XML FastTrack
 to Application Development

Duration:   5 days

Participants:   This course is valuable for those involved in building Web applications or developing enterprise solutions, including developers, analysts and managers. (It assumes little or no knowledge of XML.)

Objectives:   Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to: -  Learn how XML relates to other common markup languages. -  Understand the basics of XML well-formed structure and syntax. -  Learn the rules that define Document Type Definition (DTD). -  Validate XML documents using Document Type Definition (DTD). -  Utilize XML through scripting. - Write well-formed XML documents. -  Use XML as a data source to learn the in's and out's of XML's linking capabilities. -  Style XML data using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). -  Examine how XML works and create style sheets using XSL-T (Extensible Style Language) based on template formatting rules. -  Render XML as HTML using Extensible Style Language (XSL). -  Extract and process information from documents using the Document Object Model (DOM). -  Generate XML from databases. -  Understand how to apply Data Source Objects to XML and XSL files. -  Create XML Data Islands using DSO. -  Create XML Schemas for data definition and validation. -  Integrating XML, XSL and the Document Object Model (DOM) to enhance your Web applications and implement personalization. -  Discuss the Simple API for XML (SAX). -  Discuss SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). -  Discuss the development of enterprise Web applications using Extensible Markup Language (XML). -  Find out about current XML developments and what the future holds for XML. -  Explore XML reference sites and materials. -  Read and discuss a series of white papers and articles regarding XML. -  Examine tools currently available to develop XML components. -  Research the XML technology paths of Microsoft, IBM, Sun, Oracle, etc.

Overview:   -  XML stands poised to revolutionize the Internet, offering an easier way to conduct business-to-business transactions and a better means for searching and managing data. To be competitive today, it is no longer enough to just have a presence on the Web; you must also take advantage of the most efficient and effective technologies. -  XML is going to revolutionize data interchange, information management and e-commerce. Scripting languages can be used to automate tasks and even to write COM components. -  This course provides hands-on experience developing XML-based solutions as well as teaching how to integrate XML with existing applications. -  Participants also learn how to use XML to transcend the limitations of HTML and deliver rich, structured data from any application as well as create well-formed and valid XML documents.

Prerequisites:   Participants enrolling in this course should understand Internet basics, and have some advanced HTML and JavaScript, or Java programming language experience.

Format:   Lecture and discussion with hands-on exercises.

Topic Outline:    Introduction and Overview   Origins of XML -  The big markup picture -  What is XML? -  Origins of XML -  XML: The best of all worlds -  XML: Recommendations and standards XML Basics -  XML structure and syntax -  Valid versus well-formed XML Creating Well-formed XML Documents -  XML document markup -  Creating an XML markup language: elements, attributes, and entities -  Creating an XML markup language: processing instructions, character data, and comments -  XML and HTML Creating Valid XML Documents -  Introduction to the Document Type Definition (DTD) -  Creating a DTD -  Validating XML against a DTD Applying Style with CSS and Extensible Style Language-Transformations (XSLT) and Extensible Style Language-Formatting Objects (XSL-FO) -  Applying style to data -  How style really works -  Design rules -  Style sheets and Cascading style sheets (CSS) -  The building blocks of CSS -  Linking CSS into XML documents -  Exploiting the capabilities of XSL -  Comparing and contrasting CSS with XSL-T -  Processing documents with pattern matching and templates -  Converting XML to HTML using XSL-T -  Applying style to XML with XSL-T -  Formatting your XML using XSL-FO -  XML-to-XML transformation using XSL XML Data Source Objects (DSO) XML Data Islands Scripting XML -  A scripting refresher -  The XML Processor -  From XML to HTML Exploration of XML Parser Technology -  Event vs. Tree-oriented Parsers -  Validating vs. non-validating Parsers -  Incorporating Parsers into your application XML Linking -  Linking the "old fashion" way using HTML namespaces -  XLink and XPointer XML Namespaces Creating XML Schemas Processing Information with the Document Object Model (Dom) -  Preparing for the DOM -  Object-oriented concepts -  JavaScript fundamentals -  Taking advantage of the DOM -  DOM components -  The DOM hierarchical structure -  Processing XML with the DOM -  Converting XML to HTML using the DOM -  Processing XML with event handlers Simple API for XML (SAX) -  SAX vs. DOM -  Using XML pages to store and retrieve structured data Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) Enhancing Enterprise Solutions With XML -  Implementing personalization -  Enhancing your e-commerce Web site with personalization -  Designing personalization solutions -  Adding personalization with XML -  The solutions checklist -  Business requirements -  Security, data distribution, performance and scalability considerations -  The communication model Using XML Tools to Construct Examples of XML Files, DTDs, and Schemas Review of Current XML News Articles and White Papers (Various Sources)

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