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This module is part of a collection dedicated to learning XML.

Table of contents

Preface

General

This module is part of a collection dedicated to learning XML.

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I recommend that you open another copy of this document in a separate browser window and use the following links to easily find and view the figures while youare reading about them.

Figures

Supplemental material

I recommend that you also study the other lessons in my extensive collection of online programmingtutorials. You will find a consolidated index at www.DickBaldwin.com .

A brief introduction to XML

The name XML derives from e X tensible M arkup L anguage. According to Wikipedia,

"A markup language is a system for annotating text in a way which is syntactically distinguishable from that text."

In other words, when text has been annotated or marked up, the annotations can be easily distinguished from the original text. For example, if you turn in a termpaper and the professor annotates it with a red pencil, you can easily distinguish her annotations from your original text. However, XML doesn't usecolor to annotate text. Instead, XML uses specially formatted text to annotate text.

Structured documents

XML gives us a way to create and maintain structured documents in plain text that can be rendered in a variety of different ways. For example, before Iupload this document to the Connexions website for publishing, I will convert into CNXML , which is one of the many flavors of XML. Once the document is on the website inthat format, programs on the website have the ability to render it in the form of a web page (which you are probably reading right now) or in the form of a PDF document, which you can download andprint if you choose to do so.

There is a lot of jargon involved in XML. One of my objectives will be to explain the jargon.

What do I mean by a "structured document?"

I will answer this question by providing an example. A book is a structured document. In its simplest form, a book may be composed of chapters. The chaptersmay be composed of sections. The sections may contain illustrations and tables. The tables are composed of rows and columns. Thus, it would be possible to drawa picture that illustrates the structure of a book.

What do I mean by "plain text?"

Characters such as the letters of the alphabet and punctuation marks are represented in the computer by numeric values, similar to a simple substitutioncode that a child might devise. For example in one popular encoding scheme (ASCII), the upper-case version of the character "A" is represented by the value65, a "B" is represented by the value 66, a "C" is represented by 67, etc.

Different encoding schemes

The actual correspondence between the characters and the specific numeric values representing the characters has been described by several differentencoding schemes over the years. One of the most common and enduring schemes is a scheme that was devised a number of years ago by an organization known as theAmerican Standards Committee on Information Interchange. This encoding scheme is commonly known as the ASCII code.

Questions & Answers

what is mutation
Janga Reply
what is a cell
Sifune Reply
how is urine form
Sifune
what is antagonism?
mahase Reply
classification of plants, gymnosperm features.
Linsy Reply
what is the features of gymnosperm
Linsy
how many types of solid did we have
Samuel Reply
what is an ionic bond
Samuel
What is Atoms
Daprince Reply
what is fallopian tube
Merolyn
what is bladder
Merolyn
what's bulbourethral gland
Eduek Reply
urine is formed in the nephron of the renal medulla in the kidney. It starts from filtration, then selective reabsorption and finally secretion
onuoha Reply
State the evolution relation and relevance between endoplasmic reticulum and cytoskeleton as it relates to cell.
Jeremiah
what is heart
Konadu Reply
how is urine formed in human
Konadu
how is urine formed in human
Rahma
what is the diference between a cavity and a canal
Pelagie Reply
what is the causative agent of malaria
Diamond
malaria is caused by an insect called mosquito.
Naomi
Malaria is cause by female anopheles mosquito
Isaac
Malaria is caused by plasmodium Female anopheles mosquitoe is d carrier
Olalekan
a canal is more needed in a root but a cavity is a bad effect
Commander
what are pathogens
Don Reply
In biology, a pathogen (Greek: πάθος pathos "suffering", "passion" and -γενής -genēs "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is anything that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ. The term pathogen came into use in the 1880s.[1][2
Zainab
A virus
Commander
Definition of respiration
Muhsin Reply
respiration is the process in which we breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide
Achor
how are lungs work
Commander
where does digestion begins
Achiri Reply
in the mouth
EZEKIEL
what are the functions of follicle stimulating harmones?
Rashima Reply
stimulates the follicle to release the mature ovum into the oviduct
Davonte
what are the functions of Endocrine and pituitary gland
Chinaza
endocrine secrete hormone and regulate body process
Achor
while pituitary gland is an example of endocrine system and it's found in the Brain
Achor
what's biology?
Egbodo Reply
Biology is the study of living organisms, divided into many specialized field that cover their morphology, physiology,anatomy, behaviour,origin and distribution.
Lisah
biology is the study of life.
Alfreda
Biology is the study of how living organisms live and survive in a specific environment
Sifune
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Source:  OpenStax, Introduction to xml. OpenStax CNX. Dec 02, 2014 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11207/1.18
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