XML Fundamentals

XML Fundamentals

Summary

This hands-on course covers XML and XML namespaces; XML templates, using the DTD and XML Schema Technology; as well as using the XPath and XSLT XML languages in the transformation and manipulation of XML documents.

The course has a high proportion of practical exercises in which attendees
use the knowledge they have gleaned to build sophisticated XML documents.

Detailed Course Description

An Introduction to XML:

• XML - Extensible Markup Language
• XML - Benefits
• XML - Who calls the shots?
• XML - and 1000 other acronyms
• XML Parsers
• The Data Structure in the XML
• The Data Structure after Parsing
• The Data ‘Tree'
• Siblings and Children
• Syntax Rules for Elements
• Elements and Matching Tags
• Alternative Empty Tag
• Nesting
• The Root Element
• Permitted Names
• Illegal Characters
• CDATA Sections
• White Space
• UTF Encoding
• Declaring A Document as XML
• Full XML Declaration
• Short XML Declaration
• Attributes
• Why Use Attributes.

Document Type Definitions:

• What is a Document Type Definition?
• A Simple Internal DTD
• Internal Subset Declaration
• External Subset Declaration
• Standard External DTDs
• DTD Components
• Element Declarations
• The Element Content Model
• Element Content
• Cardinality
• Attribute Declarations
• Attribute Types
• Attribute Value Declarations
• Multiple Attributes
• Entities
• Notation Declarations.

Namespaces:

• Element Name Clashes
• Using Prefixes
• Prefixes - Using Domain Names
• Prefixes - a Problem with Domain Names
• Default Namespace
• Nested Default Namespaces
• Namespaces and Schemas
• Target Namespaces
• Setting a Namespace Prefix
• Greater Complexity - brochure.xsd
• The Finished XML Document
• It's Different for Attributes
• Using a Prefix with Attributes
• An Example Prefix with Attributes.

Validation using XML Schemas:

• Templates for Data
• Same Data, Different Format
• Ensuring Consistency
• The XML Schema
• The Advantages of the XML Schema
• The XML Schema Document
• Defining the Data
• stock.xsd - The XML Schema
• The XML Schema Namespaces
• Declaration Defaults
• Type Declarations - simpleTypes
• Type Declarations - complexTypes
• Built-in Data Types
• - Default Values
• - Fixed Values
• Content Models
• Declarations
• Declarations
• Declarations
• Declaration
• Global Types
• Attributes
• Attributes - Default Values
• Attributes - Fixed Values
• Data Types - Being Even Stricter
• stock.xml - The XML Document.

XPath - Navigation in an XML Document:

• XPath - an Introduction
• XSLT - an Introduction
• XML Data Structures
• XML Nodes
• The Meaning of XPath
• XPath Axes
• Child Axis
• Attribute Axis
• Ancestor Axis
• Ancestor-or-self Axis
• Descendant Axis
• Descendant-or-self Axis
• Following Axis
• Following-sibling Axis
• Namespace Axis
• Parent Axis
• Preceding Axis
• Preceding-sibling Axis
• Self Axis
• XPath Functions
• String Functions
• Numeric Functions
• Node-set Functions
• Boolean Functions
• Predicates
• Putting it all Together.

Transforming XML using XSLT:

• Exstensible Stylesheet Transformation
• The XSLT Processor
• The processor needs two documents in order to perform a transformation. It needs
• The XSL Stylesheet
• XSLT Elements
• The Element
• The Element
• The Element
• Defining a
• with Elements
• with Attributes
• Copying and Restructuring XML
• The Element
• Logic in XSLT
• Element
• Iteration in XSLT
• Reusing Nodesets
• XSLT Variables and Parameters.