Xml Examples Of Good Usage

I aim to collect examples and links where how, in a enterprise development environment, use of XML helped to address needs not easily met by other alternatives.

Enterprise shops typically have many legacy applications, a set of standards that need to be complied with (meaning no new tools hot out of a research lab), and few programmers that are recent ComputerScience graduates. They often have MicroSoft-based desktops, and may have some BigIron machines running somewhere in the background.

Example uses of XML from external sources:

Use XML for improving web-based file upload at http://www.15seconds.com/issue/010522.htm
Use XML to create recordset and overcome AdoDotNet limitation at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnhcvb03/html/vb03l10.asp
XML is a better option to persist user config http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnadvnet/html/vbnet07082003.asp
- Further support of this use. XML config files can be deltaed using standard (or common) tools, so user set config can be merged into new versions of config files. See http://www.it-analysis.com/article.php?articleid=12110
- A story about the DeltaXML product mentioned above can be read at http://www.sys-con.com/story/print.cfm?storyid=40341. Other XML comparison tools exist, see for example http://www-rocq.inria.fr/gemo/XyDiff/.
Use XML and XSLT to achieve integration across platforms http://www.idevnews.com/TipsTricks.asp?ID=118

Not very convincing examples. The first one is rather about JavaScript; and the links in the second and third ones lead to half-empty pages (at least for me).

JavaScript is just used as a host for XML library functions in the first example.
MicroSoft sites may need the InternetExplorer browser.

How about this newly discovered claim (published in 2001)

XsltLanguage is well suited for extending XHTML based web pages, refer http://www.ftponline.com/archives/premier/mgznarch/xml/2001/01jan01/kc0101xml/kc0101xml.asp

Would RichInternetApplication qualify as an example where XML has been adopted in a WISE manner?

see http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/flex/articles/paradigm.html for an example illustrated by the XML in MacromediaFlex.

Xml in RssFeeds

I'm not sure if this addresses the original poster's question, but RSS is one of the big success stories in XML. (And, yes, it's being used inside of corporations for internal communication.) -- francis

Francis, I searched for RSS and Enterprise on Google, only found this that opined that RSS has not made much market penetration in corporations. See http://www.silent-penguin.com/archives/001648.html. Do you have another article that reported differently? -- dl

[That's not the point. RSS is wildly successful and 100% the standard in the world of blogging. Whether blogs have achieved market penetration in corporations is a separate (and not necessarily sane) question.]

I'm not clear what exactly the OP was asking, but, if you're interested in corporate usage of RSS, check out http://www.cio.com/archive/051504/work.html, or Google for "RSS Disney". -- francis

Maybe RssFeeds are on the rise after all. Came across this Jul04 article on SocialMedia at http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3385741
Another article has illustrated how RssFeeds have been used in high powered corporate communications. See http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5307341.html

I seriously doubt RSS would have been any less successful had it not been based on XML.

If RSS were not XML then every single RSS implementation would have had to implement their own parser. More work, fewer implementations, less success.

More on RssFeeds. Supplanting WebServices?

Process to Process communication, in Xml but no SoapProtocol

In Mar05 "Using RSS for data integration" at http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/03/23/13OPstrategic_1.html, JonUdell described Amazon OpenSearch service. Further on, he said "A growing number of folks are also using RSS for process-to-person communication..".

Meeting of WirelessDevices with SemanticWeb

See what Carnegie Computer Science students have done to PersonalDigitalAssistant at http://www.thefeature.com/article?articleid=101197&ref=4586357.

think I have since seen other examples of exploratory services along similar lines

XML coding and design considerations

Designing Extensible, Versionable XML Formats at http://www.xml.com/lpt/a/2004/07/21/design.html
XML Litmus Test at http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnexxml/html/xml10202004.asp

XML toolbox links (some have freeware)

http://www.cbel.com/xml_markup_languages/?order=alpha

RichInternetApplication implemented via AjaxWebApplications (AJAX) technology

GoogleMaps is the example of AjaxWebApplications that generated lots of interest. It was argued that this genre of XML-enabled applications strike an optimal balance between usability (end user interactions) and management (configuration and change management).

Google did not invent it. MicroSoft did it earlier in OutlookWebAccess?.

Now WikiImplementations are starting to appear that rely on the use of XML and XmlHttpRequest object. An example being GlueWiki.

GoodExampleOfHype

I thought the page Topic means examples where data in use is best formatted as XML. And I'll interpret it as such here.

None of the above is an example of good XML usage.

The first (XML upload) example is nothing but to mention that Browser support XmlHttpRequest to surpass the limit of HTTP itself. The data uploaded is not even in XML format (just dump binary to one XML node). Suppose Browser ever support other thing, say CSVHttp, PlanTextHttp? or BinaryHttp?; the example might not chose XML as the format.

The second (XML -> ADO) example is not a good use of XML, it is just to say that .NET support convert XML to RecordSet. It's a Library feature. Say .NET support converting other format rather than XML would not make that a good example of usage of such data format. It's just a library show off example.

Using XML as config file is almost a good example. It's the only example actually talking about benefit of putting data into XML format. Except that XML is a lot harder to write/read/edit by human than other format such as YAML, SEXP and ODGL. All of them have a parser available in many language. Given choices between these four, XML will be my last choice.

XML parser is a lot bigger than (YAML, ODGL, SEXP) parser. The Reason RSS in XML format succeeded was surely because of XML's hype. But it's surely not because RSS is best formatted as XML. If RSS was not implemented as XML, but YAML or ODGL or SEXP, every vendor still wouldn't have to implement there own parser.

The reason CeeLanguage/CeePlusPlus is popular compared to other languages is because every OperatingSystem comes with C/C++ runtime installed. Not because it's better to program in most of the time. However, I would not state that many desktop apps we use now, (which surely doesn't need any low level C++ operation) is example of good C++ usage. -- PisinBootvong

In your above arguments against the examples stated, you explained "another way" would have been better. You can be right AND I can be right at the same time.

You are right in the technical excellence sense, and I am right (actually my sources) because it is examined from a "usability" point of view. Do not underestimate the "power of hype" in the ability to turn dreams into reality sometimes. Enough deep pocketed believers of the same hype (called "vision" at times) can create an unstoppable stampede, and it is true in many aspects of life too.