Special Edition Using Java™ Server Pages and Servlets

Chapter 24. Creating an XML Application

In this chapter

• A "Hello World" XML Page

• A Few Simple Rules for XML

• Why Use XML with JSP and Servlets?

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) represents an important step in data representation. In the past, programs used many different formats for storing data. There have been text files with comma-delimited or pipe-delimited fields, binary files in any number of formats, and even plain ASCII text. Unfortunately, most programs use slightly different ways to store data, even if the overall format is similar. For example, when you save data using comma-separated fields, how do you specify what each field is? You might save the first name followed by the last name. Another developer might save the last name ...