Why XML????

[printf]

I'm one of the goofuses that still doesn't understand this very well. It's probably because when I ask someone (else) they just repeat in this monotone-just-got-possessed-by-an-alien tone exactly what I've read a hundred times on xml101.com. I hear too much HOW it can be used, rather than the ever-so-convincing: WHY.

yes, i know XML 'describes' data, but so what? all i can see is the cons:

1.) More development time creating the script that organizes the data into an XML page (parsers (serverside and client-side))

2.) Writing DTD's

3.) More development time (everyone is in crunch mode all the time it seems with all the layoffs, do we really need another layer to our already complicated job?)

4.) More bandwidth consumption.... let's see...... we take the data in our SQL/Oracle or Access DB, parse it on the server, and send that out only to be parsed again on the client.... WHAT?

I think my problem is that my boss wanted us to implement this JUST becuase XML is a buzzword... which makes me sick! But more importantly, I just haven't been shown an applicable use for it... a situation perhaps, where it MUST be used.

Also, can someone tell me that XML doesn't have to be used in every project? It's not really that much of a problem (don't see the problem with my current solution yet) solver.... IS IT???

[ubunreal69]

a very personal opinion: XML sucks !!

[shunt]

Personaly, I am yet to find the benefit of using xml on the web. However I have seen the benefits in system integration. No more fixed length and padded fields. Using xml I can pass information to external systems and read replies from these systems without the terrible string formatting and data type checking code. This has cut my development time in half and maintenance is a breeze.

This also handles invalid charachters such as quotation marks etc. :D

And spead? Previously we had to build a string. Now a one liner.

[shunt]

Personaly, I am yet to find the benefit of using xml on the web. However I have seen the benefits in system integration. No more fixed length and padded fields. Using xml I can pass information to external systems and read replies from these systems without the terrible string formatting and data type checking code. This has cut my development time in half and maintenance is a breeze. :D

[Cander]

Well its easy to say XML sucks and dont see a use for it when you dont use it in the right way, or use it where its best used. Some scenarios to ponder. Perhaps you have a system where you have to get some data from a windows database program and need to get it to one on unix or linux. You obviously cant just transfer the database. You could put the dta to a text file, but you have no description of whta data types the fields are. XML works great here as the XML can describe the datatypes for the database transfer.

Also XML works great in seperating your data from your presentation. Sure it may take a little more coding time, but whats easier for when you need to make changes? 1 big file with so much spaghetti code and data that its hard to find what you want, or 2 or 3 small to medium sized files you can scan much mor easily, referring to the appropriate file depending on what you want to change.

The greatest use of XML is with SOAP Web Services. The xml gives the ability for a programmer to write program functions that return data that can be accessed anywhere by ANY language/platform supporting SOAP.

XML is all about standerdizing data to make it readable by any system, any language, any OS.

[JoshT]

XML can be used to store non-relational data when you don't need a database. Also, a web app using XML as a data store can be migrated across web servers and OSes if you write the app in a cross-platform language (Perl, PHP).

[printf]

Ok, thanks everyone for your input. I now have a greater sense of how XML could be beneficial. I still think of it as a waste of time for projects that you plan on never coming back to... but then again, it's easy to take that perspective as the developer. the client, who's paying for the application, on the other hand may want a scalable application just in case they ever need to move their data to a wireless app w/ wml or something.

basically XML is a metadata

makes sense.

Thanks!

[antigen006]

Another big pro of XML: It is readable by both computers and humans, so no need for complicated file formats, such as access databases and so on.

[JoshT]

It's designed to be easier for computers than humans, though. And it definately doesn't replace binary indexed database files if you need speed and performance. I'd use it instead of flat files or ini files, but I haven't seen XML present multi-table relational data. However, the tree-node based structure of XML always for certain queries to execute faster than you could with traditional SQL.