ASP.NET Developer's JumpStart

Getting Started with XML

In its simplest sense, XML is a markup language that uses tags to describe elements, much like HTML. Unlike HTML, however, XML doesn't contain any predefined tags—in XML, you make up your own tags to describe your data.

Take a look at some simple XML data, as shown in Listing 27.1. (You can find this content in Jumpstart\XMLIntro\EmployeeData.xml.)

Listing 27.1. This Simple XML Document Shows off Many of the Important XML Syntax Features

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!-- Employee Information -- > <EmployeeData> <Employee ID="1"> <FirstName>Davolio</FirstName> <LastName>Nancy</LastName> </Employee> <Employee ID="2"> <FirstName>Fuller</FirstName> <LastName>Andrew</LastName> </Employee> <Employee ID="3"> <FirstName>Levering</FirstName> ...