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CSW GroupIntroduction
The eXtensible Markup Language (XML) has been in widespread use since the late 1990’s when it was declared a standard by the W3C. The standard has seen exceptional success due mostly to the benefits gained by its simplicity and interoperability. It has become the computer messaging format of choice and is used by publishers globally for single source content creation.
Open & Extensible
The XML standard provides a simple self-describing mechanism to mark-up text making it both human and machine readable. By using this standard, content is no longer held in a proprietary format, unreadable in anything but the original application it was created in. The use of XML future-proofs content and ensures that other tools and systems are able to process and work with it.
Structure & Validation
Although the XML standard itself doesn’t place constraints on how it should be created, many of the biggest benefits are realised by using an XML Schema to govern XML content. This technology allows authors to create fixed XML structures known as vocabularies. These structures allow automated processors to validate XML content being created by authors which enables organisations to benefit from a reduction in errors and can greatly improve the quality of a publication.
Single Source
Another main benefit for using XML is its ability to act as a single source. This is highly beneficial for publishing environments where content is produced for different mediums. XML can be transformed into another format by using a technology called XSLT. This means the XML content can be separated from presentation and applied later to fit the requirements of the medium used - for example a webpage, PDA, smart phone or printed.
