The JAXP Parser API

JAXP 1.2 defines two sets of interfaces: interfaces for XML parsing, in package javax.xml.parsers, and interfaces for XML transformation (that is, TrAX) in package javax.xml.transform and its subsidiary packages. (JAXP 1.3 adds interfaces for schema validation, for XPath processing, and more.) Although the parser APIs could be regarded as being out of scope for this book, applications will often use both together, so I shall start by quickly reviewing the two parser APIs, covering SAX parsing and DOM parsing.

These interfaces do not supersede the SAX and DOM interfaces, which are described in many XML reference books. Rather, they supplement them with facilities that are lacking in both SAX and DOM, namely the ability to select a SAX or DOM parser to do the processing, and to set options such as specifying whether you want a validating or nonvalidating parser, and whether you want namespace processing to be performed.

I'll look at the two parts of the interface, SAX and DOM, separately.