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The XML FAQ: Frequently-Asked Questions on the Extensible Markup Language

This is the list of Frequently-Asked Questions about the Extensible Markup Language (XML). It has answers to most of the common questions people ask about XML. It also provides some information and links for related areas such as HTML, SGML, CGI scripts, PHP, JSP, Java, and databases. The FAQ is intended as a first resource for users, authors, developers, and the interested reader.

The XML FAQ:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/

The XML FAQ v4.1 (2005-01-01) in a single HTML page:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/faq.html


Most popular beginner questions:

What is XML?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/basics/whatisxml/

How do I control formatting and appearance?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/authors/style/

What's a Document Type Definition (DTD) and where do I get one?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/authors/dtds/

Where can I get an XML browser?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/users/browsers/

What is SGML?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/basics/whatissgml/

What are the special characters in XML?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/authors/specials/

What is a markup language?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/basics/markup/

What is XML for (aka Where should I use XML)?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/basics/whatfor/

What XML software is available?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/software/

I keep hearing about alternatives to DTDs. What's a Schema?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/authors/schemas/

What's a namespace?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/namespaces/

Not the XML FAQ:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/appendix/glossary/


Questions from Developers and Implementors (including WebMasters and server operators):

1. Where's the spec?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/spec

2. What are these terms DTDless, valid, and well-formed?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/validity

3. Which should I use in my DTD, attributes or elements?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/attributes

4. What else has changed between SGML and XML?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/sgmlchanges

5. What's a namespace?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/namespaces

6. What XML software is available?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/software

7. What's my information? DATA or TEXT?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/docdata

8. Do I have to change any of my server software to work with XML?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/serversoftware

9. Can I still use server-side inclusions?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/serverincludes

10. Can I (and my authors) still use client-side inclusions?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/clientincludes

11. I'm trying to understand the XML Spec: why does it have such difficult terminology?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/terminology

12. I have to do an overview of XML for my manager/client/investor/advisor. What should I mention?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/management

13. Is there a conformance test suite for XML processors?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/conformance

14. I've already got SGML DTDs: how do I convert them for use with XML?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/dtdconv

15. How do I include one DTD (or fragment) in another?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/dtdincludes

16. How can I include a conditional statement in my XML?:
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/conditionals

17. What's the story on XML and EDI?:

http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/edi

Web Page Authoring Course

This is a free beginning hands-on introduction course to using Hypertext Mark-Up Language (HTML) to create web pages which can be uploaded and displayed in a browser on the Word Wide Web. Students will study and learn how to use HTML to create web pages with text in various sizes and colors, links to other sites, background color or patterns, graphics, tables and mailto links. Principles of design and color as they apply to screen presentations will be included. Also included are assignments for each lesson. This content is freely available as an educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners. No instructor or moderator is present.

Web Page Authoring Course:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/

Web Page Authoring Lessons:

Lesson 1 - Basic Tags:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson01.html

Lesson 2 - Attributes:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson02.html

Lesson 3 - Lists:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson03.html

Lesson 4 - Links:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson04.html

Lesson 5 - Images:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson05.html

Lesson 6 - More Images:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson06.html

Lesson 7 - Uploading:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson07.html

Lesson 8 - Tables:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson08.html

Lesson 9 - More Tables:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson09.html

Lesson 10 - Designing Your Website:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson10.html

Lesson 11 - More Design:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson11.html

Lesson 12 - Planning Your Website:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson12.html

Lesson 13 - Cascading Style Sheets:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson13.html

Lesson 14 - DIVs, Lists & Images:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson14.html

Lesson 15 - Miscellaneous Style Tags:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson15.html

Lesson 16 - Forms - Part 1:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson16.html

Lesson 17 - Forms - Part 2:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson17.html

Lesson 18 - Forms - Part 3:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson18.html

Lesson 19 - Metatags and Footers:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson19.html

Lesson 20 - Soundbites and Javascripts:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson20.html

Lesson 21 - Review:
http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson21.html

Lesson 22 - Final Website Project:

http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/html/lessons/lesson22.html

More Dynamic HTML (DHTML) Tutorials

Web Developers Virual Library offers the following tutorials on DHTML, or Dynamic HTML. DHTML gives web site developers control sto configure and design any page element and to change styles, positioning, and content at any time. It provides a richer, more dynamic experience on web pages, making them more like dynamic applications and less like static content. Dynamic HTML presents richly formatted pages and lets your users interact with the content on those pages without having to download additional content from the server. This means that a page can respond immediately to user actions, such as a mouse click, without having to retrieve an entire new page from the server.

Dynamic HTML (DHTML) Tutorials:
http://wdvl.com/Authoring/DHTML/


In an Intoduction to Dynamic HTML, 3 main components of Dynamic HTML authoring are demonstrated:

http://wdvl.com/Authoring/DHTML/Intro/

1. Positioning; precisely placing blocks of content on the page and, if desired, moving these blocks around (strictly speaking, a subset of style modifications).
2. Style modifications; on-the-fly altering the aesthetics of content on the page.
3. Event handling; how to relate user events to changes in positioning or other style modifications.


Here are several more tutorials for learning Dynamic HTML (DHTML) at "The Web Developer's Virtual Library":

Tools and Resources:
http://wdvl.com/Authoring/DHTML/Resources.html

Cross Browser DHTML:
http://wdvl.com/Authoring/DHTML/CB/

Beginner's Guide to DHTML:
http://wdvl.com/Quadzilla/DHTML/

DHTML Pop-Up Menus: A Parable of Triumph and Loss (Based on a True Story):
http://wdvl.com/Authoring/DHTML/Menus/


Beyond HTML Goodies:

http://wdvl.com/Authoring/DHTML/Beyond/

Go beyond the basics and learn how the pros add and use dynamic HTML features and advanced JavaScript techniques. This two part excerpt takes a look at Chapter 3: Neat Stuff with Text and Images. From Que Publishing.

Dynamic HTML Tutorials and Articles

Here are several good tutorials and articles that will teach you how to program web pages and web sites using Dynamic HTML (DHTML). They also show how to use related web programming technologies, sush as JavaScript, and CSS.

Dynamic HTML Tutorials and Articles

Another Look at Browser Detection
Learn why using browser detection scripts might not be the best solution, and the basics of object detection as a solution.

Beginning Cascading Style Sheets
CSS can help you control the look and feel of your site, with ease.

Change Text Color Dynamically - Modern Browsers
It used to be very difficult to get text to change color in Netscape (4). But now it's very easy. And your HTML can be valid XHTML as well.

Changing Text Color Dynamically
And do it in both browsers. Use the DHTML to acheive text rollovers.

Cross Browser DHTML
Here are four options you have for creating cross-platform Dynamic HTML Web pages.

DHTML Menus - Not Standards Based - For IE and Other Browsers
DHTML menus are one of the most popular ways to use dynamic HTML. They allow you to have crisp menus on your site while providing additional information to your customers as they mouse over the links.

Displaying Stylesheets Dynamically
Learn how to use Dynamic HTML to use stylesheets that take advantage of the browser.

Dynamic HTML
What is dHTML and how do you use it?

Dynamic HTML Attributes
An easy way to get started understanding DHTML is to understand the attributes that are used for dynamic changes to a Web page like onclick onmouseover onfocus and so on

Dynamic HTML References
Dynamic HTML is fun and exciting, and with these references, you can get started quickly.

Easy Dynamic HTML
This is an example of an easy way to add dynamic HTML to your Web pages.

Quick JavaScript
JavaScript is a great way to add dynamic elements to your site, and these quick, simple scripts are easy to add to your pages.

Standards Based DHTML Menus
DHTML menus are one of the most popular ways to use dynamic HTML. They allow you to have crisp menus on your site while providing additional information to your customers as they mouse over the links.

Using Cascading Style Sheets
Learn the syntax of styles and some of the commonly used attributes.

Using CSS Site Wide
The primary strength of CSS is to make your site consistent. This article shows you how.

Using Style Classes and IDs
You can use CSS across multiple tags or multiple styles across one tag.

"Watermarking" Your Web Pages
There are two ways you can create a watermark effect on your Web pages. Use CSS for a less intrusive, standard watermark. Or use DHTML to create a more dynamic watermark image.

Web Pages for Everyone
With just a simple script and redirect you can set up your site to display a different page depending upon the browser your reader is using.

What is the DOM? Explaining the Document Object Model
Learn how to use the Document Object Model (DOM).

What is XHTML?
With the new standard for XHTML, there are lots of questions about the status of HTML and how it relates to this new proposal.


Free Web Design and Development Books

Here are several free books for web design and development covering HTML, Javascript, Web Programming, Webmaster, Web Animation, Graphics and Web Design, Internet Security, CGI Programming.


Index of /ftp/Docs/Internet:
http://podgoretsky.pri.ee/ftp/Docs/Internet/

- HTML by Example
- HTML Tags
- Using HTML 4
- Web Programming Desktop Reference
- Web Programming Unleashed
- Web Publishing With HTML
- Web Scripting Secret Weapons
- Webmaster Expert Solutions
- Designing Web Animation
- Graphics and Web Page Design
- Guide to Sizzling Web Sites
- Internet Security
- Creating Commercial Web Sites
- Cgi Step By Step
- CGI Programming Unleashed
- CGI Developer's Guide
- CGI Manual Of Style
- Apache Server Survival Guide


Index of /ftp/Docs/JScript
http://podgoretsky.pri.ee/ftp/Docs/JScript/

- JavaScript In A Week
- JavaScript Manual of Style

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