What is XML used for?

XML is again the easiest computer language on the planet

It's interesting when web designers go the classic argument about web design creation tools. Is it Dreamweaver, Frontpage, or just plain typing HTML into a text editor? Most web designers use Dreamweaver or Frontpage, because they did not want to learn HTML.

Hmm. Is HTML too hard to learn? The "notepadders" would disagree, but either way you look at it, HTML is always, and has always been the end result in a web browser, whether it was created with Frontpage or Dreamweaver or typed into a text editor, or rendered dynamically by ASP, PHP, or some other scripting language. I presonally like HTML in a text editor and therefore, you can call me a notepadder.

What's ironic is that HTML is very easy to learn since it requires absolutely no computer programming whatsoever. It is a "formatting" language, not a programming language. I think somehow, when people here the term computer language, then immediately think of programming. With HTML, that is not the case and it just makes learning it that much easier,

Now, XML is another language all with its own purpose, and in my opinion, it is the easiest computer language to learn on the planet. It really is. In fact, XML is so easy that when you ask most web designers, nobody knows what to use it for. That's the focus of this article.

XML has hundreds of uses. Let's get right into some of them. My favorite use for XML is great for some of you web designers out there who have your own company and clients or if you work as a web designer for another company.

Most of our clients want us to make changes to a web site yesterday. We really do not have the time to give them what want in real time. Most web designers ask their clients to wait at least a week or to give the change a week in advance. What if I told you that you could teach your client to use XML tags that YOU make up, save the file, and BOOM, the web page is changed? Yup, you guessed it. All you need to do is make up some XML tags, and use a technology called SAX (Simple API for XML) or another language called XSL (XML Stylesheet Language) both of which can turn that XML into HTML. Through these technologies, your client can instantly change the web site him/herself using a very simple XML interface that you create. Trust me, folks, this really works.
Since XML allows you to create your own tags, you pretty much invent the language that your client uses. Make it easy for your client to type in the changes. Maybe use the following XML "nodes" (XML's terminology similar to the HTML tag) :

• publish date
• title of the page
• the content

and that's it. You really need no more than that. I will get into a discussion on XML in more detail in my next blog publish in XML Part 2.

You simply create an XSL file to convert your boss's changes to HTML and then you no longer have to make the changes. The changes are typed in by your client or boss and the web page content changes instantly.

In XML Uses Part 2, I will show you how to harness XML's power with XSL to make a web page editor, which is what I did with one of my clients. For right now, suffice it to say, that XML can help you relax, put the responsibility on your client, and at the same time, offer your client a solution to make changes to the site in real time.

Some of you out there may argue why a client would have to make changes. Afterall, you are the web design. Right? Keep in mind, that most web designers have full time jobs and cannot make changes ASAP. So, give this benefit to your client and you will soon find, that your job as teh web designer will get easy.

Web Designer News is a blog publication of Bruce C of Hot Web Ideas, at www.hotwebideas.com.