XML (Cont.)

XML Is Just Plain Text.
XML is nothing special. It is just plain text. Software that can handle plain text can also handle XML. However, XML-aware applications can handle the XML tags specially. The functional meaning of the tags depends on the nature of the application.

With XML You Invent Your Own Tags.
The tags in the previous example (like <to> and <from>) are not defined in any XML standard. These tags are “invented” by the author of the XML document because the XML language has no predefined tags. The tags used in HTML (and the structure of HTML) are predefined. HTML documents can only use tags defined in the HTML standard (like <p>, <h1>, etc.). XML allows the author to define his own tags and his own document structure.

XML Is Not a Replacement for HTML.
XML is a complement to HTML. It is important to understand that XML is not a replacement for HTML. In most Web applications, XML is used to transport data, while HTML is used to format and display the data.
XML is a software and hardware independent tool for carrying information.
XML Is a W3C Recommendation.
XML became a W3C Recommendation in 1998.

XML Is Everywhere.
XML is now as important for the Web as HTML was to the foundation of the Web. It is the most common tool for data transmissions between all sorts of applications, and is becoming more and more popular in the area of storing and describing information.


Demonstration
The following demonstration shows how the script of XML is displayed on the Web.

     





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