[...]... (MathML), and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) The middle section of the book deals with client-side XML applications and shows how to display and transform XML documents with CSS and XSLT This section also explores how the current web browsers support XML, and it covers how to use JavaScript to work with XML documents In this section, I also provide an introduction to the Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax)... services and calls to databases where the content is returned in XML format Now that you understand what XML is, let’s delve into the rules for constructing XML languages Understanding XML Syntax XML languages use tags to mark up text As a web developer, you’re probably familiar with the concept of marking up text: Here is an introduction to XML. The previous line is XHTML, but it’s also XML In... of XML in its glossary at http://www.w3.org/TR /DOM- Level-2-Core/glossary.html: Extensible Markup Language (XML) is an extremely simple dialect of SGML The goal is to enable generic SGML to be served, received, and processed on the Web in the way that is now possible with HTML XML has been designed for ease of implementation and for interoperability with both SGML and HTML A Brief History of XML XML... invaluable reference to XML and that, through it, you see the incredible power and flexibility that XML offers to web developers xix 6765FM.qxd 5/19/06 11:03 AM Page xx 6765CH01.qxd 5/19/06 11:21 AM CHAPTER Page 1 1 Introduction to XML T his chapter introduces you to Extensible Markup Language (XML) and explains some of its basic concepts It’s an ideal place to start if you’re completely new to XML The concepts... declarations about the XML document, a reference to an external DTD or schema, or both I’ll explain more about DTDs and schemas in Chapter 2 Understanding Sections Within the XML Document Element The data within an XML document is stored within the document or root element This element contains all other elements, attributes, text, and CDATA within the document and may also include entities and comments Elements... development, IT training, and technical writing The business works with large and small clients building web applications with NET, Flash, XML, and databases Sas has spoken at such conferences as Flashforward, webDU (previously known as MXDU), and FlashKit on topics related to XML and dynamic content in Flash In her spare time, Sas is passionate about traveling, photography, running, and enjoying life xiii... within the XML document You’re free to use any name for elements and attributes, providing that they conform to the rules for XML names Figure 1-1 shows the structure of an XML document 7 6765CH01.qxd 8 5/19/06 11:21 AM Page 8 CHAPTER 1 ■ INTRODUCTION TO XML Figure 1-1 The structure of an XML document Naming Rules in XML Elements, attributes, and some other constructs have names within XML documents... be included within tag names • A comment should not hide either the opening or closing tags in an element • An XML processor isn’t obliged to pass a comment to an application, although most do DTDs and XML Schemas DTDs and XML schemas provide rules about which elements and attributes can appear within the XML document In other words, they specify which elements and attributes are valid and which are... http://www.w3.org/TR/REC -xml/ #sec-origin-goals: 1 XML shall be straightforwardly usable over the Internet 2 XML shall support a wide variety of applications 3 XML shall be compatible with SGML 4 It shall be easy to write programs which process XML documents 5 The number of optional features in XML is to be kept to the absolute minimum, ideally zero 6 XML documents should be human-legible and reasonably clear 7 The XML. .. rules, it’s time to look at a complete XML document 5 6765CH01.qxd 6 5/19/06 11:21 AM Page 6 CHAPTER 1 ■ INTRODUCTION TO XML Viewing a Complete XML Document A complete piece of XML is referred to as a document It doesn’t matter whether you’re dealing with XML that marks up text, information requested from a server, or records received from a database—all of these are documents Each XML document is made