XML Essential Training

Course details

Extensible Markup Language (XML) was designed to make information sharing and data interpretation easier. Having a solid grasp of what XML is and how to work with it is essential for any developer. In this course, Joe Marini takes you through the basic rules of XML, explains its syntax, and covers more advanced topics such as styling your XML with CSS and manipulating XML content using XPath and XSLT. From integrating XML into your site to using document type definitions and XML schema, this course covers what you need to know to not only get started with XML, but also master it.

Learning objectives
Explore XML.
Discover the advantages and drawbacks of XML.
Utilize proper XML syntax.
Work with XML namespaces.
Style and customize XML tags.
Discover and create document content.
Manipulate XML content using XPath and XSLT.
Understand document type definitions and XML schema.
Convert XML to and from JSON and CSV.

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - XML - Structured data in a chaotic world
02 - How this course is organized and what you should know
03 - Getting set up

1. XML Overview

04 - What is XML
05 - Review of various XML technologies
06 - Describing data with XML
07 - XML advantages and drawbacks
08 - Real-world examples of XML

2. XML Content and Formatting

09 - XML content types
10 - Proper XML syntax
11 - Valid XML documents
12 - The XML namespace

3. Building XML Content

13 - Creating an XML file
14 - Example - Styling XML content with CSS
15 - Advanced styling

4. Manipulating XML with the DOM

16 - A quick introduction to the document object model
17 - Inspecting document content
18 - Creating document content
19 - Loading XML from an external source
20 - Building content from XML
21 - Challenge - BusinessCard XML to HTML
22 - Solution - BusinessCard XML to HTML

5. XML and Other Data Formats

23 - XML vs. JSON and CSV
24 - XML to JSON
25 - Tools for working with XML

6. Querying XML with XPath

26 - What is XPath
27 - Experimenting with XPath
28 - XPath in JavaScript
29 - Challenge - BusinessCard XPath
30 - Solution - BusinessCard XPath

7. Transforming XML with XSLT

31 - What is XSLT
32 - Defining XSLT style sheets
33 - Simple XSLT
34 - Repeating items
35 - Conditional logic
36 - Sorting data
37 - XSLT in the browser
38 - Challenge - BusinessCard XSLT
39 - Solution - BusinessCard XSLT

8. Document Type Definitions

40 - What is a DTD
41 - Using DTDs
42 - Declaring elements
43 - Declaring attributes
44 - Challenge - Building a DTD for BusinessCard
45 - Solution - Building a DTD for BusinessCard

9. XML Schema

46 - What is XML Schema
47 - Anatomy of a schema
48 - Declaring simple elements
49 - Example - Simple elements
50 - Declaring complex elements
51 - Declaring attributes
52 - Example - Complex elements
53 - Challenge - Build a schema for BusinessCard
54 - Solution - Build a schema for BusinessCard

Conclusion

55 - Next steps