Sept. 18, 2003
Please feel free to invite some of your colleagues from your or another
city/county if you think it would benefit them to be part of our group.
Introduction to XML
Dan Davis, Jackson Co., gave us a quick overview
of XML. XML is a subset of SGML (standard generalized markup language). HTML is also a subset of SGML.
Internet Explorer is a good XML parser. Parsing: the browser reads the file, recognizes tags and compares them
to tag attributes.
XML is not a native display format. It just parses data. It allows you to describe/control data, not display it.
You can use CSS with XML to apply display attributes.
XML is not forgiving and is case-sensitive. You must use closing tags and nest tags properly.
The hierarchy of tags for XML is: root element, children elements.
VML (vector markup language) is based on XML.
XML can either be well-formed or validated. Well formed: obeys basic rules. Validated: references a schema, similar
to DTD. A schema defines the organization of tag elements.
Currently, Jackson County is using some XML on its intranet, since the display can vary within browsers.
A good resource for learning more about XML is MSDN (MicroSoft Developers Network).
October Meeting: After-conference treats and open discussion
The next meeting will be on Oct. 16. We will review and evaluate
the Government Webmasters Conference and discuss other Web-related issues that folks may have. If you have a suggestion
for a topic, please let me know.
The meeting will be at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the MARC offices, 600 Broadway.
Some folks usually do lunch after the meeting. Let the group know if you'd like to join.
If you have any ideas for future topics or guest speakers, please share them with Susan Waters, Overland Park (susan.waters@opkansas.org) or send them via the listserv.
SJW