First let me introduce the issue I'm trying to address.
XML seems to solved a lot of issues I've encoutered before.
Among those, is the 'template' thing: id est, in a complex & dynamic web
site, it's always a problem to make the presentation part and the
computing part interoperate.
Typically, there are two solutions:
* ASP/JSP/PHP, where the code and the layout/output are mixed
Leads to maintenance nightmares.
As soon as the code is gettig complex enough, it' getting unreadable.
* Template-based mechanisms
Often not flexible enough. When you want to add flexibility, you end up
designing your own little language to handle conditional stuff. E.g., in
a db table output, you may want to have a label only if there is a
non-NULL value.
Here comes XML, and here's the idea I have.
I want to be able specify an HTML formular or list of formular (think
'wizard', with 'Next >>' buttons) as an XML file.
Now I haven't ever used XML, just read a lot of specs and APIs docs, and
what I'm asking here is the following: could someone write a short
example of a (part of a) XML document that could specify this, or give
me hints? Then I'll implement it and release it.
For example, I'm thinking about something along those lines:
<XXFORM>
<PAGE NUMBER=1>
<XXTITLE>User information</XXTITLE>
<H1>Please provide user information</H1>
<ENTRY TYPE=text NAME=name CONTENT=text
CONSTRAINT=filled><P>Your name: <XXINPUT/>
(mandatory)</P></ENTRY>
<ENTRY TYPE=text NAME=age CONTENT=int>Your age:
<XXINPUT/> (optional)</ENTRY>
<ENTRY TYPE=textarea NAME=comments CONTENT=text>Enter
comments here: <XXINPUT/> (optional) </ENTRY>
</PAGE>
<PAGE NUMBER=2>
...etc...
</PAGE>
</XXFORM>