Therefore, the XML Enabler makes XML real by allowing any user of any browser to view and use XML data. Most developers in the XML space are concerned with the heavy client. In other words, "you can use XML as soon as you move to Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher." The XML Enabler technology removes this impediment and allows the system administrator to focus on using XML-tagged data intelligently without worrying about the types of browsers that might be used to view that data.

It uses the XML and XSL technology mentioned above, combined with the information in the HTTP header. The system administrator defines the mapping between browser types and XSL stylesheets. Once that mapping is defined, the servlet gets XML data from a data source, then formats that data using an XSL stylesheet. The XML Enabler works with the Lotus Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) Processor to transform data using XSL stylesheets. When an HTTP request comes in to the XML Enabler, it does three things:

1. Gets the XML document requested by the client (the URL of that document is passed as a parameter on the URL).
   
   
2. Looks at the client type (using the user-agent field of the HTTP header), and selects an XSL stylesheet. The stylesheet selected for each user-agent type is defined by the webmaster or webmistress.
   
   
3. Once the XML document and the XSL stylesheet are selected, the two are combined by the Lotus XSL Processor; the output from the XSL Processor is returned to the client. files.

1. What is the IBM XML Enabler?
   
   The XML Enabler is a Java Servlet that converts XML-tagged data into HTML.
   
   
2. How does it work?
   
   The XML Enabler uses two pieces of information to transform the XML-tagged data: 1) The client type, encoded in the user-agent field of the HTTP header, and 2) A table that maps user-agent values to Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) stylesheets.
   
   When the user requests an XML document, the XML Enabler gets the XML document from the requested URL, determines which XSL stylesheet to use for the user's browser, then uses the Lotus XSL Processor to convert the XML-tagged data. The output from the Lotus XSL Processor is sent back to the client.
   
   
3. Where can I learn more about XSL?
   
   XSL is an activity of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). See http://www.w3c.org/TR/WD-xsl for more information.
   
   
4. Is the XSL specification final?
   
   No. The latest draft is dated December 16, 1998. A final specification is expected in 1999.
   
   
5. How do I run the customization wizard?
   
   TTo run the customization wizard, go to the com/ibm/xmlenabler directory (using the appropriate path delimiters, of course). From this directory, type the following command:
   
   java TaskGuide xmlenabler
   
   This will launch the TaskGuide Viewer and run the XML wizard script xmlenabler.sgs.

XML Enabler Platform Requirements
Java Tools	JDK 1.1.6 JRE 1.1.6
Additional Java packages	Java Servlet Development Kit Web server with servlet support Available on alphaWorks: -The Lotus XSL Processor -IBM's XML Parser for Java

XML Enabler Installation Procedures

1. Download and unpack the xmlenabler.zip file into a new directory

2. Add support for the servlet com.ibm.xmlenabler.XMLEnabler using the instructions for your web server. For example, if you're using the ServletRunner from the Java Servlet Development Kit, you'd add this line to your servlet.properties file:
   
   
   servlet.xmlenabler.code=com\ibm\XMLEnabler\XMLEnabler
   
   
   See the documentation for your web server for more information on defining Java Servlets to your web server.

File	Size	Comments
xmlenabler.zip	46 KB	XML Enabler download zip file.