XML Course

Lesson 1 • Character Data and Special Characters

Addresses text content, whitespace handling, and reserved characters. Prevents common encoding mistakes when authoring XML.

Lesson 2 • Core XML Syntax Rules

Teaches the mandatory syntax rules that make a document well-formed. Mastery here prevents parsing errors throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • XML Document Structure

Explains the logical structure of an XML document from prolog to root element. Students gain a mental model for organizing any XML file.

Lesson 1 • Declaring Attributes in a DTD

Covers ATTLIST declarations, attribute types, and default values. Completes the DTD skill set needed to validate real-world documents.

Lesson 2 • Declaring Elements in a DTD

Teaches element declarations, content models, and occurrence indicators. Students write declarations that mirror real document structures.

Lesson 3 • Purpose and Scope of Validation

Distinguishes well-formed from valid XML and explains why validation matters. Sets the rationale for learning DTD before more advanced schema languages.

Lesson 4 • Internal and External DTDs

Explains how to embed a DTD inside a document or reference an external file. Students choose the right approach for different project scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Schema Extension and Restriction

Covers type derivation by extension and restriction to build type hierarchies. Students create flexible schemas that accommodate evolving data requirements.

Lesson 2 • Complex Types and Content Models

Teaches complex type definitions with sequence, choice, and all compositors. Students model nested document structures accurately.

Lesson 3 • Simple Types and Built-in Datatypes

Covers XSD's built-in primitive and derived types for element and attribute values. Students apply correct types to enforce data integrity.

Lesson 4 • Reusable Schema Components

Explains named types, element groups, and attribute groups for schema reuse. Reduces redundancy and improves schema maintainability.

Lesson 5 • Modular Schema Design

Teaches include, import, and redefine directives for multi-file schema projects. Students organize large schemas into maintainable, modular components.

Lesson 1 • XPath Functions and Operators

Surveys string, numeric, boolean, and node-set functions built into XPath. Students combine functions with path expressions for complex queries.

Lesson 2 • Location Paths and Axes

Teaches absolute and relative location paths using all XPath axes. Students navigate any part of an XML tree with precision.

Lesson 3 • Predicates and Filtering Nodes

Covers predicate syntax for filtering node sets by position, value, or condition. Enables targeted selection within large XML documents.

Lesson 4 • XPath Data Model and Node Types

Introduces the XPath tree model and its seven node types. Understanding node types is prerequisite to writing correct path expressions.

Lesson 1 • XSLT Stylesheet Structure

Explains the root stylesheet element, namespace declarations, and output method. Establishes the skeleton every XSLT stylesheet must follow.

Lesson 2 • Advanced XSLT Techniques

Explores keys, grouping, and multi-document processing for complex transformations. Students handle real-world scenarios beyond simple one-to-one mappings.

Lesson 3 • Variables, Parameters, and Expressions

Covers xsl:variable, xsl:param, and XPath expressions within stylesheets. Students write dynamic, reusable transformation logic.

Lesson 4 • Template Rules and Pattern Matching

Teaches xsl:template, match patterns, and the built-in template rules. Students control which nodes are processed and how output is generated.

Lesson 5 • Control Flow in XSLT

Introduces xsl:if, xsl:choose, and xsl:for-each for conditional and iterative output. Enables data-driven transformations based on document content.

Lesson 1 • XQuery Modules and Optimization

Introduces library modules, main modules, and query optimization strategies. Students organize large query projects and improve execution performance.

Lesson 2 • Constructing and Updating XML

Explains direct and computed element constructors and the XQuery Update Facility. Students produce new XML structures and modify existing documents.

Lesson 3 • XQuery Language Overview

Positions XQuery relative to SQL and XSLT and introduces its execution model. Provides context for choosing XQuery in data-centric XML projects.

Lesson 4 • XQuery Functions and Types

Covers built-in functions, user-defined functions, and XQuery's type system. Students write modular, type-safe query logic.

Lesson 1 • SAX Event-Driven Parsing

Teaches the SAX push-parsing model using content handler callbacks. Students process large XML files efficiently without loading the full tree.

Lesson 2 • DOM Parsing and Tree Manipulation

Covers loading an XML document into a DOM tree and navigating or modifying nodes. Students perform CRUD operations on in-memory XML trees.

Lesson 3 • Namespace Handling in Parsers

Explains how parsers resolve namespace prefixes and local names at runtime. Prevents namespace-related bugs in multi-namespace XML applications.

Lesson 4 • StAX Pull Parsing

Introduces the StAX cursor and iterator APIs for pull-based XML parsing. Students control parsing flow for streaming and partial-document scenarios.

Lesson 1 • XML Namespace Mechanics

Explains namespace URIs, prefix declarations, and scope rules in depth. Correct namespace usage is essential for schema validation and API interoperability.

Lesson 2 • Designing XML Vocabularies

Covers element-centric vs. attribute-centric design and naming conventions. Students make deliberate design choices that affect usability and extensibility.

Lesson 3 • XML Linking and Inclusion

Introduces XLink for hyperlinking and XInclude for document composition. Students create modular, cross-referenced XML document sets.

Lesson 4 • Combining Multiple Namespaces

Teaches how to mix vocabularies from different namespaces in a single document. Students build compound documents that conform to multiple schemas simultaneously.