Howdy!
XML is an evolution of HTML bringing it closer to it's original ties with something called SGML. Ok, I won't get lost in all these acronyms here but basically XML allows any website to define their own tags.
For instance, HTML tags define how the webpage will be displayed (layout & appearance). XML will allow you to add more functionality to your website without the need for programming languages (CGI. JavaScript, VBScript) but you can always embed these objects in if you want to.
So for instance, when you fill out one of those forms on a website, each INPUT field has a label which is processed by a script. As you say, that takes time and back services to do. In XML, you could create a form and give INPUT fields names as objects.
Example: Your name and address can become objects which the browser sees so when you fill out the form, you can re-use the information based on the objects name --- like a personalized welcome or to fill out your order form when you are ready to make a purchase.
In transactions, you can specify objects like PRICE, ITEM NAME, QUANTITY and re-use them in processing the information.
You can create customized searches a websurfer can use on object names such as PRICE or ITEM NAME and receive a listing sorted as such. The key is to tie this in with what's called STYLESHEETS.
Here's something to help:
XML itself is not a single markup language: it's a metalanguage to let you design your own markup language. A regular markup language defines a way to describe information in a certain class of documents (eg HTML). XML lets you define your own customized markup languages for many classes of document. It can do this because it's written in SGML, the international standard metalanguage for markup languages.
(http://www.ucc.ie/xml/#FAQ-ACRO)
What is SGML?
SGML is the Standard Generalized Markup Language (ISO 8879), the international standard for defining descriptions of the structure and content of different types of electronic document.
There are many languages that can be derived from XML. You can scan through a listing at xml.com
It's very interesting and if Novell is using XML to define ways to interact with a directory on the internet, I'd say they are doing very well with this. Maybe Digital Me is just an example of what you can do when you move NDS into the Internet space and out of the proprietary nature of NetWare.
While you are at it, check out this site:
xml.com
They describe how to create DTD's (document type definitions)for certain functions using XML.
This is a straigh-forward description of XML:
xml.com
Peter Strifas |
