XML Basics for Beginners
For those who’ve spent time among web programming professionals, the term “XML” is likely familiar. XML stands for Extensible Markup Language, which is similar in many ways to HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language. HTML should be familiar to most web savvy folks, even those who haven’t made a career in web development. HTML works by telling the browser how to display the information in the page. XML is different in that the information encoded can be processed as data or be displayed like HTML.
Let’s look at an example to make this definition clearer. Say you put the word “zip” in tags, meaning the following data is a zip code. Put the word “zip” in tags, meaning the data in the tags is a zip code. The XML file can be used different ways, including being processed as data by another program or stored as data on another computer, or be displayed on a web page.
XML and HTML often work hand-in-hand, and XML markup frequently appears within an HTML page. The “extensible” part of XML means that markup symbols are self-defined and unlimited. Because of the resulting flexibility, it’s easy to see why some consider it the language of choice when comparing HTML and XML.
For those with an interest in web development, it is well worth the time investment to learn XML. Even as the language is still being continually developed, it is currently commonly used for blog newsfeeds, weather services, and e-commerce sites. XML manages and transmits data, and the browser displays that data. XML is a useful conduit for transmitting data between systems that otherwise cannot communicate. Think of it as a virtual “envelope,” used to transmit data identity and structure. If web development is in your future, the benefits of learning XML should be pretty clear!
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