Hour13.Access Your iTunes Music Library via XML

Hour 13. Access Your iTunes Music Library via XML

XML is easy. It is the problems people are trying to address with XML that are hard.

Jonathan Borden

One problem being addressed with XML is not very hard at all, and is actually quite fun. I'm referring to Apple's iTunes digital music service, which you probably didn't realize had anything to do with XML. It turns out that Apple chose XML as the storage format for the library of songs in the iTunes desktop application. The songs themselves are still stored in Apple's proprietary AAC media format but iTunes keeps track of the songs and pertinent information about them through an XML file. It is this XML file that you focus on in this lesson. More specifically, you learn how to transform your iTunes library so that you can make your song list available on the Web. You even find out how to potentially spin your iTunes song list into a money-making opportunity by providing links to the songs where other people can buy them and earn you a commission from Apple.

In this hour, you'll learn

• How XML fits into Apple's iTunes digital music service

• About the inner workings of an iTunes music library

• How to link to tracks in the iTunes music store

• How to transform your iTunes music library into an HTML web page that you can publish on the Web