XML summary

What should you learn next?

XML can be used to exchange, share and store data.

XML documents form a tree structure, starting at the "root" and "leaf" branches.

XML has very simple syntax rules. XML with correct syntax is "well-formed". Valid XML is validated against the DTD.

XSLT is used to convert XML to other formats, such as HTML.

All modern browsers have a built-in XML parser that can read and manipulate XML.

DOM (Document Object Model) defines a standard way to access XML.

The XMLHttpRequest object provides a way to communicate with the server after a web page is loaded.

XML namespaces provide a way to avoid element naming conflicts.

Text within the CDATA area will be ignored by the parser.

Our XML example also represents this XML tutorial summary.

We recommend learning XML DOM and XSLT.

If you want to learn about validating XML, we recommend learning DTD and XML Schema.

The following is a brief description of each topic.

XML DOM defines a standard way to access and process XML documents.

XML DOM is platform and language independent and can be used in any programming language such as Java, JavaScript and VBScript.

If you want to learn more about the DOM, visit our XML DOM tutorial.

XSLT is a stylesheet language for XML files.

By using XSLT, XML documents can be converted into other formats, such as XHTML.

If you want to learn more about XSLT, visit our XSLT tutorial.

The purpose of a DTD is to define the legal elements, attributes, and entities in an XML document.

By using a DTD, each XML file can carry with it a description of its own format.

DTD can be used to confirm that the data you receive and your own data are valid.