You are browsing a blog site one day, and then you saw this orange button that says “RSS”. You then checked a news site, and then saw an orange button that says “XML”. Then you saw some more sites that have RSS links. Now, you wonder, what are these things all about?
These things never had to be a mystery. What is an XML?
- General Definition
XML stands for Extensive Markup Language. It is the standard markup language used to define various types of data. It is created to enable data sharing among various systems patched by the Internet. The language format is formalized, to allow modification and validation of files regardless of prior knowledge of the document form.
- XML Features
Before the birth of the XML files sharing files among different programs and platforms was difficult because of the use of binary system in encoding.
In an XML file, characters (the fundamental unit) are sequenced in an allowed serial pattern.
Word processors also made XML maintenance and authoring easier, since it will be dealing with characters, not bits.
- Uses of XML
1. XML is used to represent a lot of data, especially lists, records and trees- the basic forms of data structures.
2. It can also be used to communicate human languages that are written because of the Unicode support.
3. The XML format is also employed in data processing and storage.
- Pros and Cons
The XML format is a universally accepted format. It also does not depend on a specific platform for it to execute. It also employs a hierarchical code structure that is compatible with most of the document formats.
However, XML is limited by bandwidth. In the case of PDA and cellular phone technology that uses XML, files are compressed.