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To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles.
Platinum Edition Using HTML 4, XML, and Java 1.2
The preceding list of applications covers a diverse range of content. No one of these areas could have been handled by HTML, yet XML has the flexibility to define a electronic publication markup language for each one. XML SoftwareNow that XML is moving toward having a relatively stable standard to grow from, more and more XML-related software is becoming available. These programs tend to fall into one of three classes:
Because the XML style sheet specification has yet to come into sharp focus, few XML browsers exist at the moment; those that do exist are fairly primitive in their presentation capabilities. After XSL is on a firmer foundation, you can expect XML browsers to be more adept at presenting information marked up with XML. It’s a fairly easy matter to produce an XML parser/validator because the rules for what composes a valid XML document are rigidly defined. Such a program would first need to check whether the document is well formed. If it is, the next step is to scan the document’s DTD and check to see whether the document conforms to the rules in the DTD. If it does, then it is a valid document. Finally, more and more XML editors are emerging. These are also fairly straightforward to program because all an editor has to do is give users an environment in which they can create their own tags. One editor that has received favorable press is XML <PRO> from Vervet Logic (http://www.vervet.com/). After you create a root element for your XML document, XML <PRO> enables you to define other elements and associate attributes with those elements. Any element you define is listed in the floating Elements box (see Figure 11.2).
After you have some elements defined, you can begin to build your document tree in the left side of the XML <PRO> window. You insert an element from the Elements box into the tree by clicking the element to select it and then clicking the Insert button at the bottom of the box. The tree is shown in a hierarchical structure—much the same way folders and files are displayed in the Windows Explorer (refer to Figure 11.2). After you’ve built up a document tree, you can ask XML <PRO> to generate the corresponding XML code. By choosing the View XML option from the Tools menu, you’ll get a pop-up box containing the XML that would be parsed to produce the document tree you’ve built (refer to Figure 11.2). When you save the document, XML <PRO> will save the code you see displayed in the pop-up box. Other useful features of XML <PRO> include
XML <PRO> retails for $149.95. You can download a demo version of XML <PRO> from the Vervet Logic Web site at http://www.vervet.com/.
ReferencesXML is in the early stages of development and is sure to evolve beyond the draft specifications that have already been put forward. What’s more, these changes will probably occur rapidly because there is such a push to stop extending HTML and to start using a more flexible alternative. The following list identifies some online resources that you can use to keep apprised of all the developments surrounding XML. Be sure to check them frequently so that you know the status of the “next wave” for Web document markup.
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