Section - 1 : Overview
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a simple, flexible, text format language used primarily for data exchange. It is a structured language containing a definition of the data as well as the data itself. Here are a couple of links you may find useful:
Originally developed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing, XML is also playing an increasingly important role in the exchange of a wide variety of data on the web and elsewhere. An example XML file is shown below:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<book isbn="0123456789">
<title>
Hound of the Baskervilles
</title>
<author>Arthur Conan Doyle</author>
<character>
<name>Sherlock Holmes</name>
<friend-of>Dr Watson</friend-of>
<since>1850-10-04</since>
<qualification>extrovert genius</qualification>
</character>
<character>
<name>Dr Watson</name>
<friend-of>Inspector LeStrade</friend-of>
<since>1866-08-22</since>
<qualification>brash medic</qualification>
</character>
</book>