What Is XML and Why You Should Use More of It…

My web development firm seems to be using XML more and more these days. It’s reliable, scalable, easy to work with in every server environment and it integrates easily with every server scripting language we use.

So you may be thinking, that sounds spiffy Paul, but what is it and what can I do with XML?

Simply defined XML is:

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a general-purpose specification for creating custom markup languages. It is classified as an extensible language because it allows its users to define their own elements. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the sharing of structured data across different information systems, particularly via the Internet…
(Definition From Wikipedia)

The real power of XML is its ability to allow its users to define their own elements and its ability to share data across multiple platforms. XML is license-free, platform-independent, well-supported and best of all XML is free.

At the website design & marketing firm I work at Engines of Creation.com we have used XML to create address applications, interact with Google Maps, CMS modules, Flash Ads and more. All of these projects would have been trickier or even near impossible without the power and flexibility of XML.

Check out the XML resources below and start ramping up your websites and applications with XML!

Cheers!

June 18, 2008 | Filed Under Web Development 

Comments

Leave a Reply