xml in a chain.. where to put it?

[knob2001]

Hi!...

I'm a complety newby in the xml stuff, and after reading all the information i found all over the net (ok, not really the hole net) i just know the phylosofy and the matters of xls... but i found nothing about real cases!!!

I've learned to use php with mysql, and now i want to learn xml, but wait... i need an answer to this very basic question that is killing my brain every day i read something about xml... where xml will fit in this chain?

sql -> xml -> php or asp or whatever in the server side -> html


is that right?, i mean: some data storaged in the database is taken out in xml format, then that is used by asp or php to render it to html???... opps, that sounds like a very busy work in the server, isn't it? i think i'm missunderstanding the point of xml.

In a real case everybody knows, like amazon for instance, are they using xml as a database, then parsing the data to html with xls or it's more sql or other database to xml then asp or other server side language rendering it to html?

I just need how to follow the chain of languages before study xml... just to be sure i can use it to something more useful than saying: xml, i know what it is...

Thanx in advance
Knob2001.

[khalidali63]

To XML or not to XML? It all depends upon what your project demands.
XML it self is a usefull tool to be in the middle layer between client and the database.Since XML follows a strict W3C standard,therefore serving xml files rather any other form of data gives a comlete control to the client who requests it to display the data any way he/she wants.
in any chain
:D
XML will be a layer below the clients display layer.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Khalid

[knob2001]

Hi!:...

Ok, i understand xml is layer between the user and the server, thanks... but i think i still have a little confussion in the hole parts...

XML of course must be usefull as long as the proyect needs XML, you're right... but just to build that in my brain: for instance, in a news portal than everything must be very well built, you can use xml to send the news to html or to the wap parser... i think the database will handle everything, then parsing it to xml allowing asp or php make the rest to put on html... or is it that to complex? do i still need them or i can use xls to render everthing to html?

Funny thing i can't understand the hole picture...

Thanx in advance... you know, sometimes the obvious things are the harder to understand!
Knob2001

[khalidali63]

Presuming that you have an XML file that contains whatever data.
At this point you can render it using XSL/XSL for whatever client software,may it be a http browser or a wap browser.See the point is that you have data in such a universal form that could be molded to any way you want using an array of tools, on a variety of OS's
To make it readable for humans though you do need XSL/XSLT

Cheers

Khalid