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It is this narrow approach to split data into different categories that XML transcends. Together with the simple and standardized (single) syntax, this simplifies interoperability of documents AND data. Oh well, I know that I will never get Alaric to see beyond this narrow markup text -> XML, data -> something else (like ASN1) division. Best regards Michael > -----Original Message----- > From: Alaric B Snell [mailto:alaric@a...] > Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 12:28 PM > To: Baiss Magnusson > Cc: XML-DEV > Subject: Re: Relating to XML > > Baiss Magnusson wrote: > > I have a direct to java client web application which parses a XML file, > > I designed the XML syntax, of recipes into Enterprise Objects (EO's). > > > > My question is: How does one go about creating interoperability with > > other applications? > > For instance, there is another cookbook application around which has an > > export function and produces an XML type file of similar, but slightly > > different tag syntax than my cookbook program. I would like to import > > it's recipes. > > > > Is there something about XML services that I am missing? > > Nope - XML doesn't magically make things interoperate; just as with any > other data format, both ends need to be aware of the meaning of the > information you're passing back and forth to make sense of it! > > So you define XML formats - like XHTML, SVG, and so on - specifying what > elements go inside what other elements, and documenting what they > *mean*. Both applications must stick to the same spec to acheive anything. > > There has been much hype to the tune that XML somehow improves > interoperability, but alas, there is no real truth behind it. > > Using XML for data interchange isn't always the best solution, anyway; > XML is far better suited to document-type formats, where the content you > are exchange is (at heart) a single string of text with structural and > styling information supplied by the elements. If your XML looks like this: > > <para>text text text text text text text text > <productName>foo</productName> text text text ... > > ...then everyone seems to agree that XML is good, but when you start to > get stuff more like: > > <purchaseOrder> > <transactionId>12345-2341234</transactionId> > <items> > <item> > <code>G345</code> > <qty>10</qty> > </item> > </items> > </purchaseOrder> > > ...then you may find it easier to stick to better-established standards > for such things, like CSV files! > > My personal measure of when XML is being used outside of its domain is > to think about what the content would look like if I just stripped out > all the elements. The first example comes out as: > > text text text text text text text text foo text text text... > > Which, had I written some better example prose than 'text', would make > some sense, whereas the purchase order comes out as: > > 12345-2341234 G345 10 > > ...which suggests this is really data being exchanged, rather than a > document. > > But plenty of others will disagree... :-) > > ABS > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > The xml-dev list is sponsored by XML.org <http://www.xml.org>, an > initiative of OASIS <http://www.oasis-open.org> > > The list archives are at http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/ > > To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list use the subscription > manager: <http://lists.xml.org/ob/adm.pl> >
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