General Software
If the only XML syntax work you expect to do is to code parameter files for running the utilities in this book, probably all you need is a good text or programming editor such as emacs. For Windows users, Microsoft's XML Notepad (Beta version 1.5, May 3, 1999) is available as a free download. I would give you a URL for it, but Microsoft has an annoying tendency to move things around on its site. So, I won't go any farther than pointing you to http://www.microsoft.com and suggesting that you search for “XML Notepad”. XML Notepad should ensure that you create a well-formed XML document, that is, one that complies with W3C's XML Recommendation in certain key aspects. (Note: When used with Internet Explorer version 4.01 and earlier, XML Notepad converted all characters to uppercase. Very few people are likely to have this problem now since most people run later versions of Internet Explorer. If you run into this problem, you'll need to upgrade Internet Explorer to version 5.0 or later.) The Windows Notepad, emacs, or vi will probably do just fine for very light use.
However, if you're going to do much with XSLT or schema design, spending a couple hundred dollars for a good XML tool will probably be a good investment. I list my favorites below.
XMLSPY by Altova GmbH: All you need is the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It helps you design schemas in various schema syntaxes, create instance documents, validate both, and develop and test XSLT stylesheets. XMLSPY runs only on Win32 platforms (Windows NT, 2000, XP, 98, ME). A free evaluation download is available from http://www.xmlspy.com. I used version 4.3 for this book.
TurboXML (formerly XML Authority) by TIBCO: Similar in functionality to XMLSPY, as a Java-based application it runs on many platforms including Windows, Linux, Solaris, HP-UX, and other UNIX platforms. A free evaluation download is available from http://www.tibco.com.
Other tools with similar functionality also exist (for example, eXcelon's Stylus Studio). However, I've not tested or extensively reviewed any of them, so I don't have much to say about them. I have heard of some free, open source tools, but they were still in development when I wrote this book. If I find any good ones I'll post links on my Web site.
If you would like a different way to view an XML document (but not edit it), Internet Explorer version 5.5 is handy. It allows you to expand or contract elements with children so that you can view the complete document tree or just focus on certain branches.
This completes my recommendations for general purpose software. The developer recommendations for the Java and C++ environments are discussed next, but I must raise an important cautionary flag first.
CAUTION Don't Change Horses in the Middle of a Stream!I feel a bit of a nag when reminding people to pay attention to the basics. But it seems that we often forget them or make exceptions when dealing with new technology. After you have downloaded the latest tools and APIs, don't update them until you've finished your project! With updates seeming to come every month or two in the XML world, there is a great temptation to apply them just as soon as they come out. However, I've had too many experiences on other projects over the years of starting to work in the morning and discovering that code that worked last night doesn't work today, even though I didn't change anything. After hours of debugging I found that new libraries had been installed and the problem wasn't my code at all. Save the updates of the APIs until your code is stable and thoroughly tested. Then download the latest, rebuild, and retest. |