http://exploringxml.com Free tutorials, examples, and tools for XML at WebReference http://www.webreference.com/xml/art/logo.gif http://exploringxml.com http://www.webreference.com/xml/column82/ In this article we will examine the XML processing capabilities of Macromedia Flash, and create an RSS "movie" along the lines of the wildly popular RSS applet. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column81/ XML and relational databases are both technologies for structuring, cataloguing and processing data. If data has a regular and atomic structure, it is more appropriate and efficient to use a database than XML. In this case, why would you wish to go to the trouble of converting such data from a database into XML and vice versa? Reasons include... http://www.webreference.com/xml/column80/ In this installment we will extend our XMLMap into the computing territory. While XML started out as a format for end user documents, its platform independence and low computing requirements made it move into device and service configurations. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column79/ Now that Web services passed the peak of the hype curve and have moved into productive use, Prentice Hall's Deitel Developer Series provides a technical introduction to Web services that is packed with information on business models, vendors and products as well as base technology. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column78/ Europe's most important exhibition for computer electronics, CeBIT, took place from March 12 to 19 in Hannover, Germany. We interrupt the current XML programme for a look at the state of affairs at the European Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column77/ In our last extension of the XMLMap we closed with a discussion of ontologies and topic maps, both concepts for expressing semantics of resources. I received many questions on the rather abstract nature of these concepts, as well as their practical applications and implications. This installment tries to explain topic maps. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column76/ XML processing is moving into the non-PC space, with PDAs and mobile phones acting as Web services clients and synchronizing their content with desktops via SyncML. Conserving heap and stack memory is a key requirement in this environment. With xmlpull, a new API has been devised for parsing XML. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column75/ Continuing our charting of the XMLMap we examine the use of XML as a content description and content transfer format. Discussions about tagging documents with meta data and publishing documents to Web servers conincided with the development of XML, and created first ideas on how to use XML in or with non-XML data. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column74/ Last month young publisher glasshaus released "Practical XML for the Web", a book "for Web professionals of all levels who want to know how XML can be put to great practical use in their work today." I was already pleasantly surprised when the package arrived... http://www.webreference.com/xml/column73/ In this installment we will extend our XMLMap with XML standards for documents, particularly those concerned with presenting information to users. While the main difference between XML and HTML is that XML contains no presentation information, one of the first applications of XML was in the presentation field... http://www.webreference.com/xml/column72/ Security is a popular subject in these times, both in the personal and global context. While computer security concepts in general are old hats since the 80's, it seems that everything needs to be reinvented for XML, or at least with XML, including security. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column71/ Just in time for Christmas shopping, two new good XML books have been published: "Practical XML for the Web" by glasshaus, and "Java Web Services for Experienced Programmers" from Prentice Hall. I had the opportunity to look at them upfront, and you should make sure to add them to your wishlist! http://www.webreference.com/xml/column70/ In three years of exploring the XML jungle, the time has come to add another type of map to this area. While the Column Trailmap gives an overview of the columns written for the XML section of WebReference, we will over the next couple of installments create a map of XML standards. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column69/ Writing Web applications is a lot of work. Along the lines of XUL for user interfaces, fellow XML site author Jan Egil Refsnes has developed an XML vocabulary for defining whole Web applications: Application Markup Language (AppML). http://www.webreference.com/xml/column68/ In this last installment of our mini-series on documenting DTDs we finish our dtddoc tool by generating the HTML pages out of the parsed DTD and its annotations. http://www.webreference.com/xml/column67/ In this installment we are going to look at ways to add extra information to the elements and attributes of a DTD. This extra information shall then be used by our new tool dtddoc.