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XML is typically used with a stylesheet (XSL) and a document description
document (DTD) that defines not only the tags of the XML documents using
that DTD, but also the formatting.
The power of XML is only achieved when you use an XSL style sheet and DTD.
In the XSL style sheet, you can use XSLT to create very sophisticated rules
that explain how to handle tags in the XML documents it receives. This
allows you to create separate tags for separate languages, for example, that
the single style sheet can then use to deliver up output in several
languages or in several layouts suitable for different clients, such as WAP,
WebTV, or a regular browser.
Using XML effectively is not simple and requires experienced XML developers
to make sure all of the pieces are in place and working. However, there are
organizations creating vertical market DTDs that define a set of tags for
specific use within an industry. For example, there are now DTDs specific to
the financial community and accounting so that companies can share data by
outputting documents that all share the one DTD.
Simply creating a well-formed XML document is only replacing HTML with XML.
Without all of the other backend pieces, you have not really achieved a new
way of distributing information.
While it's true that XML is a subset of SGML, this doesn't quite go far
enough.
SGML also includes display specifications, which XML does not. (HTML was
also a subset of SGML, as I recall).
XML is totally devoted to the meaning of the material and not at all to its
display. Each "dialect" or "instance" of XML is designed to describe the
meaning of various kinds of terms that can be understood by both ends of a
communication--whether that be two people, two applications, or even within
parts of a single application.
I don't know how many different individual languages (or "dialects" or
"instances"--see above) there might be. Nearly two years ago there were
over 400 either released or being developed. Among other things,
development of these individual languages is rapidly doing away with the
"traditional" customized electronic data interchange (EDI) industry.
If you don't happen to be familiar with XML, perhaps an example would be
helpful. Let's say you are being treated at a hospital and at a doctor's
office. If both are using an agreed XML standard for your records, they can
trade electronic records of your medications and automatically update your
records in both places so the doctors can have a complete list of
medications you have been prescribed and thus do a better job of
eliminating potential conflict in your medications. Prior to XML, this
meant the delay and potential for mistakes involved in manual entry--both
of which could be potentially fatal.
XML documents often contain tags that are concerned with layout--either
HTML tags or tags conforming to the "eXtended Stylesheet Language" (XSL).
If I am not mistaken, DHTML may include other kinds of scripting in
addition to Javascript to provide "dynamic" or interactive activity.
I'm sure most of you already knew all this, and I apologize if I have bored
you. In cases where this is all new, though, I have found in working with
others that this level of explanation is often required before some clarity
begins to replace the acronym confusion for those who are only now being
exposed to this stuff. I hope this helps.
David
At 12:00 AM 5/27/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>At 9:17 AM -0700 5/25/2001, Peter Shea (USF) wrote:
> >I am trying to keep up with the advance in mark-up languages. One point I
> >need clarification on: how does SGML and DHML differ?
>
>SGML is a "meta-language", a language for designing markup languages such
>as HTML. XML is a subset of SGML designed to be easier to use.
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