XML Parsing Using Visual Basic
Rev. 1.0
XML Training Overview
This module introduces the MSXML 4 parser and the two main Visual Basic APIs for parsing XML documents: SAX and the DOM. Students learn the basic MSXML architecture and how to create parsers that expose SAX or DOM APIs in VB code, and how to configure parsers according to the SAX features and properties specification. SAX parsing is covered, working from simple SAX event handling through patterns for understanding document content from event sequences, to error handling and document validation. Students then learn how to read document information using the DOM’s tree model and API, and move on to using the DOM to modify and to create new documents and information nodes.
Experience in Visual Basic Programming. Basic knowledge, not necessarily fluency, in reading and writing well-formed XML documents, and an understanding of the concepts of valid documents and XML vocabularies. Both DTDs and XML Schema are used in the module, and structural understanding of either will be very helpful.
XML Training LEARNING OBJECTIVES
XML Training Prerequisites
XML Training Course duration
2 days
XML Training Course outline
| 1. The Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) | |
| Pure XML Parsing XML SAX and DOM Comparison of SAX and DOM What the W3C Says What the W3C Doesn’t Say MSXML Introduction MSXML Deployment | |
| 2. The Simple API for XML (SAX) | |
| Origins of SAX The SAX Parser The SAXReader CoClass The SAX Event Model The SAX Event Model – Interactions The ContentHandler Interface Reading Document Content Handling Namespaces SAX Features for Namespaces Parsing Attributes Error Handling Handling Processing Instructions DTD Validation Schema Validation XML for Object Persistence Serialization with SAX | |
| 3. The Document Object Model (DOM) | |
| Origins of the DOM DOM Levels DOM2 Structure The DOMDocument CoClass DOM Tree Model DOM Interfaces Document, Node and NodeList Interfaces Element and Text Interfaces Finding Elements By Name Walking the Child List The Attribute Interface Namespaces and the DOM Error Handling The ProcessingInstruction Interface The DOM and the XML InfoSet Combining SAX and DOM Object Serialization with the DOM | |
| 4. Manipulating XML Information with the DOM | |
| Modifying Documents Modifying Elements Modifying Attributes Managing Children Cloning Splitting Text and Normalizing Creating New Documents Object Persistence with the DOM Adapting Object Models to the DOM | |
|
Learning Resources Quick Reference: XML and DTD Grammar | |
System Requirements
Software for this module can be installed and run on Windows systems only. Required tools are Visual Basic 6 and the MSXML parser, version 4.0 or higher.
Hardware requirements are modest: a good minimal system for this module would have a Pentium 500MHz or equivalent CPU, 256 meg of RAM and at least 500 megabytes of free disk space for tools installation and lab software.
