Template for Creating Powerpoint Presentations

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XML Standards Update Association for Internet
Professionals (AIP)Silicon Valley
WebGuild Technical Development Special Interest
Group(TechSIG) Peter Corless Content Manager
CCO Software Center 4 May 1999
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XML Standards Update

• Whats Up with XML at W3C?
• Whats Up with XML Parsers?
• Whats Up with XML Tools?

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Whats Up with XML at W3C?

• What we already got 1998 in review
• XML 1.0, HTML 4.0, CSS, Namespaces, MathML, etc.
• Whats new in 1999?
• Resource Description Framework (RDF)
• Associating Stylesheets with XML Documents
• Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL)
• Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P)

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was brought to you todayby the letters X, M
and L...

• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)http//www.w3.org
  
• W3C Technical Reports Recommendationshttp//www
  .w3.org/TR/
• Four Classes of Status

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XML 1998 in Review

• Recommendations
• XML 1.0 Feb 1998
• Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) Apr 1998
• CSS Level 2 May 1998
• Synchronized Multimedia IntegrationLanguage
  (SMIL) 1.0 Jun 1998
• Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Oct 1998
• Namespaces in XML Jan 1999
• What this means The Revolution has begun!
• Its been a whole year since Lexington
  Concord!

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Whats New From W3C in 1999?(So Far)

• Hard Specs
• XHTML (HTML 4.0 as XML-compliant application)
• Resource Description Framework (RDF)
• Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL)
• Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P)
• Soft Specs
• Associating Stylesheets with XML Documents
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

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XHTML 1.0

• Purpose HTML 4.0 reformulated to be compliant
  with XML 1.0
• Status Working Draft in Last Call (one step
  away from Proposed Recommendation)
• Date 4 March 1999
• URI http//www.w3.org/TR/WD-html-in-xml/
• Authors 24 Authors (W3C, CWI, IBM,
  Sun, Microsoft, many others.)

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XHTML 1.0 Requirements

• XML1.0 Syntax
• Well-formedness support in Documents
  Applications
• Internet Content Type Marking (text/xhtml
  format)
• Properly Nested Tags (ltpgtltfontgtlt/fontgtlt/pgt)
• Element Attributes must be lowercase (XML is
  case-sensitive)
• End-tags required on non-empty elements
  (ltpgtlt/pgt)
• Attributes must be quoted (lttable rows3gt)
• No attribute minimization (ltdl compactcompactgt)
  
• Empty elements must end in / (lthr /gt)
• Miscellaneous cruft scripting, SGML exclusions,
  errata.

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Optional Valid XHTML 1.0

• If so, must include a DOCTYPE declaration
• Three DTDs, each with different Namespaces
• Stricthttp//www.w3.org/TR/WD-html-in-xml/DTD/xht
  ml1-strict.dtdlt!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC
  "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
  "xhtml1-strict.dtd"gt
• Transitionalhttp//www.w3.org/TR/WD-html-in-xml/D
  TD/xhtml1-transitional.dtdlt!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC
  "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
  "xhtml1-transitional.dtd"gtFramesethttp//www.w3
  .org/TR/WD-html-in-xml/DTD/xhtml1-frameset.dtdlt!
  DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0
  Framset//EN" "xhtml1-frameset.dtd"gt

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Namespaces for XHTML

• Namespace default declarations of XHTML
• lthtml xmlns"http//www.w3.org/Profiles/xhtml1-str
  ict"gtlt!-- in this example, strict XHTML is
  applied as the default to all elements
  attributes --gt
• Mixed namespaces in XHTML
• Useful to put your own proprietary XML tags in
  otherwise standard HTML 4.0 documents.lthtml
  xmlns"http//www.w3.org/Profiles/xhtml1-strict"
  xmlnspetestagspete.dtdgtlt!-- in this
  example, strict XHTML is applied as the default
  to all elements attributes, and the prefix
  petestags applies to my own tags, with a
  fictitious DTD --gt

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Modularization of XHTML

• Purpose Framework methods to create
  valid subsets of XHTML (HTML 4.0) tags for
  minimal or lightweight application implementations
  
• Status Working Draft
• Date 6 April 1999
• URI http//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-modularization/
• Authors 6 Authors (Sun, IBM, CNET,
  Gateway, HTML Writers Guild, Open Group.)

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Modularization of XHTML
DTDModule(s)
SemanticModule
DTDModule
XHTML Document Type

• Element Types
• Attributes
• Content Models

• XHTML Document Types
• Allow for Complex DTDs
• Reference DTDs
• Subset DTDs
• Extension DTDs
• Variant DTDs
• Fragment DTDs
• And Compound Documents(Mixed Semantic Namespaces)

SemanticModule
SemanticModule
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XHTML If this mission is successful

• An ideal or goal is to allow developers to
  pick-and-choose and mix supported features as
  desired.
• Breaks the current model of forcing all
  applications to stay in lock-step with maximal
  HTML feature-set definitions.
• Developers can offer variants, and such variants
  can be identified by both producers and consumers
  alike.
• Possibly useful to build a browser (XHTML
  application) on the fly -- or at least, closer to
  interpretation time -- as needed by the content.
• Also useful to limit/scope standard support by a
  content developer or community of interest (think
  Java appliances).

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Can I apply XHTML today?

• YES!!!!
• Remember the old joke
• Q How do I get to Carnegie Hall?
• A Practice, practice, practice.
• Get into practice now, before you are forced to
  perform by XHTML tools/validators in future.
• Conversion will be painful for some.Be proactive
  start today. Dont wait a year.
• Watch to see if lowercase sticks in spec.

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Resource Description Framework (RDF)

• This is going to be big
• Two Sub-specifications
• RDF Model Syntax
• RDF Schema

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Uses of RDF Metadata

• Documentation for the original authoring entity.
• Where did I put that resource, and what did I
  call it again?
• External context for other viewers, users or
  consumers of data.
• How do you know what a resource is before
  launching it or using it?
• Interpretable useful to various applications.
• Navigation, presentation, security, profiling,
  etc.
• Used as higher-layer of content modeling
  semantic control, validity checking.

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What do you mean by metadata?

• World Wide Web resources are defined described
  by various human entities private individuals,
  communities, companies, consortia, organizations
  governments.
• Computers do not describe resources, they merely
  model human-defined constructs, and act on them
  based on human-defined rules.
• Humans may create rich definitive descriptions of
  Web resources, their purpose, use or function.
  This descriptive definition of a web resource is
  called metadata.
• The metadata framework for World Wide Web
  resources in XML-compliant semantics is called
  Resource Description Framework (RDF).

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RDF Model Syntax

• Purpose How to define resources, assign
  properties, and make statements about them.
• Status Recommendation
• Latest Update 22 February 1999
• URI http//www.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/
• Authors Ora Lassila, Ralph R. Swick

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RDF Schema

• Purpose A collection of RDF resources to define
  other Web resources and their schematic
  properties, such as type, class, and class
  heirarchies.
• Status Proposed Recommendation
• Latest Update 3 March 1999
• URI http//www.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/
• Authors Dan Brickley (U. of Bristol), R.V. Guha
  (Netscape)

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RDF Syntax Example

• English statement Ora Lassila is an author
  (creator) of the document Resource Description
  Framework (RDF) Model and Syntax Specification
• Represented in RDF as
• ltrdfRDFgt
• ltrdfDescription about"http//www.w3.org/TR/
  REC-rdf-syntax/"gt
• ltrdfsCreatorgtOra Lassilalt/rdfsCreatorgt
• lt/rdfDescriptiongtlt/rdfRDFgt

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RDF Schema Examples

• See the RDF Schema specification for the
  following examples
• Dublin Core Metadata (Creator, Date, Title,
  etc.)
• PICS Labels (Platform for Internet Content
  Selection)
• P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences Project)

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Human-MeaningfulExamples

• This site is owned by me. (RDF, Dublin Core)
• This site is okay for kids. (PICS)
• This site contains photos of beanie babies. (RDF)
• This site has no commerce server. (RDF)
• I do not sell information about my site to
  others. (P3P)

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Extensible StylesheetLanguage (XSL)

• Purpose A language for expressing stylesheets
  in XML. Style controls are divided into
  transformations and formatting.
• Status Working Draft
• Latest Update 21 April 1999
• URI http//www.w3.org/TR/WD-xsl/
• Authors Stephen Deach, Adobe

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Transformations Formatting

• Transformation
• Source Tree Original XML
• Result Tree Output XML
• Original might seem to have nothing to do with
  output!
• Example Source Tree might be XML using
  RDFResult Tree might be in HTML 4.0!
• Formatting
• Presentation
• Pagination
• Control over very granular layout presentation

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XSL vs. CSS

• CSS works with HTML or XML
• XSL works only with XML applications (such as
  XHTML)
• CSS is Web-specific
• XSL works both with Web/computing environments
  and printprovides pagination, layout,
  typographic whitespace controls.
• CSS limited to left-to-right writing modes
  Western language-centric.
• XSL supports right-to-left and vertical
  writing modes for better worldwide language
  handling.
• CSS handles links with a limited Link psuedo
  class
• XSL handles links with two different more
  sophisticated mechanisms

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Is XSL Ready for Market?

• CSS is probably sufficient for most HTML-focused
  developers today.
• XSL is very interesting for environments
  deploying the same content across many different
  environments
• print, pager, palmtop, personalized push, public
  portal.
• XSL can be deployed today via server-side
  applications, which can provide
  formatting/transformations to crank XML content
  into HTML, ASCII, Java (Swing/Widgets), or other
  desired presentation formats.
• Probably requires a few more tools vendors
  formal W3C Recommendation status for critical
  mass.

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XSL Microsoft IE 5.0

• XSL support in IE5.0 browser is interesting.
  (Pay close attention.)
• Good Microsoft has some good examples on how to
  choose XSL vs. CSShttp//msdn.microsoft.com/xml/x
  slguide/browsing-choosing.asp
• Not-so-good Microsofts wavering from W3C XSL
  spechttp//msdn.microsoft.com/xml/xslguide/confo
  rmance.asp
• An Example Non-Conformity
• Microsoft lt?xmlstylesheet ?gt
• Standard lt?xml-stylesheet ?gt
• Issue Subtle differences in syntax ( rather
  than -) cause incompatibilities between IE5.0
  and IE5.0-compliant content and other browsers,
  tools and content compliant with W3C specs.
  This might force users vendors to comply to
  both implementations, force them to make a
  difficult choice, or delay adoption of XSL.
• Observation Microsoft is most likely just being
  overly aggressive in supporting standard in
  pre-ratification mode (like 56K modem standards
  wars a few years ago), rather than being
  malicious (as is alleged in the pure vs.
  polluted Java case) but even innocent
  deviance from standard can cause long-term rifts
  ramifications in nascent XML community.

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XSL Transformations (XSLT)

• Purpose A method to transform an XML document
  into another XML document using the XSL
  stylesheet language.
• Status Working Draft
• Latest Update 21 April 1999
• URI http//www.w3.org/TR/1999/WD-xslt-19990421
• Author James Clark

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What XSLT Provides
lt?XML 1.0 ?gt ltMemogt ltHeadgt ltFromgtJoelt/Fromgt
ltTogtBoblt/Togt ltSubjectgtHey Bob!lt/Subjectgt lt/Head
gt ltBodygt I dont know exactly why, but I think
I need you to send me to XML training. I hear
its so popular, it even made a Dilbert
cartoon! lt/Bodygt lt/Memogt
Result Tree
lt?XML 1.0 ?gt lthtmlgt ltheadergt lttitlegtHey
Bob!lt/titlegt lt/headergt ltbodygt lttablegt
lttrgtlttdgtltfont size2gtMemolt/fontgtlt/tdgtlt/trgt
lttrgtlttdgtJoelt/tdgtlt/trgt
lttrgtlttdgtBoblt/tdgtlt/trgt lttrgtlttdgtHey
Bob!lt/tdgtlt/trgt lt/tablegt ltpgt I dont
know exactly why, but I think I need you to
send me to XML training. I hear its so
popular, it even made a Dilbert cartoon!
lt/pgt lt/bodygt lt/htmlgt
Source Tree
XSLT
Not just simple element-to-style mapping, but
complex transformations from one structure to
another
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XML _at_ Cisco

• XML in product (CiscoWorks 2000)
• XML in development (lots!)
• IBM Alphaworks Java Parser seems good.
• Other groups using Perl XML parser module.

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Software Vending Machine (Find 7 potential
uses of XML in this picture)
ERPOE Module
InternetCommerce
1. Place Order for Internet Delivery
4. Deliver Notification,License Keys by Email
3. Generate Product Authorization Key (PAK)
2. Resolve DeliveryRequirements
LicenseGenerator
Software Vending Machine
ESD/CSDSoftware Delivery(Product Download)
INVOICE _____ONLINE ORDERP/N QTY TotalDATE
SHIPPED
ERPAR Module
5. Deliver Softwareover Internet
7. Send Invoice to Bill-To
6. Confirm Close Order