XML - Extensible Markup Language

Course Text Site - http://www.cafeconleche.org

Week One Link - Introduction to XML

• Elements vs. Attributes

Week Two Links - Data Type Definitions

• Internal and External DTDs
• DTD Tutorial from XMLFiles
• Scarms DTD Tutorial

Week Three Links - Namespaces

• XML Namespaces FAQ
• Use XML Namespaces with Care
• XML Namespaces Explained

Week Four/Five Links - Schemas

• Schema Chapter from the XML Bible
• Using W3C XML Schema

Week Six/Seven Links - Document Object Model (DOM)

• W3Schools Tutorial
• Microsoft DOM Documentation
• DOM PDF File (Uses VB not VB Script)
• Sample Chapter From XML Programming Using the Microsoft XML Parser (Notes taken from this chapter)
• W3C DOM Activity Statement

Week Eight Links - Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

• W3C CSS Tutorial
• Displaying XML Files with CSS
• XML and CSS : Structured Markup with Display Semantics

Week Nine/Ten Links - Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT)

• W3C XSLT Documentation
• XSLT Tutorial from W3C
• PowerPoint style XSLT tutorial
• XML Bible Chapter 17 (XSLT)

Week Eleven Links - XPath

• W3C XPath 1.0 Recommendation
• W3 Schools XPath Tutorial
• What's New in XPath 2.0
• Understanding XPath
• The book used for the XPath notes

Week Twelve Links - XML and ASP

• Adding and Removing XML elements with Visual Basic
• Creating Dynamic Web Pages with ASP/XML
• Server Side XML in ASP
• Online Content Using ASP/XML/XSL
• Validating XML with a Web Service

Week Thirteen/Fourteen - Miscellaneous Uses of XML

1. XML Data Islands in Internet Explorer
2. ASP.NET XML Web Control - Visual Studio.Net
3. Saving Database data to an XML file - Visual Studio.Net
4. Displaying XML data in a Datagrid - Visual Studio.Net

• XML in Data Islands (W3C)
• XML data islands offer a useful mechanism to display Web form data
• Add Persistence to Your XML Data Islands
• Binding SQL Server Data to XML Data Islands
• The XML Web Control
• How do I use XML with a Dataset?
• How do I save a Dataset as XML?
• How do I load a dataset with data from XML?
• Consuming an RSS Feed with ASP.NET
• What is RSS?
• Introduction to RSS
• A Custom Server Control for Displaying RSS Feeds
• Link to Custom Server Control
• Creating an ASP.NET RSS News Aggregator

Homework One - Create an XML address book. The address book should contain three address entries. An XML declaration should be included. The document should be well-formed. Please submit on disk or by email. The assignment is due at the start of the next class on 9/8/04. NOTE: The revised assignment is now due on 9/15/2004.

Homework Two - Create an external Document Type Definition (DTD) and link it to your address book. The document you submit must be both well formed and valid. In addition, include at least one namespace in your assignment. If you're going to submit via email, both files should be sent to me as a single zip file. This assignment is due on 9/22/2004.

Homework  Three - Create an HTML file that utilizes the DOM to display your address book in an aesthetically pleasing format. All of your element and attribute name/value pairs must be displayed. You can either loop through your elements/attributes using For loops or you can manually drill down using the firstChild, lastChild, previousSibling, nextSibling properties as well as the selectNodes and getElementsbyTagName methods. This assignment is due on 10/20/2004.

Homework Four - Create an external style sheet that will render your XML address book document in a fashion similar to the document you created for homework three. You do not have to create an html file for this assignment. Simply create the external style sheet and add a reference to it in your XML address book. Please submit both the address book file as well as the stylesheet. This assignment is due on 10/27/2004.

Lab One - Create a schema and link it to your address book. The document you submit must be both well formed and valid. Please remove your namespace from the XML document before beginning your schema! If you're going to submit via email, both files should be sent to me as a single zip file. This assignment is due on 10/06/2004.

SPECIFIC CRITERIA:

• Refer to valid Schema URI
• Include one annotation
• One user defined simple type
• One user defined complex type
• Enumeration list
• Use global elements and attributes. Refer to elements and attributes using the ref attribute.

NEW REQUIREMENTS ADDED ON 9/29

• Union
• <xs:all> OR <xs:choice> OR <xs:sequence>
• Mixed Type
• Whitespace facet
• You will lose 15 points if your document isn't valid.

Lab Two - Create two XSLT documents and link them to your address book. This assignment is due on 11/10/2004.

Specific Criteria:

• Loop through address book and display relevant values using the for-each element/apply templates as well as the value-of element. Don't display meta data. (Deliverable 2)
• Set the template match to the root element.  (Deliverable 2)
• Set the output type to HTML.  (Deliverable 2)
• Sort your elements based on your entry's last name.  (Deliverable 2)
• Use the xsl:if element to display information if a condition is met (One element or attribute).  (Deliverable 2)
• Use the xsl:choose element to display information if it matches the xsl:when criteria. (One element or attribute)  (Deliverable 2)

NEW REQUIREMENTS ADDED ON 11/3

• Create a second XSL Stylesheet that generates an XML document with some different element/attribute names. In other words you can turn an attribute into an element and vice versa. NO formatting needs to be applied. I'm just going to view the output in XML Spy.  (Deliverable 3)
• Use modes to display the names of each of your address book entries at the top of the HTML output.  (Deliverable 2)

DELIVERABLES:

1) XML Address Book
2) XSL Stylesheet (XSLT document) that generates HTML document.
3) XSL Stylesheet that generates another XML document using a different grammar.

Lab Three - Create two ASP pages. One page allows users to add address book entries to your XML file. The other displays the updated file. This assignment is due on 12/1/2004.

DELIVERABLES:

1) XML Address Book
2) XSLT Stylesheet that transforms XML document into HTML
3) CSS Stylesheet that formats HTML
4) ASP page that allows user to enter address book entry and adds it to XML file
5) ASP page that displays the address book entries.