kaolinfire

Timely. This just cropped up yesterday while studying XML.

What do you study when you study XML? It (the study and/or knowledge) has always perplexed me, and I expect I'm just not defining things properly in my head. Is it just "yeah, this is the syntax", or "this is how to define a schema", or "this is how to use a schema with a given library", or "this is the history of why XML is good", or...? Just sort of everything?

I'm wondering because I've always figured, well, okay, you're studying SOAP, or you're studying XSLT, but what's there to study with just XML?

Well, I have to start somewhere... so I picked up Teach Yourself XML in 10 Seconds. XSLT's likely to turn up soon as well -- but for the moment I'm just trying to get a general grasp of XML's potential, how to create valid XML documents. I've got the XML Pocket Reference and How to Use XML and various books on XML, XSLT and creating blogs (with an emphasis on coding them for yourself) but in short I'm starting at the very beginning, seeing what I can pick up, and then I'll look at how to use that in conjunction with PHP, Javascript or whatever else I can pick up.

Admittedly there are a couple of motives... getting through all the books I picked up cheap from Bookworld, for one. And for another, the rather naff joke on w3schools.com:

Question: When should I use XML?

Answer: When you need a buzzword in your resume.