XML stands for "eXtensible Markup Language" and is a widely used language for structuring and presenting data. Essentially, XML is used to organize information in a formatted, hierarchical manner. It's similar to HTML but much more flexible, allowing for the creation of custom tags to label specific types of data.
XML finds applications in various fields such as:
Web Development: Used for data transmission between different systems or configuring web services.
Databases: Facilitates data exchange between different applications or for storing structured data.
Configuration Files: Many software applications use XML files to store settings or configurations.
Document Exchange: Often used to exchange structured data between different platforms and applications.
XML uses tags similar to HTML to organize data. These tags are used in pairs (opening and closing tags) to denote the beginning and end of a particular data component. For example:
<Person>
<Name>Max Mustermann</Name>
<Age>30</Age>
<Address>
<Street>Main Street</Street>
<City>Example City</City>
</Address>
</Person>
Here, a simple XML structure is articlen containing information about a person including name, age, and address.
XML provides a flexible way to structure and store data, making it an essential tool in information processing and data exchange.