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Re: XML basics

• From: Liam R E Quin <liam@w3.org>
• To: Joe Fawcett <joefawcett@hotmail.com>
• Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:33:55 -0500

On Mon, 2011-02-28 at 16:32 +0000, Joe Fawcett wrote:
> 
> Dear All
> 
> I've been asked to contribute to a book on basic XML. I have a list of topics that I think should be covered, mostly discussing the basics, showing a few examples and when and where each would be used.
> Does anyone have any suggestions on other XML related activities that they feel should be included in an introductory text?
> The list so far (those with an asterisk are tentative depending on how large the publisher wants the book).

Please make sure you get some technical review -- the last beginner's
book for XML I received was so bad that couldn't bring myself to write
about it.

> XML basics
>   Elements and Attributes
>     Well formed XML
> Other node types
XML does not have any such thing as a node.

Someone else pointed yout you missed namespaces; XInclude is another.

> Validation
>   DTD
>   XML Schemas
>   Relax NG & Schematron*

Today I'd focus on XSD and have only a short section on DTDs. Be sure to
mention XML Catalogues.

RelaxNG and Schematron are for sure worth including.

It's almost impossible to say anything useful on XSD in under 40 pages,
though.

> Reading Information
>   DOM
In most ases the section on DOM should just say, "don't use this unless
you are frced to, e.g. you are writing JavaScript for a Web browser"

>   XPath
>   Event Driven (SAX, XmlReader)
Also talk about serialization.
> 
> Processing
>   XSLT
>   XQuery
and XProc

>   LINQ to XML
Don't know how important LINQ is in practice.

> 
> Uses
>   Configuration files
>   RSS
>   SVG
>   Web Services (RPC, SOAP, REST, WCF)
>   WSDL
>   XHTML (and how HTML 5 may replace)
>   XForms*

DocBook and TEI are worth mentioning. Most RSS is not well-formed XML
(sigh).

XSL-FO is more widely used than you might think.

RDF and friends need to be mentioned (along with XTM maybe).


Liam

-- 
Liam Quin - XML Activity Lead, W3C, http://www.w3.org/People/Quin/
Pictures from old books: http://fromoldbooks.org/

• Follow-Ups:
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    • From: Amelia A Lewis <amyzing@talsever.com>

• References:
  • XML basics
    • From: Joe Fawcett <joefawcett@hotmail.com>