Week 13 Muddiest Points

1. Is it always necessary for an XML file to be valid? When does it have to be and when is it okay for it not to be?
2. I wonder about namespaces being attributes. Wouldn't it be better if such considerations were taken into account when defining the elements? Under what circumstances would that not be an option?
3. If the XML scheme checks and finds that required elements are not present or that attribute values are somehow not appropriate, what happens?

Week 13
XML, Part 2
XML Schema Tutorial:
The XML schema describes the structure of the XML document. Its language is XML Schema Definition (XSD) and it defines the building blocks for the document. This all makes sense. It occurs to me, too, that this is a great example of an acronym being practical, instead of hard to remember.
The ways that the XML Schema supports data types was interesting to me. It validates it, checking it for any errors. It defines it, which means that it sets limitations to it. It also converts data, which makes it more interoperable.
I could not see the distinction between the simple and complex elements in the schema. If one of the types of the complex element is only text, then why have a separate kind (simple) that is just that?
The explanation of why an empty set of data is complex was of interest to me. Empty seemed as simple as it gets! However, the process of defining an element so that it will allow elements without declaring them does sound complex to me.  There is also a separate type for elements that are described only by other elements, which was an interesting distinction to make.
I noticed that the function of extensibility is ever-present with XML. Specifically, the tags <any> and <anyAttribute> allow elements to include additional elements that are not defined in the main XML schema. Setting limitations, then, does not actually limit the document.

Week 12 Muddiest Points
1. If XML is metalanguage, how does it get applied to the HTML document? Is it linked to it the same way as a CSS document is?
2. You mentioned that XML is less of a topic of discussion these days. Is it being replaced by anything? Or is it just more commonplace now?

Week 12: XML

XML Tutorial

As I read about and looked at examples of XML, I found myself comparing and contrasting it with HTML. This helped me to understand it better. The first noticeable difference was what the acronym stood for. The ML in both XML and HTML stand for Markup Language, but the X is for eXtensible and the HT is for Hypertext. This immediately pointed to a difference between the two for me. The basic difference between the two is that XML stores or transports data and HTML formats and displays it. XML is not formatted by CSS. JavaScript or XSLT must be used to add style elements.

 XML does not look like HTML, and in its raw form it can be viewed in all major browsers; when style elements are added into HTML those documents appear differently or maybe not at all in different browsers.  

Another big difference between the two is that XML is designed to be read and comprehended by both humans and machines, whereas HTML is hard to decipher without training and experience in its distinct language. As such, XML is self-descriptive, with tags that show as headings when displayed by a browser. These tags are set by the author; there are no predetermined tags to use. This is strikingly different than HTML, which does have preset tags which don’t show up when displayed via browser. There are other small differences when considering the tags that are used. Authors who are writing an XML document must include a closing tag and the attributes must be in the proper order within the element. Neither is true for HTML, which is more flexible regarding those matters. Too, XML can have self-closing tags (<element/>), which HTML does not recognize.

However, there are similarities between the two markup languages. Both wrap their content in tags and have elements and attributes. Both have a syntax for writing comments into the document. In addition, XML and HTML both use a tree structure with parent and child elements to organize the content in a hierarchical way. What was interesting to me is that one of the abilities of XSLT is to transfer the content in XML across platforms into HTML.  This indicates that there is a relationship between XML and HTML. In fact, the two work together in a complimentary way.

Second XML Tutorial

The second tutorial explores the relationship of XML to HTML, while emphasizes the extra capabilities of XML. They are connected through SGML, another markup language that defines the structure of documents. HTML is an application of SGML, and both heavily influenced the development of XML. XML was designed to manage information in an everyday language that people would understand better.

XML extends some of the functions of HTML for two reasons. One is because of the RDF (Resource Description Framework), which integrates different kinds of metadata from the Web. Another cause is the DOM (Document Object Model), which provides the interface that allows for changes in programs’ content, structure, and style. The extensions that XML makes possible to HTML include linking two documents, adding to individual parts of the document, and describing the location path. In contrast, HTML URLs can only point to a document, in a one-way relationship that can’t define an external link. 

Week 11 Muddiest Points

Comments on Presentations:

1. Ipads and streaming videos are things that I use mostly for entertainment. It was interesting to see how they can be used in academic settings, especially in the library. 

2. I think it's important to consider the handicapped and those with different needs when implementing technology. Technology should help them to have equal access to the resources in the library. 

3. Access is a crucial issue for the information field. I liked hearing about it. 

Muddiest Points Week 10
Comments:
1. I think it was good to have both Social Media in the Library presentations on the same day and back to back. They worked together.
2. It was interesting to hear from other students about this information. It was a nice change.
3. So far, these have been important issues for technology in the library and information field. I'm looking forward to hearing more!

Muddiest Points from Week 9:
1. The issue of which approach to setting the style overrides when there are different styles set is interesting. I'm not clear on what way trumps other ways, since there are multiple ways to apply style characteristics to the HTML document.
2. I'm not sure what an "inline element" is. I wrote in my notes that inline elements don't create a new line. Does this mean that they are not set apart in their own space, but rather placed next to other elements, according to the order of the HTML document? Does it mean that they can be placed anywhere, and not necessary aligned in the way that the other elements are?