Hey,
Thanks ahead of time to each of you for reading this.
I'm an XSD, XML, XSLT Newbie....and am trying to learn the process.
However, I really need some input - not from a programming perspective,
but from a philosophy and usage perspective.
For instance, I'm a current user and programmer of Perl...using SQL, CGI,
and Perl DBI for pulling information from an Informix Relational Database.
I'm able to pull data out of a database quite easily...via Perl
DBI/SQL...and format it with Perl into quality HTML pages. ..and the
process is rather efficient.
For HTML, I can build the pages via wriing the code myself, or using Perl
script, etc, I can also, at times, use a text editor (or text editor
assistant / html formatter) to build basic html and modify it as needed.
[Instead of coding a table by hand, for example, I'll use an editor
assistant (such as Dreamweaver, or Notetab) to create all the code for a
3x4 table...and then modify and/or populate the HTML as needed].
So for this process, I'm going from database ...via Perl script...to HTML.
In learning XSD, XML, XSLT, however, I just don't see the advantage of it?
What more does XSD, XML, XSLT give me as a programmer?
For me to do the same steps....to go from a database to web page, it seems
to me that I have to take three [or four] more major steps...each
involving a more complicated process. From my beginner perspective, I have
to build a XSD...and then a matching XML - based upon the XSD (validating,
etc.). For output, I have build the output leg, XSLT (transforming the
XML, etc)....to get the same results. I just don't see the advantage.
In my current programming, I'm using one scripting process
DATABASE --> [1] Perl/DBI (using SQL) --> To HTML/Web Page
In using XML, I need three (or four) processes:
[1] Build XSD first. Then: DATABASE --> [2] Perl/DBI (using SQL) -->
To
XML. Then,
[3] Build an XSLT --> [4] Transform the XML via XSLT --> HTML/Web page
Isn't this far more complicated?
Granted, I could see advantages if I were outputting my data in different
ways...say, one of my outputs was for the Internet, another for a PDA,
another for an RSS feed....etc.
OR, I could possibly see advantages [per the claims I've heard from big
corporations] if I were a great business enterprise...and all my data
needed to be standard...and I needed to use my own mark-up language -
though I'm not fully convinced of this.
But for simple processes....from database to web, I just don't get it It
seems far more complicated, and [other than buiiding my resume skills]
raises the question if it's worth...
So, for an uneducated newbie, can you help? I've learned XSD...and
XML...and am working on the XSLT, but I haven't seen enough to "buy into
it". What's the real benefit of learning and using XSD, XML, AND XSLT? -
especially over a simple process like Perl/DBI....and why ?
THANK YOU ahead of time,
Jarrell
Jarrell R. Dunson, III
Asbury Theological Seminary
Administrative Computing Coordinator
Jarrell_Dunson(_at_)asburyseminary(_dot_)edu
(859) 858-2379 (direct)
(859) 858-2330 (fax)