Download Builder.com's "Remedial XML" series

by Lamont Adams | Jul 16, 2002 7:00:00 AM

Tags: Lamont Adams

Takeaway: Now you can download Builder.com's "Remedial XML" series compiled into one easy-to-read document. From basic syntax to data validation to parsers, these six articles will give you a solid introduction to XML.

My six-part "Remedial XML" series, which started with the basics and moved on through data validation and parsers, turned out to be so popular among Builder.com members, I decided to let you take the whole thing home with you—complete with all the code and repeated Castaway references. I took all six articles and rolled them into one piece, available in either DOC or HTML format. You can download the series here, or keep reading to refresh your memory of what we covered in the series.

Just the basics
In the first installment, "Remedial XML for programmers: Basic syntax," I touched on how XML conceptually differs from other markup languages, and I walked through a simple book catalog document. Along the way, I explained about elements and those confusing attributes.

Enforcing data and document formats
"Remedial XML: Enforcing document formats with DTDs," the second part of the series, introduced document type descriptions as a way to define layout restrictions for a document. Unfortunately, DTDs are extremely limited when it comes to data type enforcement, so we moved on to a newer technology in part 3, "Remedial XML: Using XML Schema." That installment examined XML Schema, a new recommendation from W3C that specifies an XML syntax for defining both structure and data requirements for a document.

Just a' parsing
All the XML in the world won't do you much good unless your application can read it. So, the next two parts of the series provided a decidedly language-neutral look at the two most popular types of XML parsers available today. "Remedial XML: Say hello to DOM" offered an in-depth look at the official W3C specification for the Document Object Model (DOM), which allows you to parse XML documents as a tree of nodes. "Remedial XML: Learning to play SAX" discussed the other major parsing API, SAX, which is a bit unusual in that it's event-oriented.

The big goodbye
The remedial XML series wound down with the final installment, "Remedial XML: For further reading." In that article, I provided links to several Web resources offering additional information about XML technology. I also shared some tips for finding things on W3C.org, the W3C's Web site.

Run, don't walk
To take advantage of the download, you'll need a file compression utility that can deal with a .zip file, and either a viewer for Word documents or a Web browser. What are you waiting for? Download Remedial XML now!

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The return of "Remedial XML"?
If I were to resurrect the Remedial XML series, what sorts of topics should I cover? Send me an e-mail and let me know what you'd like to see.

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