In this course you will learn fundamentals necessary to use XML on the Web or in data processing applications. Through lecture and hands-on lab exercises, you will learn the essentials of data interoperability using XML, write well-formed XML documents, enforce document validity, use XSLT and stylesheets to transform XML documents, and get an introduction to XML programming APIs in languages such as Java and Perl.

Audience: Anyone who needs an introduction to XML, including application developers, Web developers, XML document authors, and webmasters.

Prerequisites: Familiarity with Web and data processing concepts. HTML and programming experience is helpful.

Getting Started with XML

Data and Document Structure
XML
Well-Formed XML
Validity vs. Well-Formed XML
Enforcing Validity: DTDs
Presentation Style
XSL and XSLT

XML Overview

Markups
HTML vs. XML
Why XML?
Using XML

XML Syntax

XML Fundamentals
Tag Attributes
Naming Rules
Empty and Non-Empty Elements
Nesting and Hierarchy of Tags
Processing Instructions and the XML Declaration
Other XML Tags
Entity and Character References

Writing DTDs

XML DTDs
DOCTYPE
Element Conditions
Element Quantifiers
Attributes
Attribute Default
Parsed General Entities
Parsed Parameterized Entities

Namespaces

Why Namespaces?
Namespace Prefixes and Declaration
Multiple Namespace Declarations
Declaring Namespaces in the Root Element
Default Namespaces
DTD's and Namespaces .
Fixing Namespace Names in DTD

Basic XML Schemas

Schema Overview
A Minimal Schema
Associating Unqualified XML with a Schema
Element Declarations
Attribute Declarations
Complex Types
Simple and Built-in Types
Derivation of Simple Types
Choices
Named Types and Anonymous Types
Mixed Content

Transforming XML Using XSLT

Transformations
Templates
XPath: Selecting a Node
XPath: Navigating the Tree
Extracting Element Values
Choosing Specific Cases
Multiple Element Transformation
Sorting Elements

XML in Applications

Reasons and Places for Using XML
Parsers and XML Generators
DOM Parsers
SAX Parsers
Web Services

Appendix - Presenting XML for the Web - CSS

Stylesheet Languages
Formatting with Rules
Defining Elements as Blocks
Colors and Fonts
Page Layout with CSS
Lists