WebRef Update: Featured Article: Following the XHTML Path | 2

Following the XHTML Path

You might want to consider a XML editor. SoftQuad's XMetal 2.0 should easily transfer your Web site from a straight HTML Web site to a fast, robust XML-driven web site. XMetal will blend into your existing work flow environment allowing much greater ease of data management, creation, and presentation of any document for the internet or your intranet utilizing all the strengths of XML. I would encourage all Web developers to read Michael Claþen's article about XML editors. His article outlines several different types of XML editors. From his review you can select the XML editor that is best suited for your specific needs.

webreference.com/xml/column8/ - XML editor review
www.softquad.com/ - XMetal 2.0 by SoftQuad

As of the writing of this article, only one browser supports XML and full support is not included. Internet Explorer 5.0 has a low level XML parser built into it. At the time of IE 5.0 release, XML was still under consideration by the W3C. Microsoft has promised full XML support in later release versions of Internet Explorer. Netscape and Opera have both pledged to support XHTML fully in the next releases of their respective browsers. By this time next year every browser will offer some XML support in some fashion, however we will have to wait and see exactly what that support will be. The nice thing about coding in XHTML now is that it does degrade nicely in all browsers. So your pages should display just fine in all version 4.0 browsers.

The one aspect that every Web page designer has wanted was cross browser compatibility. By current standards, when you code HTML you must either code separately for each browser you wish to support or you must code in such a fashion that all browsers will accept the HTML that you create. In the latter example, coding in this manner usually leads to rather boring and plain pages that may take longer then average to download.

With XML and XHTML, if the browser can parse the W3C XHTML 1.0 DTD correctly, then your page should display nicely. With XSL (the XML version of Cascading Style Sheets) and SAX2 or DOM support, you can send only what the requesting device needs. That's right - the device won't matter, regardless if it is a cell phone, pager, or desktop. The DTD will define the data for that specific device and the XML parser contained in the device will process the information correctly and prepare it for presentation to the user.

By using XML and XHTML in this manner, you should only have to code once and one time only as the proper DTD will be supported and available from the manufacture of the device. This way, you can concentrate on the data you wish to present and cross link it to the proper DTD. Your XSL or CSS will define the layout and your SAX or DOM will make the presentation dynamic if the device will support it. The future looks bright and exciting, but the first steps have just begun. So take your first steps along the XML and XHTML paths. You will be amazed at what you will be able to do.

References:

webreference.com/xml/ - XML series by Michael Classen
www.softquad.com/ - XMetal 2.0 by SoftQuad
validator.w3.org/ - W3C's HTML and XHTML Validator
webreference.com/xml/column6/ - XHTML vs. HTML
www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/ - for XHTML 1.0 specifications
www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/ - XHTML specifications under review
webreference.com/xml/column8/ - XML editor review
www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-prof-req/ - Document Profiles for devices
www.w3.org/Talks/1999/12/XHTML-XML99/slide1.html - Summary

About the author:

David Jenkins is a free lance web page developer and an avid amature guitarist. His current project is a XML-driven post board site located at https://boards-net.com. You may contact David at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared in the June 29, 2000 edition of the WebReference Update Newsletter.

Comments are welcome
Written by David Jenkins and

Revised: June 30, 2000

URL: https://webreference.com/new/road2xhtml2.html