discourage 3rd party content spam (e.g. [[spam in blogs]]).
* rel-[[tag (metadata)|tag]] - for decentralized tagging ([[Folksonomy]])
* [[xFolk]] - for tagged links
* [[XHTML Friends Network]] (XFN) - for social relationships
* [[XOXO]] - for lists and outlines

=== Proposed microformats ===
Among the many proposed microformats,<ref>[http://microformats.org/wiki/Main_Page#Exploratory_Discussions Microformats' exploratory discussions]</ref> the following are undergoing active development:
* citation - for citing references
* currency - for amounts of money
* [[geo (microformat)#Extensions|geo extensions]] - for places on Mars, The Moon, and other such bodies; for altitude; and for collections of [[waypoint]]s marking [[route]]s or [[boundary|boundaries]]
* species - For the names of living things.
* measurements - For physical quantities, structured data-values.

== Uses of microformats ==
Using microformats within HTML code provides additional formatting and semantic data that can be used by applications. These could be applications that collect data about on-line resources, such as web crawlers, or desktop applications such as e-mail clients or scheduling software.

Several browser extensions, such as [[Operator (extension)|Operator]], provide the ability to detect microformats within an HTML document and export them into formats compatible with contact management and calendar utilities, such as [[Microsoft Outlook]].

[[Microsoft]] expressed a desire to incorporate Microformats into upcoming projects;<ref>[http://microformats.org/blog/2006/03/20/bill-gates-at-mix06-we-need-microformats Bill Gates at Mix06 - "We need microformats"]</ref> as have other software companies.

In Wikipedia - and more generally in MediaWiki - microformats are used as part of templates like {{tl|coord}}.

== Evaluation of microformats ==
Various commentators have offered review and discussion on the design principles and practical aspects of microformats. Additionally, microformats have been compared to other approaches that seek to serve the same or similar purpose.<ref name="criticism000">{{cite web
| title = criticism - microformats
| url = http://microformats.org/wiki?title=criticism&oldid=18478
| accessdate = 2007-08-15
}}</ref> From time to time, there is criticism of a single, or all, microformats.<ref name="criticism000" /> Documented efforts to advocate both the spread and use of microformats are known to exist as well.<ref name="advocacy000">{{cite web
| title = advocacy - microformats
| url = http://microformats.org/wiki/advocacy
| accessdate = 2007-08-15
}}</ref> <ref name="spread000">{{cite web
| title = spread-microformats
| url = http://microformats.org/wiki/spread-microformats
| accessdate = 2007-08-15
}}This includes community resources for marketing microformats such as buttons, banners, wallpaper / desktop screens, logo graphics, etc.</ref> [[H%C3%A5kon Wium Lie]] has said we will see "a bunch of microformats being developed, and that’s how the [[semantic web]] will be built."
<ref name="advocacy001">{{cite web
| title = future of the web
| url = http://www.molly.com/2005/03/31/interview-with-hkon-wium-lie/
| accessdate = 2007-11-18
}}Hakon Wium Lie, who proposed the concept of Cascading Style Sheets, included microformats as components of the future web together with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and DOM.</ref>

=== Design principles ===
Computer scientist and entrepreneur, [[Rohit Khare]] stated that ''reduce, reuse, and recycle'' is "shorthand for several
design principles" that motivated the development and practices behind microformats.<ref name="Khare000" /><ref>See, e.g. ''The Next (Small) Thing on the Semantic Web?'' pp 71-72.</ref> These aspects can be summarized as follows:

* Reduce: favor the simplest solutions and focus attention on specific problems;
* Reuse: work from experience and favor examples of current practice;
* Recycle: encourage modularity and the ability to embed, valid XHTML can be reused in blog posts, RSS feeds, and anywhere else you can access the web.<ref name="Khare000" />

=== Accessibility ===
Because some microformats make use of title attribute of HTML's <code>abbr</code> element to conceal machine-readable data (particularly date-times and geographical coordinates) in the "[http://microformats.org/wiki/abbr-design-pattern abbr design pattern]", the plain text content of the element is inaccessible to those [[screenreaders]] that expand abbreviations.<ref name="ATF">.{{cite web | url=http://www.webstandards.org/2007/04/27/haccessibility/ | title=hAccessibility | publisher= [[Web Standards Project]] Accessibility Task Force article | date=[[2007-04-27]] | accessdate=2007-08-16}}</ref>

=== Intellectual property ===
As part of the open participation model of the microformats community to require that all contributions be placed into the public domain. This means that any page created, or any content added to microformats is placed into the public domain for maximum possible reuse.

=== Alternative approaches ===
Microformats are not the only solution for providing "more intelligent data" on the web. Alternative approaches exist and are under development as well. For example, the use of [[XML]] markup and standards of the [[semantic web]] are cited as alternative approaches. <ref name="Khare000" /> Some contrast these with microformats in that they do not necessarily coincide with the design principles of "reduce, reuse, and recycle", at least not to the same extent.<ref name="Khare000" />

One advocate of microformats, Tantek Çelik, characterized a problem with alternative approaches: {{cquote|Here's a new language we want you to learn, and now you need to output these additional files on your server. It's a hassle. (Microformats) lower the barrier to entry.<ref name="Wharton000" />}}

For some applications the use of other approaches may be valid. If one wishes to use microformat-style embedding but the type of data one wishes to embed does not map to an existing microformat, one can use [[RDFa]] to embed arbitrary vocabularies into HTML. An example of this would be embedding domain-specific scientific data on the Web like zoological or chemical data, where no microformat for such data exists. Furthermore, standards such as W3C's [[GRDDL ]] allow microformats to be converted into data compatible with the Semantic Web.<ref name="King007">{{cite web
| title = W3C GRDDL Recommendation Bridges HTML/Microformats and the Semantic Web
| work = XML Coverpages
| date = [[13 September]] [[2007]]
| url = http://xml.coverpages.org/ni2007-09-13-a.html
| accessdate = 2007-11-23}}</ref>

Another advocate of microformats, Ryan King, put the compatibility of microformats with other approaches this way: {{cquote|Microformats provide an easy way for many people to contribute semantic data to the web. With GRDDL all of that data is made available for RDF Semantic Web tools. Microformats and GRDDL can work together to build a better web. <ref name="King007" />}}

== See also ==
* [[COinS]]
* [[GRDDL]]
* [[Intelligent agents]]
* [[RDFa]]
* [[S5 file format]]
* [[Simple HTML Ontology Extensions]]
* [[Web crawlers]]
* [[Tag (metadata)]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}

== References ==
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{ cite book | last = Allsopp | first = John | title = Microformats: Empowering Your Markup for Web 2.0 | year = 2007 | publisher = Friends of ED | isbn = 978-1-59059-814-6 }}
* {{ cite book | last = Orchard | first = Leslie M | title = Hacking RSS and Atom | year = 2005 | publisher = [[Wiley]] | isbn = 978-0-7645-9758-9 }}
* {{ cite book | last = Robbins | first = Jennifer Niederst | authorlink = Jennifer Niederst Robbins | title = Web Design In A Nutshell | edition = Third Edition | year = 2006 | publisher = [[O'Reilly Media]] | isbn = 978-0-596-00987-8}}
* {{ cite web | title = What’s the Next Big Thing on the Web? It May Be a Small, Simple Thing — Microformats" | work = Knowledge@Wharton | date = [[27 July]] [[2005]] | url = http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1247 }}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last= Suda |first= Brian |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Using Microformats |year= 2006 |publisher= [[O'Reilly Media]] |location= |isbn= 978-0-596-52817-1 }}

== External links ==
* [http://microformats.org/ microformats.org]
* [http://www.digital-web.com/articles/microformats_primer/ Microformats Primer]
* [http://blog.mozilla.com/faaborg/2006/12/11/microformats-part-0-introduction A four-part discussion of Microformats, UI issues, and possible presentation in Firefox 3 by Alex Faaborg of Mozilla]
* [http://www.webstandards.org/2007/04/27/haccessibility/ "hAccessibility" - Web Standards Project discussion of inaccessible microformat design pattern]
* [http://tardis-db.co.uk/2006/09/full-disclosure-re-tar-alternative.html Tar File Accessibility in MicroFormats]

[[Category:Microformats]]
[[Category:Knowledge representation]]
[[Category:Semantic HTML]]
[[Category:Semantic web]]
[[Category:Web design]]
[[Category:Web development]]

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[[ja:マイクロフォーマット]]
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Microformat - Revision history

ST: New page: Microformat logo A '''microformat''' (sometimes abbreviated '''μF''' or '''uF''') is a web-basedMicroformats may be use...