learning XML? (was RE: [thelist] Marking up chapter.verse (or chapter.section))

Joel D Canfield joel at spinhead.com
Mon Dec 15 09:57:47 CST 2003


> Ok, I need to think about this some more... I don't know 
> anything about 
> working with XML... don't even think I have a book on it... 
> but it sounds 
> logical in some ways.... except I don't know how to transform XML to 
> XHTML... might be overkill for this project.... (then again I 
> might just 
> be stubborn).

Join the club ;) I've been trying to make myself use it, and just
haven't found an opportunity.

<blathering style="level:rookie;corrections:welcome">

I have MS's 'Developing XML Solutions' which seems clear enough. The
concept that took me a while was that the XML itself is more of a data
repository, kinda like a database. You don't use XML to display the
data, for that you use XSLT (see http://www.w3.org/Style/XSL/)

For your project, it's perfect. It's so much easier to look at the code
and know what's going on. At work, we've just set up BizTalk for our EDI
processes, and the non-technical folks who used to wade through comma
delimited or fixed position text files *love* it.

</blathering>

So, who's got great resources for Timothy and I to really get our feet
wet with XML in a practical scenario? I'm about to start work on a
number of real estate sites, and boy howdy! this XML stuff sounds like
the queen of the rodeo.

joel


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