scope:

UOML is interface standard to process unstructured document; it plays the similar role as SQL (Structured Query Language) to structured data. UOML is expressed with standard XML, featuring compatibility and openness UOML deals with layout-based document and its related information (such as metadata, rights, etc.) Layoutbased document is two dimensional, static paging information, i.e. information can be recorded on traditional paper. The software which implements the UOML defined function, is called DCMS, applications can process the document by sending UOML instructions to DCMS. UOML first defines abstract document model, then operations to the model. Those operations include read/write, edit, display/print, query, security control; it covers the operations which required by all different kinds of application software to process documents. UOML is based on XML description, and is platformindependent, application-independent, programming language-independent, and vendor neutral. This standard will not restrict manufacturers to implement DCMS in their own specific way. This specification is the 1st part of UOML, which defines the operations used for read/write, edit, and display/print layout-based document. This specification defines UOML objects and UOML instructions as following.