XML stands for EXtensible Markup Language and it serves two purposes. XML is used to structure data so that it can be stored and transported. The tags provides structure to the data.
Within a XML document, there are tags and text. The text that is to be stored is surrounded by tags that follow specific syntax guidelines. What makes XML different than HTML, HyperText Markup Language is the fact that XML is used for carrying information while HTML is used for displaying information.
While tempering with XML, I have come across two projects that I am fully motivated to pursue. One of these projects relate to Animated Infographics which allow programmers or graphic designers to simply download XML files and change the data stored within these documents. After this data is changed by the user, simply porting it online would have the potential to produce a stunning visual for a website or great user interface. This is something I am currently diving into because I think that being able to build a website using XML manipulation and Animated Infographics within an hour is remarkable.
The second project that I am interested in pursuing is that I want to create a bot on my computer that would read a static XML file on my computer every morning and then send me an email. In essence, I would write a script that tells my computer to turn on at 8:00 AM for every day of the year and read through an XML file which would constantly get updated by a programmable bot. This bot would read through my online class schedules and see what exams or assignments I have coming up and fill in this information within the XML file. After this step, I would have the bot send all of this information neatly organized to me in an email.
I have already finished project one and have yet to start on project two. My interest in XML stems from my love of computer science and its many uses. The extensive use of XML throughout modern internet software goes to show the importance of this language in the programming community. Thus, the uses of XML are endless and are only limited by one’s application of it.