what is the purpose of an XML file?

[Former Member]

Are XML files meant to be used only for electronic transmission? If you look at the XML file, it looks very strange . So i feel its not something you can submit in a manual form. Right?

[Former Member]

XML is used to move the data from one application to another, or one language to another.

it is universally recognized language for data transfer.

it has tags in which you have to store the data.

simple XML files can be done manually just by designing the data inside tags, whereas some complicated XML should be done using some specific tools.

<a href="http://www.w3schools.com/xml/default.asp">http://www.w3schools.com/xml/default.asp</a>

thx

pavan

<i>**pls reward if helpful</i>

[Former Member]

Hi KK,

XML is a standard format of data exchange. As it is in text format, its platform independant.

<u>For more info on XML:</u>

http://www.w3.org/XML/

Regds,

Younus

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[Former Member]

Thanks both but is XML of any use in electronic transmission using EDI? What use is it ? You say its useful for web. How is it useful for web? How is the recepient going to receive the XML file? and how will he understand what is written in that coded language?

[Former Member]

Hi KK,

With XML, data can be exchanged between incompatible systems.

In the real world, computer systems and databases contain data in incompatible formats. One of the most time-consuming challenges for developers has been to exchange data between such systems over the Internet.

Converting the data to XML can greatly reduce this complexity and create data that can be read by many different types of applications.

Since XML data is stored in plain text format, XML provides a software- and hardware-independent way of sharing data.

This makes it much easier to create data that different applications can work with. It also makes it easier to expand or upgrade a system to new operating systems, servers, applications, and new browsers.

Microsoft's XML parser is a COM component that comes with Internet Explorer 5 and higher. Once you have installed Internet Explorer, the parser is available to scripts.

Microsoft's XML parser supports all the necessary functions to traverse the node tree, access the nodes and their attribute values, insert and delete nodes, and convert the node tree back to XML.

To manipulate an XML document, you need an XML parser. The parser loads the document into your computer's memory. Once the document is loaded, its data can be manipulated using the DOM. The DOM treats the XML document as a tree.

There are some differences between Microsoft's XML parser and the XML parser used in Mozilla browsers. In this tutorial we will show you how to create cross browser scripts that will work in both Internet Explorer and Mozilla browsers.

Regds,

Younus

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[Former Member]

thank you younis but really Im not a technical guy and im looking for a really simple answer -

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as a lay man i can see the xml file looks wierd. Now i am told xml is used to transmit the data over web. But how is it transmitted over web? By email? And how will this wierd file make sense to the receiver?