Chapter 7: Web Matrix and XML

Chapter Contents

1.	Page I: Introduction

2.	Page II: XML Support in Web Matrix

3.	Page III: Working with Microsoft XML Notepad

4.	Page IV: Using the XmlEditGrid Control

5.	Page V: Using the XML File

6.	Page VI: Using the XSL Transform

7.	Page VII: Using the XML Schema

8.	Page VIII: Summary

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In This Chapter

Use the XML Support That Web Matrix Provides

Use Microsoft XML Notepad to View XML-Formatted Files

Create Applications with the XMLEditGrid Control

Create Applications with the XML File Page

Create Applications with the XSL Transform Page

Create Applications with the XML Schema Page

Design an XML Data Display Application

Everyone's learning to use eXtensible Markup Language (XML) today and employ it in a variety of formats. You'll find XML just about everywhere. Developers use XML to transfer data from one place to another and as part of specifications designed to perform special types of data transfers. It also appears as part of other specifications, such as the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)-see Chapter 8 for details. Some Web sites use XML as a means for displaying data. Many developers have created unique uses for the eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) Transformation (XSLT) in performing data manipulation. A few applications I've seen use XML as an alternative to centralized storage for application settings. You'll even find XML in Database Management Systems (DBMSs). In short, XML is the latest nonplatform, non-language-specific means for storing information.

The fact that you can use XML anywhere and even use it to bridge gaps between computer systems makes it a perfect match for Web Matrix-a tool that I'm convinced will also help you bridge platform gaps. The fact that Web Matrix is lightweight and doesn't perform a lot of interpretation for you means that this product is perfect for working on XML on any platform you choose. The ability to create an FTP connection to manipulate content remotely only makes things better.

This chapter discusses the XML support provided by Web Matrix. As with the material in Chapter 3, this material is decidedly open for anyone to use. You don't have to work on aMicrosoft platform or use other Microsoft products to create something with XML. An XML-formatted Web page using XSLT works equally well on an Apache server as it does on Internet Information Server (IIS). You'll find that XML schemas are pretty much universal as well.

We'll discuss two Microsoft-specific topics in this chapter. The first is XMLEditGridControl. This special control helps you create impressive data displays quickly. We'll use this control in the XML data display example application in this chapter. This example provides practical advice on how to implement XML solutions using the XML features of Web Matrix. It also presents you with a specific application of XML that you can use as a source of ideas for your next Web development project.