XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is used in many aspects of Java development—including XML-formatted properties files, layouts for JavaFX and Android GUIs, configuration files for Java servers and deployment artifacts, etc.

For the most part, the basic rules of XML syntax—i.e. what constitutes well-formed XML—are very simple, but strict. They may seem excessively strict if you have previous experience with HTML, but not XML; the former is much more forgiving than the latter. Beyond that, there are features (particularly DTDs and schemas, which specify what constitutes valid XML under specific conditions), that add complexity to the understanding and use of XML. Nonetheless, the great majority of XML usage can be understood without too much difficulty.

Tasks

Read the following articles on XML:

• XML introduction
• Using XML: A List Apart

After completing the above, post a comment below on this pre-work item. Consider the following questions in your comment:

• What advantages (if any) do you see in the use of XML for representing and communicating data?
• What disadvantages (if any) do you see?