Java and XML, Second Edition

Chapter 3. SAX

When dealing with XML programmatically, one of the first things you have to do is take an XML document and parse it. As the document is parsed, the data in the document becomes available to the application using the parser, and suddenly you are within an XML-aware application! If this sounds a little too simple to be true, it almost is. This chapter describes how an XML document is parsed, focusing on the events that occur within this process. These events are important, as they are all points where application-specific code can be inserted and data manipulation can occur.

As a vehicle for this chapter, I’m going to introduce the Simple API for XML (SAX). SAX is what makes insertion of this application-specific code into events possible. The interfaces provided in the SAX package will become an important part of any programmer’s toolkit for handling XML. Even though the SAX classes are small and few in number, they provide a critical framework for Java and XML to operate within. Solid understanding of how they help in accessing XML data is critical to effectively leveraging XML in your Java programs. In later chapters, we’ll add to this toolkit other Java and XML APIs like DOM, JDOM, JAXP, and data binding. But, enough fluff; it’s time to talk SAX.

Getting Prepared

There are a few items that you must have before beginning to code. They are:

• An XML parser

• The SAX classes

• An XML document

First, you must obtain an XML parser. Writing a parser for XML is a serious task, ...