XML: Extensible Markup Language
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Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a human-readable, machine-understandable,
general syntax for describing hierarchical data, applicable to a wide range of
applications (databases, e-commerce, Java, web development, searching, etc.).
Custom tags enable the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation
of data between applications and between organizations. See
WDVL's detailed introduction.
Note: XML is conceptually a core set of specifications (each with its own WDVL section):
- XML and DTD syntax [W3C's XML 1.0 Recommendation]
- XSL and XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language and XSL Transformations),
in conjunction with XPath (XML Path Language)
[updated July 1, 2002]
- XLink and XPointer (XML Linking Language and XML Pointer Language)
[updated January 27, 2002]
- XML Schema
[updated July 1, 2002]
- other related specifications such as XML Namespaces, XML Query Language, and so forth.
WDVL's XML author/maintainer, Ken Sall,
has created a rather unique
Big Picture of the XML Family of Specifications,
from his recently published book,
XML Family of Specifications: A Practical Guide
for Addison Wesley (June 1, 2002).
Perhaps you are looking for our main entry on XHTML?
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Last Modified:
July 1, 2002
Looking for the latest developments in the XML community?
See WDVL's XML Newsfeed,
updated dynamically.
XHTML |
XSLT, XSL-FO, XPath |
XLink and XPointer |
XML Schema |
XML Query [W3C] |
SVG |
DOM |
SOAP |
SMIL |
VoiceXML |
Tutorials |
Resources |
Training |
XML Software Guide
Practical XML for the Web - Part 4
glasshaus
November 18 2002
This excerpt from Chapter 8 of "Practical XML for the
Web" sets the scene for server-side XML, and shows what you
can do with it, by way of a parallel example done in ASP, PHP,
and JSP. This weeks installment goes into some basic XML processing techniques, with examples from each language.
Practical XML for the Web - Part 3
glasshaus
November 11 2002
This excerpt from Chapter 8 of "Practical XML for the
Web" sets the scene for server-side XML, and shows what you
can do with it, by way of a parallel example done in ASP, PHP,
and JSP.
Practical XML for the Web - Part 2
glasshaus
November 4, 2002
This excerpt from Chapter 5 of "Practical XML for the Web" introduces XSLT, going through the basics of using it to transform XML on the client-side, by way of easy-to-follow tutorial examples. This weeks installment covers Specifying Stylesheets for Different Browsers, Creating a Table of Contents with XSLT, Separating Design from Content, and more! From glasshaus.
Practical XML for the Web
glasshaus
October 28, 2002
This excerpt from Chapter 5 of "Practical XML for the Web"
introduces XSLT, going through the basics of using it to transform
XML on the client-side, by way of easy-to-follow tutorial examples. From Glasshaus.
XML Family of Specifications: A Practical Guide
by Ken Sall
updated July 1, 2002
This is the official home page for WDVL's XML maintainer's
XML Family of Specifications: A Practical Guide.
Even if you don't own the book, you'll find 900 XML-related
links here, as well as every code example from the book.
Especially useful is the
Big Picture imagemap.
XML Schema Resources
updated July 1, 2002
WDVL's collection of specifications, articles, presentations,
software, and Web sites related to XML Schema, RELAX NG, and SOAP.
SVG Resources
updated July 1, 2002
Extensive listing of Scalable Vector Graphics
resources: W3C spec and DTDs, SVG FAQs, SVG Tutorials,
SVG Viewers and Plugins, SVG Authoring Tools, SVG Converters,
SVG Toolkits, SVG Articles, and more.
XML Syntax and Parsing Concepts
by Ken Sall
March 29, 2002
Sample chapter from the book.
As XML continues to mature, developers need to understand how
this standard and its related technologies are revolutionizing
software development.
XML Family of Specifications: A Practical Guide provides a
complete roadmap for understanding how XML, XSL, XML Schema, and
related specifications interlink to create powerful, real-world
applications.
XML Software Guide
by
Ken Sall
updated January 27, 2002
A compendium of software currently available for XML:
XML/XSL/Schema editors,
parsers,
browsers,
database and content management support,
APIs, and
special-purpose software,
other XML software lists,
and more.
The WDVL XML Software Guide includes a brief description of each tool,
whether it is freeware or a commercial product, and the platforms on
which it is available. The guide contains over 100 entries to date.
The XML Software Guide contains a handy
What's New section.
Attention XML Vendors: Use this
submission form
to send descriptions of new or updated products.
E-mailed submissions cannot be processed.
XML Resources
updated July 1, 2002
Although the current page is WDVL's top-level set of XML resources,
visit our XML Resources page for an even
more extensive collection.
WDVL's XML Resources page includes sections covering:
See below for XML tutorials and
XML training information.
See these related WDVL sections:
Early Adopter VoiceXML: Part 3
Wrox Press
This third and final installment of Chapter 7 examines the VoiceXML
Stylesheet. This book is for those professional developers who
wish to add a new language to their toolkit, and want to be in a
position to take advantage of the imminent explosion in voice-
enabled applications.
Early Adopter VoiceXML: Part 2
Wrox Press
This second installment of Chapter 7 looks at creating a markup
language. This book is for those professional developers who wish
to add a new language to their toolkit, and want to be in a
position to take advantage of the imminent explosion in voice-
enabled applications.
Early Adopter VoiceXML: Part 1
Wrox Press
This book is for those professional developers who wish to add a
new language to their toolkit, and want to be in a position to
take advantage of the imminent explosion in voice-enabled
applications. This first installment of Chapter 7 covers VoiceXML
with XSLT (HTML and WML) and system architecture.
XML Standards Report
by ZapThink
added June 10, 2001
Quarterly reports of 400+ XML specifications (delivered as PDF)
from all industry and technology
areas, including:
- XML Core, Metadata, and Document Standards
- Scientific and Engineering Standards
- E-Business and E-Commerce Standards
- Professional Services, Public Sector, and Finance Standards
- Print, Media, and Entertainment Standards
- Manufacturing and Heavy Industry
- Knowledge, Information, and Sharing Standards
- Computing, Systems, and Internet Standards
XML.org has
endorsed
ZapThink's reports. A condensed version of the report for
each specification appears organized by industry and technology area as
the extremely useful
XML.org / ZapThink Online Standards Report,
from Accounting to Wholesale, and from Authoring to XML Exchange.
Example: Supply Chain category, including: ebXML, xCBL, TPAML,
BizTalk Framework, RosettaNet PIP, and more.
Introduction to XML: Structuring Data for the Web
by
Ken Sall
WDVL's XML introduction
is geared toward newcomers who have heard the buzz, but don't know what
all the fuss is about. The article briefly surveys a number of new Web
technologies such as XLink, XSL, RDF, DOM, MathML, SMIL, PGML, and how
they relate to XML. Benefits of XML are stressed, as are potential
applications in diverse fields.
IBM XML Software from alphaWorks
updated January 21, 2001
Descriptions of all XML, XSL, and DTD tools from IBM alphaWorks!
XML Specifications, Proposals and Vocabularies
updated October 30, 2000
A master list of all XML specifications and proposals, developed by
or submitted to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This list also
contains domain-specific XML vocabularies, some of which have not yet
been submitted to the W3C for consideration.
See also:
XML.org / ZapThink Online Standards Report.
XML Acronym Expander
WDVL has collected all of the XML-related acronyms -- from CDF to XSL
-- in one convenient table. If you can't find the term you're looking
for, try:
XML FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about XML, with answers.
The XML FAQ is a comprehensive FAQ maintained on behalf of the W3C
XML Working Groups by Peter Flynn. WDVL has collected links to
other XML-related FAQs as well.
What Is ....?
Premiere e-zine site XML.com features a series of excellent
introductions to various subjects:
XML Browsers
updated January 2002
James Tauber's XMLSoftware
site has a good XML browser list, which includes browsers released in 2000-2002 such as
Netscape 6.x
[with support for HTML 4, CSS, XML, RDF and the DOM],
Netscape Mozilla releases from Mozilla.org,
W3C's Amaya 5.x
[supports HTML 4.0, XHTML 1.0, SVG 1.0, MathML 2.0, and many CSS 2 features],
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6.x,
Opera 5.x and 6.x, and many others.
Also useful is the comprehensive
XML.com XML browser list.
XML Editors
updated November 26, 2000
In addition to the WDVL XML editors
listed in our XML Software Guide, check the
XML.com XML editor list and
James Tauber's XML editor list.
Two leading editors are:
XML Instance by TIBCO Extensibility
and XML Spy by Altova.
[For historical reference, two 1998 articles by Liora Alschuler for XML.com are also recommended:
Structured Editors (May 1998) and
Reviewing Structured Editors, Part Deux (July 1998).]
XML Conferences and Trade Shows
updated December 11, 2000
Extensive set of links to XML Conferences and Trade Shows, including recaps
and conference proceedings (where available).
Tutorials & Articles
updated September 11, 2002
List of on-line XHTML, XML, XSL, and XLink/XPointer tutorials.
Includes a three-part course designed to introduce Web developers to XML
and a two-part tutorial with downloadable examples for that hands-on experience.
What Happened at XML 2000?
by Ken Sall
Ken Sall brings you the highlights of the
XML 2000 conference held in Washington, DC
from Dec. 3 to 8, 2000. Especially of interest
was the focus on Schema, Topic Maps,
Web Services, SOAP, UDDI, and XSLT.
Introduction to Directory Services Markup Language
(DSML)
by Michael Hurwicz
Directory Services Markup Language, an XML schema designed to access
directories within XML programs, using familiar XML syntax and tools, without
having to use LDAP or proprietary directory-access APIs. If you need a
consistent way to work with multiple, dissimilar directories, you owe it to
yourself to check DSML out.
XML Jobs Search
The excellent XML news site, xmlhack, added a
xmlhack Jobs Search page in April 2000
which features over 13,000 jobs in XML with options to constrain your search.
Training
updated January 21, 2001
Growing list of online courseware and traditional training seminars.
(Vendors of such XML training may submit additions or
corrections to Ken Sall for
consideration.)
Submit additions or corrections to Ken Sall
for consideration.
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