Content from the courses XML: The Essentials and XML: Schemas, plus content on EAD for Devan Donaldson's Introduction to Archives and Records Management course (ILS-Z 581).
XML is a common tool for web development, as well as a universal medium for storing and exchanging information. In part one of this training, you'll be introduced to the fundamentals of XML, including XML syntax, how to effectively design an XML document, and how to create a schema using the XML Schema language. Additionally, you'll learn why schemas are useful when creating an XML document, as well as how to validate an XML document against a schema.
In part two of this training, you'll explore Encoded Archival Description (or EAD), an XML standard for marking up finding aids. You'll also learn how to create an EAD document from scratch.
Learning Objectives
Understand the rules of XML syntax
Author an XML document
Understand what schemas are used for
Create a schema using the XML Schema language
Validate an XML document against a schema
Create and validate an EAD document
Prerequisite Skills
Use a mouse and keyboard
Open and save files
Open and close windows
Switch between windows
XML: Essentials, Schemas, and EAD Contents
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Explore the contents of XML: Essentials, Schemas, and EAD:
Learn about the history of XML, as well as practical applications of XML.
Explore the difference between narrative and data-centric XML documents, as well as how to determine appropriate tags for an XML document based on the data you're working with.
Attributes can be added to elements to help provide additional information about an element's contents - explore how to add them to elements in this section.
Schemas are used with XML files to help describe the structure of an XML document - learn more about why they're useful when working with XML in this section.
XML Schema Definition, also simply referred to as XML Schema, is a schema language that follows XML syntax when constructing a schema. Learn more about XML Schema Definition in this section.
Once your schema is complete, you can associate it with an XML document to help check for any errors in your markup. This section covers associating an XML Schema with an XML document, as well as checking an XML document for validity.
In this section, learn more about the project you'll be completing as part of today's session, as well as learn about the basic building blocks of an EAD document.
