Snippet of XML Code
Yes, you read the title correctly. This section of the guide explains XML, but intentionally leaves out important information that might confuse beginners at this point. Some of the missing information will be provided later, but you'll have to consult other resources to gain a truly comprehensive understanding of the complexities of XML. Remember, this guide is meant to help you get your feet wet, not make you an XML expert.
It seems that everyone is talking about XML and how great it is, but few are prepared to explain what it is and why it's so great.
First, let's spell out that acronym - XML means Extensible Markup Language.
Simply put, XML is used as a method of labelling pieces of information so that computer software knows what to do with the information. An XML document consists of your information, "marked up" with tags that define what kind of information it is. Because you can create your own tags that mean whatever you want, XML is considered "extensible". An XML document must follow certain rules to ensure that the computer software can understand it, so XML is a "language".
Here's an example. Your XML document contains employee names, addresses, and job titles. Your XML tags, enclosed by < and >, correspond to the types of information in your document. Below is a snippet of XML code:
Don't worry about what it all means right now. Just note that the information about John Taylor appears between XML tags that describe each piece information.
On its own, an XML document does nothing. It depends on other software that reads the tags and processes the information within them. In the tutorial, you'll create a Cascading Style Sheet before you create your XML document. The style sheet tells the Web browser how to display your XML document.