Introductions to XML all too often ignore the power of the attribute. It gets
neglected in favor of the element's ability to capture the structure of a
document or the meaning of content. But in developing flexible, reusable
document models and in capturing metainformation about structure or content,
the attribute's overlooked utility quickly comes into focus.
Overlooked, too, have been entities, with few introductions to XML freeing
them from their shroud of mystery. They are, however, a powerful method for
reusing content or code, both in documents and, as we'll see, in DTDs. To
help you tap the potential of attributes and entities and use them in your
XML documents, I'll explain how to specify them in a document type
definition.
In discussing attributes and entities,... (more)
This month's tutorial, the second in a series, picks up where last month's
left off - on the path toward publishing your résumé on the Internet as an
XML document. Last month (XML-J, Vol. 2, issue 5) I presented an overview of
XML, described its basic building blocks, and demonstrated how to create a
simple XML document.
This month, after reviewing XML's fundamental components, I'll guide... (more)
No, the abbreviation DTD is not etymologically related to a similar
abbreviation from medical science, namely, DTs (or delirium tremens), a
violent delirium with tremors, which is induced by the prolonged use of
alcohol. Though in absorbing the intricacies of DTDs and trying to develop
your first one, you may begin to wonder whether the two terms are somehow
connected.
Even if you've ma... (more)
The power and elegance of XSLT - the Extensible Stylesheet Language for
Transformations - stems from its ability to transform XML documents into
other output formats like HTML, fulfilling one of the original promises of
XML: separating content from presentation.
XSLT is particularly powerful because a single stylesheet can format all the
XML documents conforming to a DTD into HTML for pub... (more)
Complex technical documentation presented on the Internet calls for user
interfaces or navigational options that empower readers to quickly gain
access to the information that suits their needs. If your readers are viewing
documents in an Internet Explorer-only environment, you can let them select
the level of detail that will be displayed by combining XML, XSLT, script,
and methods of t... (more)
Steve Hoenisch is a technical writer (consultant) with Verizon 
Alf Pilgrim
Per Sjofors
Kirsten Lytsen
Data Recovery Services
Colin Armitage
