Spring 2010
Instructor: Bruce Donald Campbell
Faculty, Continuing Education - RISD
Providence, RI
Research Scientist, Human Interface
Technology Laboratory
Seattle, WA
Email: bcampbel01@risd.edu
Prerequisites: None
DESCRIPTION
XML - Extensible Markup Language - is currently one of the most popular industry formats for document publishing and web application development. It is an extensible and elegant solution that is being rapidly incorporated in next-generation document, web and eBusiness application strategies. Moreover, XML fluency is a requirement among progressive web masters, programmers, technical writers, and progressive print publishers. This class begins with the essential characteristics of an XML document and continues with students creating valid XML publications with an XML editor. Ultimately, students become acquainted with Document Type Definitions (DTDs) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Equally important, they come to understand their relevance and application to anticipated guidelines for publishing XML authored documents on the world wide web.
Prerequisite: HTML I: The Language of the Web
Applies to the following certificate program (36 contact hours): WE-E
GRADING
Class participation - 20%
Written project - 60%
Homework assignment - 20%
RESOURCES
Books
The recommended book for this class is the book XML for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide — ISBN 0-201-71098-6. (October 2000) but you might be able to get along OK without it if you are comfortable finding reference materials on the Web.
Course Handouts and On-line Readings as identified below and in class.
LINKS
SYLLABUS
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Date
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Topic
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Assignment
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1 March
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Welcome to XML
Goal: To become familiar with extensible markup language theory and look at some popular XML-based languages. |
Read:
- Read the Introduction to Elizabeth Castro's XML For The World Wide Web book.
- Read the XML Primer I provide you on our class website.
- Begin to pick your way through Wikipedia's Page on XML
Homework:
- Pre-test: Please write a 1000 word essay of your current understanding of XML and how marked up data pages enable the information age. E-mail me your thoughts.
- Introduce yourself on our class RISD CE Forum.
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8 March
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XML Syntax
Goal: To begin to use XML to encode data for use on the Web.
We'll write some XML to reinforce syntax and semantic requirements of any XML language and validate the examples we write. We'll talk about the process of data modeling that is critical to encoding a data specification intelligently.
We'll look at the rules of XML syntax, the XML Wikipedia page, and do Chris' XML exercises together in class.
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Read:
- Chapter 1, Writing XML, in our class book.
Homework:
- Investigate interesting XML-based languages and provide an overview for each language you've investigated to your fellow classmates on the Forum.
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15 March
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XML Language Example and Use
Goal: To write our own XML-based documents that follow an XML-based language specification. We'll look at useful XML documents, attempt to write DTDs to validate them, consider popular interfaces to XML documents, and answer questions from Chris Bates' book.
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Read:
Homework:
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22 March
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Data Table Definitions
Goal: To understand how to write DTD's and use them to validate XML documents. We'll review our first workbooks, discuss the data modeling process for a language, continue our PHP and JavaScript XML interface investigation, and start to compare XML Schema to Document Type Definition as an XML-based language validation technique.
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Read:
- Recommended: Read the Data Modeling Overview I've provided
- Chapter 2, Creating a DTD, in our class book.
- Chapter 3, Defining Elements and Attribute in a DTD, in our class book.
- Chapter 4, Entities and Notations in DTDs, in our class book.
Homework:
- Review the DTD worksheet answers we reviewed in class
- Perform a data modeling session with your target project data domain.
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29 March
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XML Schema
Goal: To understand how to write an XML Schema and use it to validate XML documents. |
Read:
Homework:
- Complete the second workbook as assigned in class
- Work on your class project.
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5 April
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Understanding Types, Namespaces, and Their Value in XML-based Languages
Goal: Gain exposure to designing and writing your own XML types (both simple and complex types) with or without the use of namespaces to identify scope.
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Read:
- Chapter 7, Defining Complex Types, in our class book.
- Chapter 8, Using Namespaces, in our class book.
- Chapter 9, Namespaces, Schema, and Validation, in our class book.
Homework:
- Work on your class project.
- If you haven't done so already, complete the second worksheet as assigned in class
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12 April
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XSLT
Goal: Gain exposure to writing XSLT documents for translating between XML languages.
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Read:
Homework:
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26 April
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Project Critique
Goal: Get some peer feedback from presenting your project plan in class.
| Read:
- Catch up on all the readings - reviewing those that need reinforcement for your understanding.
Homework:
- Work on your class project by incorporating thoughts provided by your peers.
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3 May
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XPath
Goal: Gain exposure to XPath for accessing nested components in an XML document.
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Read:
- The week 9 lecture notes
- Chapter 11, XPath: Patterns and Expressions, in our class book.
- Chapter 12, Text Expressions and Functions, in our class book.
Homework:
- Work on your class project.
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10 May
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CSS and XML
Goal: Gain exposure to using all your old and newfound CSS skills with XML.
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Read:
- Chapter 13, Setting up CSS, in our class book.
- Chapter 14, Layout with CSS, in our class book.
- Chapter 15, Formatting Text with CSS, in our class book.
Homework:
- Review the XML to SRT translation example from class.
- Work on your class project.
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17 May
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Tying it all together with XHTML
Goal: Confirm your understanding of XML by translating HTML documents into XHTML documents through XSLT.
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Read:
- Chapter 16, XLink and XPointer, in our class book.
Homework:
- Try out the XQueries in the eXist Sandbox here.
- Work on your class project.
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24 May
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XML-based Databases
Goal: Gain exposure to how XML integrates with relational database theory and use an XML-driven database package to learn by doing. |
Read:
Homework:
- Work on your class project in order to turn in by May 30th at 11:59pm.
- Check out our final project submissions! Nice work, all!
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