Re: What I need from XML

>>>I've studied the basic elements of XML and I think it may be the answer
but have yet to learn how I can put the different sites together once the
database is created.<<<

I just did a small site for a mortgage company the included a Perl utility
that allows him to update the text content of his own pages at will.  It
sounds as though you may have a similar need.

Essentially, you keep the data for the page in an XML file.  Images, text,
etc...all neatly packaged inside their little tags. Then, make an HTML
template for the site that will provide a standard contained for every page.
Finally, make additional templates as necessary for each browser.

The templates hold empty tagsets that match the tags of the data you want in
this particular version of the page.  There are various ways to play with
this...I build a Perl XML parser that I use to hash the data.

Now, you need a script...probably Perl...that will sniff incoming browsers.
It will select the template based on that sniff, and fill it with the data
as necessary.  Make some doorways for the search engines, and integrate your
ecomm system, and you are good to go...:).

One of the nice things about this system is that you can do the whole thing
with very common Open Source tools, so your expenses include the cost of
hosting on a virtual server with the proper tools, and the time you put into
learning.

D


----- Original Message -----
From: Catharina Hogarth <hogarth(at)hogarth.com>
To: XML LIST <hwg-xml(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2000 4:48 AM
Subject: What I need from XML


Hi Folks,

Glad to finally see this list come to life.  I'm usually a lurker and
spend more time learning from these lists than participating because of my
lack of knowledge and eloquence.  But this one seems to need an infusion
so perhaps I can offer at least a bit of stimuli.

I'll try to describe what it is I'm looking for in XML.

My husband and I have a collection of antique arms and armour and I am in
the process of redesigning our website.  Ideally I would like to be able
to simply create a database (XML?) that would hold the various elements of
each piece (name, circa date, category, maker, measurements, description,
etc.)

I would then like to offer this information in different formats for
different web browsers and even a basic text version (for printing
perhaps?).  To create this in HTML in all the different styles that would
optimize the viewer's experience depending on their browser, would take a
lifetime to create and then maintain after it's done.  We are constantly
adding new items and I have been known to make mistakes from time to time
;-) so I'd like to only have to change the database and all the pages that
reference it would also change.

If I can have the visitor choose their browser when they come into the
site (or set up a CGI script to detect that) and then steer them to the
correct directory, I would like to set up a series of pages that would
access 1 database but display the information in different styles.

I've studied the basic elements of XML and I think it may be the answer
but have yet to learn how I can put the different sites together once the
database is created.

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