Tricky XML application???

[steve_marjoribanks]

Not really sure where I should post this but here will do!

I am currently doing quite a bit of work on a data exchange format in XML. As part of this I need to use XLink and XPointer attributes quite frequently as one of the requirements is for the data in the documents to be 'linked' to its source. Currently, as far as I'm aware there is very little (if any) software/browser support for XPointer.

My question is that would it be possible (and if so how difficult) for me to write a small application which could use the XPointer stuff. ie. you could load an XML document into it and through some sort of very simple interface it could say retrieve the source of the required data when asked to and display it in another frame for example?

What are everyone's views on this? How difficult would it be to write, and if not too difficult what language would you recommend writing it in, I'm guessing either Java or VB?
Thanks!!!

[kaihirst]

thatll be Java for that, or you could use oracles Jdeveloper, but youre taling serious ££££££££ ther pal..

Altovas XMLspy got this covered I would ahve imagined (the full veriosn I mean..) and the home version has some functionality for this.

Th eproblem is that XML in general is not standardised by the W3C so it has no need for set layout or flow ocontrol requisite, therefore a knock on effect of this is that how can software adapt to a non standardised but compliant language??? Anser is they cant..

When I wrote the basis of Nexus (intranet development, and business to business communication services...) I ahd to actually write and apply for my own certificate to standardise the XML format and element groupings that were to be used. Nevertheless I didnt get the certifiacate as the W3C stated thati is wasnt scaleable or global enough. Well Fu*K me.. how much is all the globe not enough!!!!

My point is, you cant write an application to handle a comforming, non standardised language without first standardising it, and therefore that means globally changing/regulating a de-regulated language. I tried and failed quickly so based upon my experience, I wouldnt waste the time on it.

What I would do is if its for communications for business to business, standardise your own internal XML tags, then write a global decode sctructure to encode it to the required presentationary format for each recipient busines..

Hope this helps

Kai

[steve_marjoribanks]

Thanks for the reply. Being a bit of a newbie to programming etc I don't quite understand what you mean when you say that XML isn't standardised? Do you mean that it can't be due to the extensible nature of it and that only the structure can be standardised but not the content?
What I am using it for is I'm working on a new data exchange format for a sector of the engineering industry. Every single file created in this format would be validated against 1 schema (well a collection of schemas) which i also have to write and so in this case surely it would be standardised? Wouldn't this then allow me to write some sort of application which based around this XML structure and schema seeing as this is the only format it would ever have to read?
It's just that the XPointer stuff is an important part of the format and so I was hoping to be able to write some sort of applicaion which could interpret this.

[kaihirst]

In this instance, yes it is standardised as your creting your own internal standardisation, such as I did.

Writing an application imply for this format is not recommended as its simply tunnelled for one use, therefore negate any further use for the possibility.

however, if youre going to embed an application to do pre and post formating in accordance to your standards, then this is a good idea, but writing a complete application to do a simple task that an integrated component can do is timeconsuming and redundant.

Kai

[steve_marjoribanks]

Ok thanks. When you say embed an application do you mean like a Java applet in a webpage?

[kaihirst]

Hi,

Could be a variety of things, its not generic to anything and it just depends how you want to code it and integrate iit into your application and how well wil the integration will work.

for instance, you could simply use a custome made page that is setuup like outlook, so that when the appropriate boxes are filled in, they are encioded into XML, then uploaded/entered into a database.

Or another one is that you upload the data information into a relevant table, then upon retrieval of the data, it is encode dusing XML tags that are predefined.

Another on is to create n xml file oin the HDD, then store it adn retrieve it.

Another is to use XML DTS services for IIS.

The list goes on and they get more exotic as you delve deeper.

If a Java Applet works ine for you, then thats what you should use for this instance, if a custom app is what youre lookign for , then write it. But look at each possibleility and the implications of what it will acheve and fail upon, the after your research, design, develop and deploy.

Hope this helps

Kai