Differences between HyperSQL and qml

QML is based heavily on HyperSQL, but differs from it in that it is a markup language rather than a scripting language. QML is intended to provide at least equivalent functionality to HyperSQL. Some of the current differences in functionality are:

HyperSQL functionality that qml doesn't yet share:

• HyperSQL pages its output, allowing the user to select the number of database items to display per page. Since QML allows output of multiple tables on a single screen, some of which should be paged and some not (e.g., an e-mail list created from a database query should probably not be paged), this may require an extra ("pageable") parameter to the qml_output tag.
• HyperSQL handles image and sound data stored in databases. QML doesn't do this yet, but will when it is re-implemented as a cgi server which will be able to serve these files directly, rather than writing them as temporary files in the web document tree.

QML provides the following additions to HyperSQL functionality:

• Macro substitution to avoid retyping repetitious strings in queries [Though HyperSQl does allow use of m4 as a macro preprocessor]
• Allows use of OR (or AND) to handle multiply-selected inputs:

      where genus = "Felis"
            OR
            genus = "Escherichia"
  

• Stores data returned from a query as a named table to be utilized multiple times or on subsequent pages
• Allows multiple parameters to be passed in a query link
• Uses a nestable "if" construct to replace suppress_if_empty
• Has an "unless" constuct that is a negation of the if; i.e., text will be output if none of the enclosed variables is set
• Allows inclusion of text (as contrasted with a value returned from a query) in the qml equivalent of a query link
• Allows inclusion of arbitrary text as html anywhere on an output (browse) screen. Hsql only allows placement of returned values and text associated with them (including html)
• Allows interpolation of returned values as variables in arbitrary html text
• Allows query lists to be displayed as checkboxes or radio buttons, in addition to scrolled lists or pulldown menus
• Allows selection of the next screen to be based on the current input
• Allows nesting of output constructs