Overview

The current version of MAML is basically an extension to Objective-C (using the Swarm libraries). It consists of a couple of 'macro-keywords' that define the general structure of a simulation. The remaining must be filled with pure swarm-code. A MAML-to-Swarm (named xmc) compiler is also being developed which compiles the source code into a swarm application. Like every other Swarm application, this generated application must be compiled by gcc.

Although the language is still in alpha stage (that is, any official release is months away), we do believe that, by using the MAML-defined structure and the MAML keywords, the task of creating a simulation in Swarm becomes much easier for both programmers and non-programmers. We must note that the current version of the language should be used with some programming background. We believe, however, that our work to date, although unfinished, has already significantly lowered the level of programming knowledge necessary.