- XML Elements
- Generic Identifiers
- Some Rules for Naming Elements
- Storing the Data in XML
- Parsed Character Data
- Bypassing Parsing with CDATA
- Attributes
- When to Use Attributes
- Classifying Attributes: Attribute Types
- Attribute Rules
- Well-Formedness Rules
- Creating a Well-Formed XML Document
- The Basics of Validation
- How Do Applications Use XML?
- An Overview of XML Tools
- Roadmap
- Additional Resources
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
An Overview of XML Tools
As XML begins to mature as a technology, the software available that supports XML is beginning to mature as well. There is still a long way to go before XML software reaches the maturity level of applications found in MS Office. However, some of the tools presented here can be very useful XML applications.
Internet Explorer (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp)
Current versions of Internet Explorer support the viewing and validation of XML documents; however, the support is not robust. In the current version, 6.0, Internet Explorer does not fully support XSL or the validation of XML documents against XML Schemas. However, the support in IE is much more robust than the support found in Netscape Navigator.
Amaya (http://www.w3.org/Amaya/)
Amaya is the reference implementation browser and editor from the W3C. Although not as polished as some commercial software, this editor/browser is designed to support the W3C standards fully, and it can be used to test your XML documents.
XML Spy (http://www.xmlspy.com/)
XML Spy is a complete XML Integrated Development environment. It supports the authoring of XML documents, as well as validation against DTDs and some support for XSL. If you are engaged in complex XML development, XML Spy could be a good choice.
XML Pro (http://www.vervet.com)
XML Pro is an editor that supports full validation, and features a tree-interface geared toward using XML with data applications. XML Pro does not support advanced features such as XSL, but can be a good choice for simple, lightweight projects.
XMetal (http://www.xmetal.com)
XMetal is a complete XML editor that features a more word-processor–like interface for editing XML documents. XMetal is a very powerful editor, including support for SGML, so it is not for everyone. However, if you have the need for a full-featured editor with support for advanced technologies such as SGML, it is a good choice.
Excelon Stylus Studio (http://www.stylusstudio.com/)
Stylus Studio is an XML development environment that includes full-featured XML, XSLT, and Java editors, and the capability to graphically create Schema documents, execute XPath Queries, and debug XSLT stylesheets. Stylus Studio is another very powerful tool that can help with many aspects of XML development.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the software available that supports XML. These applications are just a starting point for editing and displaying documents with XML. As we discuss other XML topics and related technologies in later chapters, we will mention appropriate software packages in the text. Additionally, a complete list of XML software resources can be found in Appendix D.