[Groff] Troff to XML

[Pieter Verberne]

Hi list,

Last days I've been thinking about if Troff (& Tex/LaTeX) could be
converted to XML without losing any information. Much like SweetXML(1)
is for XML:

 SweetXML is an alternate syntax for XML, designed to make configuration
 files more concise and readable by adding a bit of syntactic sugar. It
 changes XML's syntax without changing its fundamental structure, so
 that it can work as a replacement for XML wherever readability is an
 issue.

Ofcourse Troff is presentational markup, but it's macro's are (more)
structural. (just forget about the presentational markup options in
macro's for now) 

So I'm not sure, but I think 'fundamental structure' of the Troff
macro's should be the same of XML. Or is this not required? Is it
possible to convert Troff macro's to XML (and back) in a 'exact' way. (I
just don't know the best words to say this in English but I think I'm
clear.)

Could it be an option (or; is it possible) to make a Troff macro wich
-is- convertable to XML. Or in other words: Is it possible to create a
Troff macro wich is 'syntactic sugar'/'alternative syntax' for XML?

I think Troff is nice, cute.. It feels nice:-) But I also like strict
structural markup languages.

I'm actually asking myself the exact same question about LaTeX, so sorry
for being off-topic, but responses about LaTeX are welcome to.

(No, I've not done all my homework yet, but sometimes I have no patience
 to study a lot before my questions got answered.)

(1) http://innig.net/software/sweetxml/

Pieter Verberne