XML Pro 2

eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is much in the news these days, with Netscape, Microsoft and the World Wide Web Consortium all saying it will soon be the preferred language of the Web. But very few people actually understand what it is, and what it could be used for.

At its simplest, XML describes what the data it contains is, much as HTML describes how it appears in your browser. An XML document consists of a series of tags and as such resembles an HTML document. But there the similarity ends.

In HTML the tags are set (and argued over by various browser companies). In XML the document designer decides which tags to use. Sounds like anarchy? A seperate document, the Data Type Definition (DTD) is used to describe what the tags mean.

PC Plus will be concentrating on XML more in upcoming issues, but to get you off to a good start we're bringing you the demo version of one of the new breed of XML editors, Vervet Logic's XML Pro. Rather than hacking XML tags and DTDs by hand, XML Pro gives you a graphical environment to hone your documents in.

But be aware, XML Pro does assume a familiarity with XML (and perhaps SGML, the grandaddy of both HTML and XML). There's a whole lot more XML and Java material in the IBM alphaWorks feature on the other SuperCD, but for actual tutorial material, your best place to start to learn is the Web. Try some of the following sites:

Oasis SGML/XML Page - a mass of info and links on XML, SGML, various industry DTDs and projects. Start here
XML.com - news, reviews, tutorials and events for the XML world
XML.org - similar, but more academic
VBXML - Visual Basic Open Source XML projects (!)
ProjectCool's XML Zone - a stack of articles and tutorials
MSDN's Web Workshop - focusses on the IE5 XML parser
Introduction to XML for Web developers - tutorial
XML: Extensible Markup Language - tutorial
And of course, Vervet Logic, makers of XML Pro

Once you've got a bit of an idea what it's about, install XML Pro and start poking around with some of the samples.

By combining the features expected in a professional XML solution with the pricing expected from consumer products, XML Pro is a perfect tool for XML developers, content providers, and authors. XML Pro provides the quick, functional editing solution missing from many high-end packages, and fits well into any XML toolkit.

XML Pro v2.0 features:

• An easy, intuitive graphic user interface
• A unique document tree outline view to preserve document structure
• XML validation support with Document Type Definition (DTD) integration
• Element Wizard for easy element creation and management
• Attribute Wizard for easy attribute creation and management
• Support for entities, CDATA and XML Comments
• XML code preview and printing support
• XML Pro supports the XML 1.0 specification from the W3C.

Product Details

Contact: Vervet Logic
Phone: +1 812 856 5270

Web: http://www.vervet.com/
Email: sales@digitalworkshop.co.uk
Online support: http://www.vervet.com/support/

Price: US$149.95

Limitations: Demo version - Save and Print disabled.

Minimum System Requirements: Windows 95/98/NT4, 256 color display or better, Linux or Solaris, Java Runtime Environment 1.2 (included with install) or Java 2. Windows: 64Mb RAM, 75Mb hard drive space during install, 25Mb once installed.

Uninstall: Yes - Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

Installation

Please read the License Agreement before installing XML Pro 2.

Click the icon to the left to install XML Pro 2.