XML Schema Essentials

Replacing DTDs (Document Type Definitions) as the way in which XML documents are described and validated, XML schemas are essential for ensuring the accuracy and security of information in B2B transactions and other XML applications. This how-to guide employs extensive examples and source code to help developers and programmers get quickly up to speed on the practical application of this important technology. With in-depth explanations for each example, XML expert Mike Fitzgerald acquaints readers with coding structures, then moves to more advanced topics, including unique element and attribute values, keys, and how to use schemas with HTML. Like the other books in the series, this guide features comprehensive appendices listing all the datatypes and data facets, code indexes, and other time-saving features. Replacing XML DTDs (Document Type Definitions) as the way in which XML documents are described and validated, XML Schema allows you to describe the structure of information in an XML document and is essential for ensuring the accuracy and security of information in B2B transactions and other XML applications. Since XML Schema defines a greater and more complex set of datatypes than XML DTDs -- such as numbers, dates, times, and currencies -- it is an invaluable tool for e-commerce applications. XML Schema also offers more flexibility than XML DTDs, with its ability to have users define datatypes for data (for example, an "address" can be further refined as a "postal address," "billing address," or "shipping address") and its ability to validate documents based on namespaces, which allows for the distinction between identical terms being used in different contexts. This hands-on guide uses extensive examples and source code to provide you with all the information you'll need to understand and use XML Schema. Beginning with an example of a simple schema, the authors provide you with the opportunity to quickly become familiar with coding structure, and offer in-depth explanations for each example. The book progresses logically through basic schema concepts and applications such as datatypes and structures, and then gradually moves to more complex examples and advanced topics such as unique element and attribute values and keys. The World Wide Web Consortium's XML Schema is arguably one of the most important and far-reaching recommendations related to XML to come from the W3C.