XML For Dummies

by Dykes, Lucinda; Tittel, Ed

• ISBN13: 9780764588457
• ISBN10: 0764588451
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-20
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

See how XML works for business needs and RSS feedsCreate consistency on the Web, or tag your data for different purposesTag - XML is it! XML tags let you share your format as well as your data, and this handy guide will show you how. You'll soon be using this markup language to create everything from Web sites to business forms, discovering schemas and DOCTYPES, wandering the Xpath, teaming up XML with Office 2003, and more.Discover how to Make information portable Use XML with Word 2003 Store different types of data Convert HTML documents to XHTML Add CSS to XML Understand and use DTDs

Author Biography

Lucinda Dykes started her career in a high-tech area of medicine, but left medicine to pursue her interests in technology and the Web. She has been writing code and developing Web sites since 1994, and also teaches and develops online courses — including the JavaScript courses for the International Webmasters Association/HTML Writers’ Guild at www.eclasses.org.
Lucinda has authored, co-authored, edited, and been a contributing author to numerous computer books; the most recent include Dreamweaver MX 2004 Savvy (Sybex), XML for Dummies (3rd Edition, Wiley), Dreamweaver MX Fireworks MX Savvy (Sybex), XML Schemas (Sybex), and Mastering XHTML (Sybex). When she can manage to move herself away from her keyboard, other interests include holographic technologies, science fiction, and Bollywood movies.

Ed Tittel is a 23-year veteran of the computing industry. After spending his first seven years in harness writing code, Ed switched to the softer side of the business as a trainer and talking head. A freelance writer since 1986, Ed has written hundreds of magazine and Web articles — and worked on over 100 computer books, including numerous For Dummies titles on topics that include several Windows versions, NetWare, HTML, XHTML, and XML.
Ed is also Technology Editor for Certification Magazine, writes for numerous TechTarget Web sites, and writes a twice-monthly newsletter, “Must Know News,” for CramSession.com. In his spare time, Ed likes to shoot pool, cook, and spend time with his wife Dina and his son Gregory. He also likes to explore the world away from the keyboard with his trusty Labrador retriever, Blackie. Ed can be contacted at [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(1)
About This Book	1	(1)
Conventions Used in This Book	2	(1)
Foolish Assumptions	3	(1)
How This Book Is Organized	4	(3)
Part I: XML Basics	4	(1)
Part II: XML and the Web	4	(1)
Part III: Building in Validation with DTDs and Schemas	5	(1)
Part IV: Transforming and Processing XML	6	(1)
Part V: XML Application Development	6	(1)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	7	(1)
Glossary	7	(1)
Icons Used in This Book	7	(1)
Where to Go from Here	8	(1)
Part I: XML Basics	9	(36)
Getting to Know XML	11	(12)
XML (eXtreMely cooL)	12	(2)
Mocking up your own markup	12	(1)
Separating data and context	12	(1)
Making information portable	13	(1)
XML means business	13	(1)
Figuring Out What XML Is Good For	14	(4)
Classifying information	14	(1)
Enforcing rules on your data	15	(1)
Outputting information in a variety of ways	16	(1)
Using the same data across platforms	17	(1)
Beyond the Hype: What XML Isn't	18	(3)
It's not just for Web pages anymore	19	(1)
It's not a database	20	(1)
It's not a programming language	20	(1)
Building XML Documents	21	(2)
Using XML for Many Purposes	23	(10)
Moving Legacy Data to XML	23	(1)
The Many Faces of XML	24	(7)
Creating XML-enabled Web pages	24	(1)
Print publishing with XML	25	(3)
Using XML for business forms	28	(1)
Incorporating XML into business processes	29	(2)
Serving up XML from a database	31	(1)
Alphabet Soup: Even More XML	31	(2)
Slicing and Dicing Data Categories: The Art of Taxonomy	33	(12)
Taking Stock of Your Data	33	(4)
Looking at business practices and partners	34	(1)
Gathering some content	34	(1)
Checking whether a DTD or schema already exists	35	(1)
Searching for a schema repository	36	(1)
Breaking Down Data in Different Ways	37	(2)
Winnowing out the wheat from the chaff	38	(1)
Types of data that can be stored in XML	39	(1)
Developing Your Taxonomy	39	(2)
Testing Your Taxonomy	41	(2)
Using trial and error for the best fit	41	(1)
Testing your content analysis	42	(1)
Looking Ahead to Validation	43	(2)
Part II: XML and the Web	45	(64)
Adding XHTML for the Web	47	(18)
HTML, XML, and XHTML	47	(3)
What HTML does best	48	(1)
The limits of HTML	49	(1)
Comparing XML and HTML	50	(4)
Using XML to describe data	51	(2)
The benefits of using HTML	53	(1)
The benefits of using XML	53	(1)
XHTML Makes the Move to XML Syntax	54	(5)
Making the switch	55	(1)
Every element must be closed	56	(1)
Empty elements must be formatted correctly	56	(1)
Tags must be properly nested	57	(1)
Case makes a difference	57	(1)
Attribute values are in quotation marks	58	(1)
Converting a document from HTML to XHTML	59	(3)
The Role of DOCTYPE Declarations	62	(3)
Putting Together an XML File	65	(18)
Anatomy of an XML File	65	(9)
The XML declaration	67	(1)
Marking up your content	68	(6)
Playing by the Rules: Well-Formed Documents	74	(2)
Adding Style for the Web	76	(2)
Seeking Validation with DTD and XML Schema	78	(5)
Why describe XML documents?	79	(1)
Choosing between DTD and XML Schema	80	(3)
Adding Character(s) to XML	83	(12)
About Character Encodings	84	(1)
Introducing Unicode	85	(2)
Character Sets, Fonts, Scripts, and Glyphs	87	(1)
For Each Character, a Code	88	(1)
Key Character Sets	89	(2)
Using Unicode Characters	91	(2)
Finding Character Entity Information	93	(2)
Handling Formatting with CSS	95	(14)
Viewing XML on the Web with CSS	96	(1)
Basic CSS Formatting: CSS1	97	(1)
The Icing on the Cake: CSS2	98	(1)
Building a CSS Stylesheet	98	(1)
Adding CSS to XML	99	(8)
A simple CSS stylesheet for XML	101	(1)
Dissecting a simple CSS stylesheet	102	(4)
Linking CSS and XML	106	(1)
Adding CSS to XSLT	107	(2)
Part III: Building In Validation with DTDs and Schemas	109	(86)
Understanding and Using DTDs	111	(24)
What's a DTD?	112	(2)
When to use a DTD	113	(1)
When Not to use a DTD	113	(1)
Inspecting the XML Prolog	114	(4)
Examining the XML declaration	115	(1)
Discovering the DOCTYPE	116	(1)
Understanding comments	116	(1)
Processing instructions	117	(1)
How about that white space?	117	(1)
Reading a DTD	118	(1)
Using Element Declarations	119	(4)
Using the Empty element type and the Any element type	120	(1)
Adding mixed content	121	(1)
Using element content models	122	(1)
Declaring Attributes	123	(2)
Discovering Entities	125	(5)
General entities	126	(2)
Parameter entities	128	(2)
Understanding Notations	130	(1)
Calling a DTD	131	(4)
Internal DTDs	131	(1)
External DTDs	132	(1)
When to use an internal or external DTD	133	(2)
Understanding and Using XML Schema	135	(22)
What's an XML Schema?	136	(2)
So Many Datatypes, So Little Time	138	(1)
XML Prolog	139	(2)
Document Structures	141	(7)
Element declarations	141	(3)
</confirmOrder> Attribute declarations	144	(1)
Attribute groups	144	(1)
What about that white space?	145	(3)
Datatype Declarations	148	(2)
Simple datatypes	148	(1)
Complex datatypes	149	(1)
Defining constraints and value checks	149	(1)
Dealing with Entities, Notations, and More	150	(1)
Annotations	151	(1)
Deciding When to Use a Schema	152	(1)
Referencing XML Schema Documents	153	(2)
The inside view: Referencing a schema in an XML document	153	(1)
Calling for outside support: Referencing external schemas in your schema	153	(2)
Double-Checking Your Schemas and Documents	155	(2)
Building a Custom XML Schema	157	(16)
Doing the Validity Rag	157	(2)
Step 1: Understanding Your Data	159	(1)
Step 2: Being the Root of All Structure: Elements	159	(2)
Step 3: Building Content Models	161	(2)
Step 4: Using Attributes to Shed Light on Data Structure	163	(1)
Step 5: Using Datatype Declarations to Define What's What	164	(3)
Tricks of the Trade	167	(1)
Creating a Simple Schema	168	(2)
Using a Schema with an XML File in Word 2003	170	(3)
Modifying an Existing Schema	173	(22)
Trading Control for Flexibility	174	(1)
Eliciting Markup from an XML Schema	174	(2)
Modifying a Schema	176	(1)
Using Datatypes Effectively	177	(3)
Using datatypes with data-intensive content	177	(2)
Using datatypes with text-intensive content	179	(1)
Making Elements Work Wisely and Well	180	(3)
Creating crafty content models	180	(1)
A matter of selection	181	(2)
Mixing up the order	183	(1)
Using Complex Datatypes	183	(2)
When XML Schemas Collide: Namespaces	185	(3)
Including External Data	188	(1)
Including/Excluding Document Content	188	(2)
Converting DTDs to Schemas	190	(5)
Part IV: Transforming and Processing XML	195	(50)
Handling Transformations with XSL	197	(18)
The Two Faces of XSL	198	(3)
XSLT	198	(2)
XSL-FO	200	(1)
XSL Stylesheets Are XML Documents	201	(1)
A Simple Transformation Using XSLT	202	(1)
An XSLT Stylesheet for Converting XML to HTML	202	(8)
The pieces of the stylesheet puzzle	205	(2)
Processing element content	207	(2)
Dealing with repeating elements	209	(1)
Creating an XSLT Stylesheet with XSLT Editors	210	(5)
The XML Path Language	215	(20)
Why Do You Need Directions?	216	(4)
XPath document trees	217	(1)
Understanding XPath nodes	218	(2)
XPath Directions and Destinations	220	(1)
XPath Syntax	221	(5)
Some simple location paths	222	(1)
Adding expressions	223	(1)
Taking steps along the XPath	223	(1)
Looking at attributes	224	(1)
Going backward	224	(1)
Reversing direction	225	(1)
Null results	225	(1)
Getting back to your roots	226	(1)
XPath functions	226	(1)
Using XPath with XMLSpy	226	(2)
The Short Version	228	(3)
Child-axis abbreviations	229	(1)
Attribute-axis abbreviation	229	(1)
Predicate and expression abbreviations	229	(1)
Some more abbreviations	230	(1)
What's New in XPath 2.0?	231	(2)
Where to Now?	233	(2)
Processing XML	235	(10)
Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a DOM	235	(5)
Keeping in touch with the family	238	(1)
Understanding DOM structure	238	(2)
What Goes In Must Come Out: Processing XML	240	(5)
So many processors, so little time	242	(1)
Which processor is right for you?	243	(2)
Part V: XML Application Development	245	(54)
Using XML with Web Services	247	(12)
What's Up with Web Services?	248	(3)
A Web Services Architecture	251	(5)
Transport: Moving XML messages	252	(1)
Packaging/Extensions: Managing information exchange	253	(1)
Description: Specifying services and related components	254	(1)
Discovery: Finding what's available	255	(1)
Where Will Web Services Lead?	256	(3)
XML and Forms	259	(12)
Collecting Information with Forms: The Basics	260	(1)
HTML Forms	260	(1)
XML Forms	261	(10)
XForms	261	(6)
InfoPath	267	(4)
Serving Up the Data: XML and Databases	271	(14)
Using Databases with XML	272	(1)
Text-intensive XML	272	(1)
Data-intensive XML	273	(1)
Creating XML from Database Files	273	(8)
Using Word 2003	274	(1)
Using InfoPath	275	(3)
Using XMLSpy	278	(3)
Using XML with Access 2003	281	(4)
XML and RSS	285	(14)
Introducing RSS	286	(1)
Sorting Out the Versions	286	(9)
RSS 0.9x	287	(3)
RSS 2.0/2.01	290	(1)
RSS 1.0	291	(4)
Validating an RSS Feed	295	(1)
Creating RSS Feeds	296	(1)
Get Syndicated!	297	(1)
Using an RSS Reader	298	(1)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	299	(30)
XML Tools and Technologies	301	(12)
Creating Documents with Authoring Tools	301	(3)
Epic Editor	302	(1)
Turbo XML v2.4.1	303	(1)
XMetaL Author 4.5	303	(1)
XML Pro v2.0.1	303	(1)
XML Spy 2005	304	(1)
Checking Documents with Parser Tools	304	(3)
Ælfred	305	(1)
expat	306	(1)
Lark	306	(1)
Viewing with XML Browsers	307	(2)
Amaya	307	(1)
Internet Explorer 6	307	(1)
Mozilla	308	(1)
Firefox 1.0	308	(1)
Opera	308	(1)
Using XML Parsers and Engines	309	(2)
XML C Library for Gnome	309	(1)
Java XML Pack	310	(1)
Xerces	310	(1)
Employing Conversion Tools	311	(1)
HTML Tidy	311	(1)
Extensible Programming Script (XPS)	311	(1)
The Ultimate XML Grab Bag and Goodie Box	312	(1)
Microsoft does XML, too!	312	(1)
webMethods automates XML excellence	312	(1)
Ten Top XML Applications	313	(8)
XHTML = XML + HTML	314	(1)
XML Style Is a Matter of Application	314	(1)
Wireless Markup Language (WML)	314	(1)
DocBook, Anyone?	315	(1)
Mathematical Markup Language (MathML)	315	(1)
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)	316	(1)
Resource Description Framework (RDF)	316	(1)
Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL)	317	(1)
Servin' Up Web Services	317	(1)
XQuery	318	(1)
Create XML Applications with Zope	319	(2)
Ten Ultimate XML Resources	321	(8)
XML's Many and Marvelous Specs	321	(1)
An XML Nonpareil	322	(1)
Top XML Tutorial Sites	322	(1)
XML in the Mail	323	(1)
Excellent XML Examples at zvon.org	323	(1)
XML News and Information	323	(1)
XML Training Options	324	(1)
Building a Bodacious XML Bookshelf	325	(1)
Studying XML for Certification	326	(1)
Serious Searches Lead to Success	327	(2)
Glossary	329	(18)
Index	347