SSW - Our People

Before we get to "Our People" ...

Let's explain the difference between XML and HTML.

Most Web developers, when asked about XML, shrug and say "it'll be great, but it's not here yet." A point that's often missed is that XML is useful now, in our HTML-centric world. The secret is to realize that HTML is, in fact, typically within a hair's breadth of being XML.

An XML Example

In the old days we had a mix of formatting and data in one page.

But now, with XML we separate the data and the formatting. This allows you to send data across the web which is ready to be imported or manipulated as required. No more snapshot files with inaccessible data!

	XML Normally has 4 Steps
	1. Moving the data out - employees.xml
	2. Creating the formatting - employees.xsl
	3. Joining them together - employeeswithxsl.xml (Please note: This file is processed on the client and requires the latest version of both Microsoft Internet Explorer and the Microsoft XML Parser to be viewed correctly. The majority of end users won't have these files installed so for wider compatibility we continue to Step 4.)
	4. Putting it all together in an ASPX page - employeesXML.aspx (Please note: This file is processed on the server and returns a standard HTML file that will display correctly in all browsers.)

Note: Now we just get the office administrator to add records to the xml file. It is as easy as Access if you use XML Spy - much better that getting such a person to edit a huge HTML file.