XML Basics To Get You Started
Thursday, January 21st, 2010For those seeking a document format that makes data exchange on the Web easy, then it’s time to explore XML, or Extensible Markup Language. Computer software of all kinds already use XML for data organization and presentation.
It’s easy to determine that it is the flexibility of XML that explains its great appeal to web developers. Due the structure of the markup language, data exchange is possible in many different forms. Additionally, users find that XML makes data access simpler than is possible with HyperText Markup Language, more commonly known as HTML. Consider this: XML programming can tailor the look of one web page for either a mobile phone or a classic computer browser. Developers then could make one page instead of two. The ease and efficiency of XML should be becoming more clear.
It isn’t necessary to have extensive prior experience with HTML in order to operate well using XML. The two do go hand-in-hand in many respects, since they are both descendents of SGML, another markup language. Markup languages’ purpose is organize, categorize, or otherwise label content, and the markup itself describes the organization in question. Markup contains content, which is what you see when you look at an XML document.
XML was developed when HTML’s great shortcoming became clear. HTML does not allow for new markup elements to be devised by users. With a need for greater flexibility, XML evolved to meet the needs of document and data handling in a web environment.
This is just a primer for understanding what XML is, and why it might be useful for you. If you’re an aspiring web developer, XML learning should definitely be on your “to do” list.
