12.13.05

XML : The Growing Choice For Information Exchanging


by Pawan Bangar

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) was originally derived from SGML (Standardised Generalised Markup Language) for information processing due to an increasing need for a comprehensive markup language that was as effective as SGML and easy like HTML but not restricted to a fixed set of tags.

The XML based messaging format is becoming a widespread standard for exchanging various types of information, and most developers have at least some basic knowledge of XML. It is now becoming the growing choice for an information exchanging format.

At the present time we can find numeral quality websites developed by using XML. XML Application is also used to develop portals and it is also used in Wireless Applications development. XML protocol is used to build tools that permit two or more users to communicate in distributed environments, using XML as its encapsulation language.

WML (Wireless Markup Language) is derived from XML, which is used in the development of WAP applications. Wireless Markup Language (WML) is a lightweight tag based description language based on XML for the small and non-standard screen sizes of handheld devices.

Wireless Markup Language is a form of XML which has been shortened down for low processor usage. It ensures inter-communication between dissimilar devices. The protocol is lightweight and optimized for creating applications for high-latency unreliable networks.


A wide range of parsers and validators is available for XML, and various high quality parsers are available for free. With XML Schemas, information exchange can be approached in a convenient way. An Important advantage of using XML schemas is improved possibilities in data typing. DTDs allow restricted possibilities of typing data, other than strings and enumerations.

With XML Schemas, all the data types can easily be illustrated, and further new and complex data types can be conceived. This lessens the risk of misinterpreting the specifications, and gives a framework to illustrate the data types in a formal syntax.

XML will also be a great platform for future enhancements. Such enhancements could be query support and command messages. A latest communication technology on the Web is RSS (Rich Site Summary, Really Simple Syndication). RSS allows people to place information, news and other resources into a simple XML format to RSS readers and Web pages. RSS feeds can be subscribed and updated information can be retrieved as it comes in.