XMLandmete

XMLandmete refers to data encoded in XML, the extensible markup language standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). XML data is designed to be both machine-readable and human-readable, enabling structured information to be exchanged between different systems, applications, and organizations regardless of platform or programming language.

XML emerged in the 1990s as a flexible version of SGML for data representation and interchange. It became widely adopted in enterprise integration, web services, and publishing workflows, where a self-describing, platform-neutral format helps ensure interoperability and long-term accessibility.

XML is organized as a hierarchical tree of nodes. The basic building blocks are elements, which may contain text, other elements, or attributes. Namespaces prevent naming conflicts, and documents are typically encoded in Unicode, most commonly UTF-8. A well-formed XML document requires a single root element and properly nested tags.

A typical XML document may begin with an optional XML declaration, followed by a root element that contains nested elements and optional attributes. Example: <person><name>John Doe</name><email>[email protected]</email></person>

Validation and schemas: XML documents can be validated against DTDs (Document Type Definitions), XML Schema, or other schema languages such as RELAX NG. Validation enforces structural constraints, data types, and defaults, contributing to data integrity in automated processing.

Applications and limitations: XMLdata is used in data interchange, configuration files, publishing pipelines, and older web services (SOAP). Its verbosity and parsing overhead can be drawbacks compared with lighter formats such as JSON; however, XML remains favored for complex, highly structured data and strong validation needs.