Art-ology

For those seeking a document format that makes data exchange on the Web easy, then it’s time to explore XML, or Extensible Markup Language. Computer software of all kinds already use XML for data organization and presentation.

It’s easy to determine that it is the flexibility of XML that explains its great appeal to web developers. Due the structure of the markup language, data exchange is possible in many different forms. Additionally, users find that XML makes data access simpler than is possible with HyperText Markup Language, more commonly known as HTML. Consider this: XML programming can tailor the look of one web page for either a mobile phone or a classic computer browser. In other words, programmers don’t need to make a “mobile” and “regular” site if they don’t want to. XML’s efficiency is probably becoming more clear!

It isn’t necessary to have extensive prior experience with HTML in order to operate well using XML. The two do go hand-in-hand in many respects, since they are both descendents of SGML, another markup language. Markup languages’ purpose is organize, categorize, or otherwise label content, and the markup itself describes the organization in question. Another way of looking at it is that markup contains the content, which is what you are looking at when you see an XML page rendered.

The need for XML emerged when the limitations of HTML became clear. HTML does not allow for new markup elements to be devised by users. With a need for greater flexibility, XML evolved to meet the needs of document and data handling in a web environment.

This is just a primer for understanding what XML is, and why it might be useful for you. For those who wish to make the most of web development, it’s a great idea to put learning XML on your list of things to do.