Batik is a Java(tm) technology based toolkit for applications or applets that want to use images in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format for various purposes, such as viewing, generation or manipulation.

• Applications of Batik
• The SVG Specification
• What is Batik's Implementation Status?
• Downloading the Batik distribution (source and binary)
• Examples of projects and products using Batik

The project's ambition is to give developers a set of core modules which can be used together or individually to support specific SVG solutions. Examples of modules are the SVG Parser, the SVG Generator and the SVG DOM. Another ambition for the Batik project is to make it highly extensible (for example, Batik allows the developer to handle custom SVG tags). Even though the goal of the project is to provide a set of core modules, one of the deliverables is a full fledged SVG browser implementation which validates the various modules and their inter-operability.

With Batik, you can manipulate SVG documents anywhere Java is available. You can also use the various Batik modules to generate, manipulate, transcode and search SVG images in your applications or applets.

Batik makes it easy for Java based applications or applets to deal with SVG content. For example, using Batik's SVG generator module, a Java application or applets can very easily export its graphics into the SVG format. Using Batik's SVG processor and SVG Viewing component, an application or applet can very easily integrate SVG viewing capabilities. Another possibility is to use Batik's modules to convert SVG to various formats, such as raster images (JPEG,PNG or Tiff).

Batik provides core modules for handling and processing SVG files. See examples of projects and products using Batik for real-life example of how Batik is already integrated in projects and products.

Batik provides building blocks that developers can assemble in various ways in their Java technology applications or applets to generate, parse, view or convert SVG contents. Batik can also be used to generate SVG on a client or on a server, and Batik can convert SVG content convert SVG content into other formats such as JPEG, PNG or Tiff or other formats (transcoder API). Batik's goal is to make it easy for developers to handle SVG content for various purposes, client-side or server-side, as illustrated in the diagram.

Scalable Vector Graphics, SVG, is a W3C recommendation. It defines an XML grammar for rich 2D graphics which includes features such as transparency, arbitrary geometry, filter effects (shadows, lighting effects, etc...), scripting and animation.

The SVG specification states:

This specification defines the features and syntax for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). SVG is a language for describing two-dimensional graphics in XML [XML10]. SVG allows for three types of graphic objects: vector graphic shapes (e.g., paths consisting of straight lines and curves), images and text. Graphical objects can be grouped, styled, transformed and composited into previously rendered objects. The feature set includes nested transformations, clipping paths, alpha masks, filter effects and template objects.

SVG drawings can be interactive and dynamic. Animations can be defined and triggered either declaratively (i.e., by embedding SVG animation elements in SVG content) or via scripting.

The latest stable revision of Batik provides a complete support for all the static SVG features. Work on supporting dynamic SVG features such as scripting and animation is under way and this work is available from the CVS repository or from beta downloads.

You will find a detailed description of the set of SVG features Batik supports on the Status page.

You can get the Batik distribution (source and binary) on the download page.

All other libraries needed by Batik are included in the distribution. As a consequence the Batik archive is quite big, but after you downloaded it, you will not need anything else.

While it is hard to track projects and products which are using Batik, here are a few ones which are known:

• The Apache FOP project uses Batik to handle SVG images. It uses the SVG rasterizer and extends the Batik transcoder architecture to offer SVG to PDF conversion.
• The Apache Cocoon project uses Batik to rasterize SVG images.
• The JFreeChart Project uses Batik to export charts in the SVG format.
• ILOG's JViews product uses and extends the Batik SVG export module.
• Oracle Corp.'s JDeveloper9i uses Batik to export class diagrams in SVG. It uses the SVG export module (SVGGraphics2D).
• OptimalJ, a UML Class Diagram Editor for NetBeans, uses Batik to export SVG.
• Together Control Center 5.5 uses Batik to export UML diagrams in SVG.
• XWeb, a tool to create websites automatically out of XML input. Uses the Batik SVG Rasterizer.
• ElixirTech's ElixirReport uses Batik for charting and for its SVG component.
• Lagoon, an XML-based framework for web site maintenance, uses the Batik SVG Rasterizer to render SVG as bitmap graphics for web publishing
• eDoc, a page layout software, is using the Batik SVG generator to export pages to SVG
• Svolgo,a Graph Visualisation/Transformation Framework for the Semantic Web Cross-model transformation, node and arc diagrams, representation in SVG. This project uses Batik's SVG DOM implementation.
• Lords Map, a program to allow players and visitors to view the current map of varoius campaigns. Lord Map uses Batik's SVG DOM and SVG Generator.