Reading Notes #9

Introducing XML
This article breaks down the importance of XML (which upon reading this article LAST since the link wasn't working, a lot of my following questions are probably answered, so please disregard them):


XML allows users to:

• bring multiple files together to form compound documents
• identify where illustrations are to be incorporated into text files, and the format used to encode each illustration
• provide processing control information to supporting programs, such as document validators and browsers
• add editorial comments to a file.

It is important to note, however, that XML is not:

• a predefined set of tags, of the type defined for HTML, that can be used to markup documents
• a standardized template for producing particular types of documents.

It allows users to make a variety of different types of documents, not just one, making it really flexible. 



Survey of XML Standards
Written by IBM, this website gives an overview of XML standards. The author provides links to other websites that explain aspects of XML (extended markup language). It also mentions XML namespaces, catalogs, base, inclusions, and something called canonical XML,  XPath, XLink, and XPointer. Although the website is considered for introductory audiences, I really know little about XML and how it is used. The link to the Tidwell tutorial was the most helpful, which broke XML down to make it understandable, but the survey only contained helpful links. Tidwell explains that XML helps you make your own tags and was created as an improvement to traditional html.


XML Tutorial
Bergholz is right... I am doubting the simplicity of XML. There are so many components that I don't understand. The syntax, the structure... it's like learning a foreign language when I have no computer science background. Style, schema?


XML Schema Tutorial
This tutorial explains the XML schema, which defines the elements of XML. It explains that XML schemas are better than DTD (not sure what that is exactly) because it can support data types, use xml syntax, secure data communication, and are extensible. To be completely honest, looking at all the code/rules for the dtd versus xml, some of the xml looks familiar, but otherwise it looks foreign to me, and I can't say I understand it. Simple elements are only text, but more complex elements have attributes and restrictions. I understand what each of these types signify, but when it comes to all of the code written out, I'm clueless!