Chapter 20. XML Jargon Demystifier™
Introductory Discussion -
Structured vs. unstructured -
Tag vs. element -
Document type, DTD, and markup declarations -
Schema and schema definitions -
Documents and data "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less." —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass One of the problems in learning a new technology like XML is getting used to the jargon. A good book will hold you by the hand, introduce terms gradually, and use them precisely and consistently. Out in the real word, though, people use imprecise terminology that often makes it hard to understand things, let alone compare products. And, unlike authors,[1] they sometimes just plain get things wrong. [1] We should be so lucky! For example, you may see statements like "XML documents are either well-formed or valid." As you've learned from this book, that simply isn't true. All XML documents are well-formed; some of them are also valid. In this book, we've taken pains to use consistent and accurate terminology. However, for product literature and other documents you read – even Office help! – the mileage may vary. So we've prepared a handy guide to the important XML jargon, both right and wrong. |
