XML - Data Structure

XML was developed as a lanuguage which could transport data accross various different platforms. It has a really robust data structures. People think XML is just another markup language like HTML but the fact of the matter is that XML is totally a different concept.
HTML is a markup language which has predefined tags and is case insensitive on the other hand XML is a case sensitive language and does not have predefined tags.

e.g.

<book category="WEB">
<title lang="en">Learning XML</title>
<author>Sankalp Shastri</author>
<year>2008</year>
<price>39.95</price>
</book>

This is an example of a well formed XML structure. Whatever name we select can be XML node, it can be your name.

XML has got a really simple mechnism of accessing it structure, and it is called XPath.

XPath
Whenever you want to access a node or its attribute, the way to do it is XPath.
e.g

/bookstore/book/title/text()

this would give us the text in the title node.

For further details you can visit the links available or can wait for my next post which would be about how the XPath can be used in different ways to access different information.

Birth of XML.

At the time XML took birth HTML & Java Script were grown babies but it is important to understand that XML has never had anything to do with HTML or Java Script. It was and is developed as an independent language for performing the tasks which HTML and Java Script couldn't do. Then,

What is XML?

• XML stands for Extensible Markup Language
• It is much like HTML.
• It was mainly designed for Data Structures, to carry data not to display it.
• Unlike HTML, XML tags are not defined, you must define your own tags.
• It was designed to be self descriptive.
• Its a W3C recommendation.

In the next post we will digg into details of XML.

Welcome to the neural network

When XML came into the market, there were not many supporters of it, as it was evolving and people were reluctant to put their hands into something with unknown future. Slowly and gradually XML got settled into a particular standard and poeple started knowing and expoliting the opportunities XML has had in it.

Over the years XML has grown and now it has become one of the most used, robust and flexible language. There is no other language present which is supported by alomost every technology and platform present in the world.

Who could have forecasted this a few years ago?

"Change is the Only Constant thing".

Lets share our ideas, knowledge, problems and experience on XML. Lets strenthen our neural network.

I welcome you to join this network.