MillScript version 10.2.0 released

MillScript is a language intended for the batch production of websites, with many other uses. Release 10.1.0 includes a loader for Microsoft Excel files, chained relational operators, fat strings, Java properties file renderer, new Java XML parsing library, replacement for Java Collections, switch to Java 5, a simple plug-in architecture and of course a few bug fixes.

The new Microsoft Excel file support allows you to load simple spreadsheets simply by placing them in your inventory. Excel 5 and above is supported, although your mileage will vary, but basic text, numbers and very simple formula's should work. This support is backed by the new MillScript-Excel Java library which has been written from scratch for this purpose but may also be useful for other applications.

Chained relational operators are a very simple but useful extension, allowing expressions of the form x < y < z, where each expression is only evaluated once. This becomes especially useful when the different expressions are more complicated.

Fat strings are strings that span multiple lines. This is an extension to the MillScript syntax allowing you to include long strings within a MillScript file, which complements the existing text file loader for very long strings.

A Java properties file renderer has been added, allowing you to easily create Java properties files from any map.

There are also two big behind-the-scenes changes. The first is the introduction of a completely new Java XML parser, called MillScript-XML. This parser has been written from scratch with applications(rather than the library itself) in mind, as well as significantly improved error reporting. The second change is the introduction of a new, alternative, to the Java Collections framework, called MillScript-Util. This has been written from scratch to primarily to address the concepts of immutability, updateability and extensibility, but also to unify Lists, Sets and Maps. Both MillScript-Util and MillScript-XML are available separately for use in other Java applications.