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Diagramming XML
Ed Tittel
In a recent article at XML.com, Daniel Zambonini goes through an interesting exercise in diagramming the relationships between and among various elements of what he calls the XML family. XML family refers to the collection of XML standards and vocabularies that most content and code developers are likely to encounter as they work within the XML world. In fact, his article presents a classic case of "eating your own dog food" (a Silicon Valley analogy describing companies that develop new technology, and then use it to run their own businesses), in that it uses the same XML vocabularies it diagrams to make the diagram work.
What's interesting about his diagram is what it includes. Start with basic XML, which of course provides the foundation for all vocabularies. Then add a metalanguage to make specifying other vocabularies possible; Zambonini takes the politically correct stance of including W3C XML Schema (or WXS, as it's sometimes known). It's one of several XML based metalanguages, but it has gotten its fair share of knocks for being somewhat arcane and overly complex. Throw in XML namespaces, to permit multiple vocabularies to be combined, and inevitable name collisions to be resolved. Add URIs to make sure that name references can (and will) remain unique. Then grab a handful of important XML vocabularies including RDF, XSLT, XPath, XSL-FO, and SVG, and you've got a way to describe resources, and multiple ways to point to, transform, represent, and render content. Presto! An XML Family Diagram is born. (Warning: Some readers may need to add an SVG viewer to see this image, so it that means you, check out Adobe's SVG Zone, where a new SVG viewer is readily and freely available).
What's the big deal about this demonstration and Zambonini's article? In a way, it's the same old point you've heard me and other XML zealots make since the technology was first introduced: By judicious combination and use of XML and related vocabularies, developers can build and manage all kinds of interesting, self-describing—and in this case, self-depicting—online content. Granted, a family tree of XML vocabularies may not be something to set the heart racing, but what about collections of module documents that know how to link themselves together into a diagram of the overarching application? Or likewise, what about flow or process charts or engineering drawings that can fit themselves into an overarching structure. That's when things start to get not just interesting, but relevant. Check out Zambonini's story and source code for a compact and compelling illustration of what XML can enable for your documents and their structure.
About the Author
Ed Tittel is a VP of Content Development & Delivery at CapStar LLC, an e-learning company based in Princeton, NJ. Ed runs a small team of content developers and project managers in Austin, TX, and writes regularly on XML and related vocabularies and applications. E-mail Ed at etittel@lanw.com.
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