XML content is made up of elements that describe data. Each element usually contains two tags: one to open the element and one to close it (empty elements can be opened and closed in the same tag). You define the tags to suit your company's needs. For example, you might create a tag <LastYearsSales>
to describe last year's sales totals. Any other tag is equally appropriate as long as it describes the data to your satisfaction and is used consistently throughout the XML file. XML tags are case sensitive and can contain additional information called attributes.
XML facilitates emulation of the hierarchical structure of documents by allowing elements to contain other elements. For example, you might show the structure of report data by grouping elements as follows:
<FormattedReportObject> <ObjectName>Field2</ObjectName> <FormattedValue>Australia</FormattedValue> <Value>Australia</Value> </FormattedReportObject>
In this example, the <FormattedReportObject>
element contains three other elements that describe the data within. This grouping of elements becomes, in essence, the structure of the XML content. You can add as many layers of grouping as needed to create an appropriate structure.
Seagate Software IMG Holdings, Inc. http://www.seagatesoftware.com Support services: http://support.seagatesoftware.com |