[Israel.pm] Starting XML

[Shlomi Fish]

On Thursday 06 December 2007, Jason Elbaum wrote:
> I don't know much about XML beyond the basics, but I'd like to be able
> to read some relatively small XML files and extract elements of the
> contents. (I'm still working out what to do with them next. Maybe
> build a database.)
>
> What's the simplest way to do that? Just about everything XML-related
> I find on the web starts with chapters full of definitions,
> specifications and acronyms. There must be a better way.
>
> I don't need to write XML files, or to validate them, or to edit them.
> Though browsing them and pretty-printing them may come in handy.
>
> (If it's not Perlish, I don't mind. Whichever language does it best.)
>

Here's how I learned what I know of XML:

1. I first read http://www.xml.com/pub/a/98/10/guide0.html which explained the 
motivation for XML and its structure.

2. I read an XML::LibXML introduction (it may have been  
http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2001/11/14/xml-libxml.html ) and since then have 
been happily using XML::LibXML.

3. I read the "Perl and XML" book - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlxml/ - 
which is short. Through this book I learned what XPath is about, and other 
stuff. It's a short book and is available from the Mongers' library. (I 
suppose you can also learn XPath from the zvon.org tutorial).

4. I learned XSLT from http://www.w3schools.com/xsl/ and 
http://www.zvon.org/xxl/XSLTutorial/Books/Book1/index.html .

5. I also learned about DTD's and how to use them.

===================

This is for Perl. If you want to learn XML mangling in other programming 
languages, it may vary somewhat, although the DOM, SAX and XPath APIs are 
standarised.

I personally avoid XML::Evil ^W XML::Evil like the plague and try to use 
XML::LibXML (or XML::Parser for legacy code that I have to maintain) for 
everything.

Regards,

	Shlomi Fish

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Shlomi Fish      shlomif at iglu.org.il
Homepage:        http://www.shlomifish.org/

I'm not an actor - I just play one on T.V.