JTreeSS - TreeSS for Java

TreeSS is a style sheet language similar to CSS to format phylogenetic trees that is currently under development. (See here for more information.) JTreeSS is a Java library that is currently developed to provide TreeSS support for the phylogenetic tree editor TreeGraph 2. The goal is to create Java components that can read, write and interpret TreeSS to make its functionality reusable also for other application developers who whish to support TreeSS.

How it works

JTreeSS will read TreeSS expressions and interpret them to determine which elements of a phylogenetic tree should be formatted in which way. It will provide interfaces that allow applications like TreeGraph 2 to access this information and format respective tree elements without the need to know or understand the actual TreeSS expressions. Since some TreeSS expressions may require knowledge about the tree topology or attached metadata to be evaluated, JTreeSS may also require the application to provide data on the current target tree before receiving format information.

Status of TreeSS

The definition of TreeSS as a formatting standard for phylogenetic trees is currently ongoing and preliminary support in several applications is currently implemented.

Status of JTreeSS

The development of JTreeSS was initiated in order to provide preliminary support for a basic set of TreeSS expressions in TreeGraph 2 and will be further developed together with the standard itself.

Getting involved

Both TreeSS and JTreeSS are currently in an early development state and any feedback or contributions are welcome. Feedback on TreeSS can be given in its GitHub repository, while feedback on JTreeSS can be send to stoeverbioinfweb.info.