Invisible XML (ixml) is a language and process for identifying structure in documents. Invisible markup allows users to exploit the implicit structures in documents without the need for explicit markup. Since the release of the ixml standard in 2022, we have seen a steady increase in the use of ixml, as well as many interesting conference presentations about the language. The community group therefore feels the time is right for an event exclusively dedicated to invisible markup.
The Symposium will be held via Zoom on two afternoons (Western European time): Thursday/Friday 26/27 February 2026. The sessions will be four hours each day.
Attendance will be free.
Slides will be published on the ixml website after the Symposium, along with videos of the presentations if these have been made available.
Timeline
- Call for presentations open through 15 December 2025.
- Preliminary program announced, 17 December 2025.
- Symposium schedule announced, 3 February 2026.
- Meeting links will be published shortly before the symposium; no registration is required.
- Symposium 26/27 February.
Code of conduct
Symposium schedule
The organizing committee is pleased to announce the schedule of talks:
Day one, Thursday, 26 February
| Speaker | Title | Start time (CEST) | Length (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Pemberton | Introductory remarks | 14:00 | 5 |
| Alan Painter | Some notes about implementing ajp for RFC9535 with CoffeeSacks et al | 14:05 | 20 |
| Fredrik Öhrström | Improvements to ixml to overcome the lack of tokenizer | 14:30 | 20 |
| Steven Pemberton | The Syntax of Credit Card Numbers | 14:55 | 30 |
| John Lumley | An iXML Grammar is also an iXML Sentence | 15:30 | 30 |
| Wendell Piez | Overlap Meets Invisible XML | 16:05 | 30 |
| Bethan Tovey-Walsh | Shoulda, coulda, woulda - getting the most out of iXML. | 16:40 | 30 |
| Mary Holstege | IXML in Self-Publishing | 17:15 | 20 |
Day two, Friday, 27 February
| Speaker | Title | Start time (CEST) | Length (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norm Tovey-Walsh | A proposal for modularity in Invisible XML grammars | 14:00 | 30 |
| Fredrik Öhrström | Practical uses of ixml | 14:35 | 15 |
| Sheila Thomson | Some Lessons Learned | 14:55 | 30 |
| Hans-Dieter Hiep | TAGs for ixml | 15:30 | 20 |
| Michael Simons et al. | Invisible XML in the Digital Humanities Classroom and Toolkit | 15:55 | 30 |
| G. Ken Holman | Configuring text conversion environments employing iXML | 16:30 | 20 |
| Nico Verwer | Between Invisible XML and Visible XML | 16:55 | 30 |
| Group | Concluding remarks/discussion | 17:30 | 30 |