What's involved in learning XML? Do you need a (UK based) XML training course, a tutorial or is there a better way for you to learn? Click on the questions below to find out more.
<H1>Welcome to the HyperGlossary</H1>
to make the text "Welcome to the HyperGlossary" into a level one heading. In XML you can write
<Author>John Triance</Author>
to indicate that "John Triance" is an author.
XML differs from HTML in that it is extensible. So whereas the user of HTML has a fixed set of tags (<H1>, <IMG>, etc) available, the user of XML can invent whatever tags make sense for his or her application area.
The major purpose of XML is for communicating data. Once a standard set of tags has been agreed along with the rules for their use, the data that is to be sent from one point to another is "wrapped" in the appropriate tags and sent over the Internet or any other network. It is destined to become the standard mechanism for sending data between different types of computer system.
A major benefit of XML is that it is self documenting - thus an application receiving XML data can "understand" the data and therefore process it in a way to meet the local requirements. So for example, if the data is to be displayed in a browser, it is possible to allow the user to choose which data he or she sees. By this mechanism you could have a web site that can display each page in a beginners and advanced users format.
Who needs to learn XML?
Those who are implementing Internet or Intranet applications which have a significant data content. Earlier web sites acted as on-line applications and as such consisted primarily of text and images. However increasingly the Internet is used for transmitting data including querying and updating databases, electronic commerce and business to business applications:
How hard is XML to learn?
XML itself is easy to learn. But to do anything useful with it you will need to be able to process the XML files. This is done using mechanisms such as XSL and the DOM. These require programming skills. You are also like to need to learn one or more of the languages used to describe the structure of valid XML documents - DTD's or XML Schemas.
How long would it take to learn?
| To Achieve? | Guideline number of days | Notes |
| Enough knowledge to create XML files and understand the related concepts | 1 day | Learn XML rules and the purpose of DTD's, XML Schemas, XSL and DOM |
| Everything starting with the basics through to how to manipulate XML files | 3 days | This will typically cover DTD's or XML Schemas, XSL and DOM |
| Creating XML applications | 4 days | Everything above plus gluing it all together in your chosen environment. |
Look at 8 steps to becoming an expert to learn about what is involved in more detail.
Which version of XML should I learn?
XML V1.0. This is the only version.
What else will I need to learn?
It is useful to know HTML before you start since XML follows many of its rules.
You will need to know how to use a suitable programming language or scripting language before you can do much with XML. The choice depends on the environment in which you are going to do the scripting. Most common choices are JavaScript, VBScript or Java.
How can I avoid learning XML?
Since XML is fairly new there are other ways of implementing most things that you might want to do, but for new implementations you should really think about whether it is sensible to delay the use of XML.
In the future tools will be developed which will work at a higher level (just as today many tools isolate you from HTML).
How do I go about learning XML?
| How much help do you want? | Approach | Notes |
| With a bit of help | There are lots of tutorials available on the world wide web. | A good start is the W3C XML Page http://www.w3.org/XML/ |
| There are also lots of books | For books go to Amazon and search for XML. | |
| A lot of help | Attend a public course | Contact us or take a look at Training Pages |
| A lot of help - specific to your needs | Call in an expert | On site tailored training (for 1 or more) consultancy distance learning over phone or the Internet |
| Already know XML and want to find pre-written routines | Use the Web | Some good sources of XML information can be found on the XML links page |
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Last updated: 12 February 2001
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