This tutorial explains what XML is, how it's used, and where it fits into the world of Web services. You'll find XML articles, tutorials, examples, tips, tools, white papers, expert advice and more to pump up your XML know-how quickly.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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- XML Articles
- XML Tutorials & Code Examples
- Developer Tools and Downloads
- Industry Quotes about XML
- Q&A with XML Experts
- Products using XML
- Online XML Resources
- XML Specs
- More Learning Guides
Definition: "XML
(Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible way to create common information formats and share
both the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and elsewhere. For example, computer
makers might agree on a standard or common way to describe the information about a computer product
(processor speed, memory size, and so forth) and then describe the product information format with
XML. Such a standard way of describing data would enable a user to send an intelligent agent (a
program) to each computer maker's Web site, gather data, and then make a valid comparison. XML can
be used by any individual or group of individuals or companies that wants to share information in a
consistent way."
- Glossary Definition: XML (SearchSOA.com, powered by Whatis.com)
- Robin Cover'sCover Pagesoffers XML news and information, with detailed descriptions of nearly every known XML standard, plus a comprehensive library that includes a killer list of XML introductions (xml.coverpages.org)
- XML Developer Tips (SearchSOA.com)
- XML QuickStart (DevX.com)
- XML Tutorial (W3Schools)
- The
New XProc Specification for XML Pipeline Processing
XProc is a declarative language using XML for describing sequences of operations on XML documents. This tip looks at the capabilities which have been defined for XProc. - Agile development with
XML
Agile development with XML presents unique challenges. Our contributor highlights the some strategies for better agile development with XML. - The
modern XML appliance: from acceleration to integration and into the cloud
XML appliances once only offered improved processing speed. Now they can address security, messaging, and service management issues. Read how. - What's next for
XML accelerators?
XML accelerators are the 'hard' side of SOA. These hardware appliances were central in some of the important stories of 2010. Expert Steve Craggs looks into the trends for these superfast XML handlers. - Article: Inside the Google Web Toolkit (Ed Tittel, SearchSOA.com)
- Article: XML things that bite you (Bill Brogden, SearchSOA.com)
- Article: XSLT expression processing techniques. (Ed Tittel, SearchSOA.com)
- Article: RDF, a Semantic Web on-ramp. (Ed Tittel, SearchSOA.com)
- Article: XML an increasingly valuable skill, experts say. (Michelle Graziose Webb, SearchSOA.com)
- Article: The essential XML bookshelf: Introductions. (Ed Tittel, SearchSOA.com)
- Article: XML at the command line with XSH. (Ed Tittel, SearchSOA.com)
- Chapter Download: Integration and SOA: Concepts, Technologies and Best Practices Integration and SOA (ebizQ and WebMethods)
- Tutorial: XML. (XMLFiles.com)
- Tutorial: Introduction to XML. (Digital Web Magazine)
- Tutorial: The top 10 pointers to XML information online. (SearchSOA.com)
- Tutorial meta-reference: XMLpitstop Tutorials Page. (XMLpitstop.com offers pointers to hundreds of general XML introductions and specific XML application tutorials)
- Tutorial: Untangling
Unicode encoding in XML. (SearchSOA.com)
- Apache XML Project (Apache)
- Altova MissionKit includes free trials of the company's XML and database content editing tools. (Altova)
- Free XML tools and software (Lars Marius Garshol)
- XML Resources (James Clark)
- XML tools (WebReference.com)
- XMLwriter XML Editor v2.7 (Wattle Software)
- Rose O'Donnell, vice president of engineering, Bowstreet Inc.: "[XML] is ultimately what will equate to less pain, or less churn in the way businesses communicate with partners and customers"
- Peter Abrahams, Analyst, Bloor Research: "The technical cost of entry into the [integration] market has gone down with the advent of standards such as XML, Web services and BPEL."
Expert Advice from XML Experts
- Favorite XML resources online
- On RELAX NG versus XML Schema
- Is it necessary for Web developers to know XML?
- Storing XML data using the XML data type in SQL Server 2005
- Generating XML from stored procedures
- Dealing with XML bandwidth consumption
- How do XML schema validators work?
- Returning data as XML from stored .NET procedures
- XML's
role in managing and integrating Open Source applications
- Browse this Collection of XML products in our XML Products Directory. (SearchSOA.com)
- XML.com Buyer's Guide (O'Reilly)
- Commercial SGML/XML Software (Cover Pages)
- SOA Products Directory (SearchSOA.com)
- Review: Inside
The Altova XML Suite 2006 (SearchSOA.com)
- Cafe con Leche XML News and Resources
- ZVON: The Guide to the XML Galaxy
- XML.com
- W3C.org: XML
- XML.org
- The XML FAQ
- XML CoverPages
- DevX
- MSDN XML Developer Center
- IBM developerWorks: XML
- Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 (Fifth Edition) (W3C)
- Resource Description Framework (RDF) Model and Syntax Specification (W3C)
- Namespaces in XML 1.0 (Third Edition) (W3C)
- XML Information Set (Second Edition) (W3C)
- Document Object Model (DOM) Technical Reports (W3C; includes pointers to current DOM specifications for Levels 1 through 3)
- XHTML 1.0: The Extensible HyperText Markup Language: A Reformulation of HTML 4.0 in XML 1.0 (W3C)
- XHTML2 Working Group Home Page (W3C)
- Extensible Stylesheet Language Family (XSL) (W3C; follow links for XSLT, XPath, XSL-FO, and other relevant specifications)
- W3C XML Pointer, XML Base, and XML Linking (W3C; follow links to specs for XLINK, XML Base, and XPointer)
- OASIS XML Standards and Other Approved WorkC (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, aka OASIS, manages lots of important XML standards and specifications, including much e-business related stuff)
- BPM Tutorial(SearchSOA.com)
- Ajax Tutorial(SearchSOA.com)
- XML Security Tutorial(SearchSecurity.com & SearchSOA.com)
- BPEL Tutorial(SearchSOA.com)
- SOA Tutorial(SearchSOA.com)
- Eclipse Tutorial(SearchSOA.com)
This was first published in February 2011

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