These XML applications that change our lives

XHTML 2.0 makes a number of extensions that enhance the ability of the author to express content structure and meaning. Breaking backwards compatibility is a contentious issue. Some commentators believe that keeping (X) the name of HTML only modifies the version number can create confusion.

How much do you know about these applications that will change the XML that we live in?

1. XHTML
XHTML 1.0 [The Consortium recommendation Standard] is basically a rewrite of HTML 4, making it well-formed XML. HTML is a SGML application, and when XML is developed as a simplification and normalization of SGML on Web applications, HTML (which is itself a common language on the Web) becomes the preferred target for using XML. A variant of HTML appears, called XHTML. The goal of XHTML research is an HTML language that is easier to parse (because the syntax of XML is more restrictive). XHTML is easy to process with ready-made XML tools, trying to better separate content from presentation. XHTML is one of the oldest XML applications, with many interest groups playing a role in different parts and versions. I will try to generalize most of them.

corresponding to three HTML 4 dtd--strict, Transitional, and Frameset, XHTML 1.0 defines different DTDs and namespaces. Modularization of XHTML [the Consortium recommended standards] provides a framework for decomposing XHTML into separate modules as distinct DTD definitions. For example, all the elements and attributes used to define a list are composed of one module, and the type of element associated with the representation is placed in another module. This allows you to develop and redefine XHTML by adding, reducing, and modifying common stand-alone modules. Along this line, the first step is XHTML Basic [the consortium recommended Standard], which defines the minimum set of XHTML modules that must be in any language that is XHTML. XHTML Basic itself can serve as a content language for WEB customers, such as mobile phones, PDAs, pagers, and sticky boxes. XHTML 1.1 [The recommended standard for the consortium] is basically the XHTML 1.0 Strict DTD that is decomposed using the module framework.

XHTML 2.0 [development] is an override of XHTML, with no consideration for backward compatibility with HTML. The idea is almost to write a new content language for the Web, learning from past experiences without being tied to the past. Among the major changes are:

Cancels
, and other elements that are considered overly oriented
Cancel HTML-style form and support XForm (previously described in this series)
Remove HTML-style links to Hlink (described earlier in this article series)
Replaces many JavaScript-driven dynamic tasks with XML Event
Replace HTML-style frames with xframe

More importantly, XHTML 2.0 has many extensions that enhance the author's ability to express content structure and meaning. Breaking backwards compatibility is a contentious issue. Some commentators believe that keeping (X) the name of HTML only modifies the version number can create confusion. Others say that these changes are necessary and that XHTML is actually still an extensible Hypertext Markup language, so it is appropriate to keep the original name.

XHTML is often used in conjunction with other embedded formats, such as MathML, RDF, SVG, SMIL, and VoiceXML (described later). This hybrid document is referred to as multimode or not monomer. The consortium, ISO and other organizations are investing a great deal of effort to encourage strong support for such documents.

2. Docbook
Docbook was originally a popular SGML format for compiling books and documents, especially those with more technical features. Later, an XML version was added, and the DocBook XML V4.2 [OASIS Committee specification] was the latest achievement. Docbook is very popular and has been supported by many tools, many of which are very mature. It is respected as an example of avoiding mixed representations of problems and content formats. Recently, some developers have complained that it has inherited too many burdens from previous versions, and has discussed (and even its main developer, Norm Walsh) A new, backward-compatible version of this format.

Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) is even older than Docbook, a document format that is somewhat similar to the scope of the Docbook application, except that it usually deals with the humanities text rather than the technical text. TEI itself is not an SGML or XML application, but rather a set of guidelines for constructing a language (DTD). The most commonly used Tei variant is tei Lite [community Standard]. TEI is famous for its complexity, which in part limits its adoption, but it is well maintained and has fanatical users in some communities.

3. Xsl-fo
Extensible Stylesheet Language Formatting Objects (XSL-FO) [the Consortium recommendation Standard] is a representation language that uses XML definitions. (Note that the title of the link specification is "Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL)," but the content actually includes only the formatting objects of the XSL.) XSL-FO is an XML format that can be used by any user agent to render content in accordance with the precise specifications given by developers. Its role is similar to the XHTML in the Web user interface, but is more complex to express formatting details that are appropriate for print form. These details and cascading style sheets (css--described earlier in this series) are no different, but in xsl-fo these details form an instance of the markup language itself, rather than the instruction that renders a single tag.

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