Course Description
This five-day instructor-led course provides students with the skills to build a Web application of moderate complexity. Such an application connects to and retrieves data from a data source, processes Extensible Markup Language (XML) data before sending it to the client, and saves updates from the client back to the database.
Target Student: This course is intended for a wide audience of experienced developers who need to learn XML to create Web applications of moderate complexity.
Prerequisites: Before attending this course, students must have:
- Experience with a programming or scripting language such as Visual Basic, Visual Basic Scripting Edition, Microsoft JScript or Microsoft C#.
- Experience building ASP Web applications.
- Familiarity with XML and related technologies is helpful but not required.
Delivery Method: Instructor led, group-paced, classroom-delivery learning model with structured hands-on activities.
Performance-Based Objectives
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- List the uses and benefits of XML in a Web site
- Create well-formed and valid XML documents.
- Create a schema.
- Use XSL to display XML data in a Web browser.
- Use XSL to transform XML data into a different XML format.
- Display dynamic XML data in a Web browser by using data binding and the Document Object Model.
- Use ASP and ADO to read data from a data source and store it as XML
- Add, delete, update data from the client using XML and save to a database on the server
- Post XML data to a Web Service using SOAP and retrieve a response.
Course Content
Module 1: Overview of XML Documents
This module explains the general goals and uses for XML and presents the fundamental structure of an XML document.
Lessons
- Structuring Data
- Introduction to XML
- Creating XML Documents
- Grammars and Namespaces
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- List the uses for XML on a Web site.
- List advantages and disadvantages of using XML.
- Describe the structure of an XML document.
- Create a simple XML document.
- List issues associated with designing XML documents.
Module 2: Overview of XML Technologies
This module explains how to XML and stylesheets are used to organize, transform and display data.
Lessons
- XML Technologies: The Big Picture
- Viewing XML with Style Sheets
- Binding HTML to XML
- Accessing XML Data Using the DOM
- Validating XML
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- List common XML technologies.
- Define and apply CSS and Extensible Stylesheet Language for Transformation (XSLT) style sheets.
- Define data binding and bind HTML elements to XML data.
- Define the Document Object Model (DOM) and use it to access data in XML documents.
- Define XML validation.
- Create DTDs.
Module 3: Generating XML Data from a DatabaseLessons
- Introduction to Generating XML Data
- Retrieving Data Using ADO
- Returning XML to the Client
- Retrieving XML from SQL Server 2000
Lab : Querying a Database and Returning XML Data
- Exercise 1: Creating the Basic Web Site
- Exercise 2: Connecting to a Data Source and Executing a Query
- Exercise 3: Navigating the ADO Recordset to Return XML to the Browser
- Exercise 4: Returning More XML Details for Each Book
- Exercise 5: Querying SQL Server to Return All Book Details
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- List the benefits of generating XML data from a Web application.
- Define ASP and ADO.
- Connect to a data source and execute a query.
- Return generated XML to a client from an ASP.
- Convert the contents of an ADO Recordset into XML.
- Query SQL Server 2000 directly for XML.
Module 4: Displaying an XML Document Using XSLT
This module describes how to write a style sheet by using XSLT and then apply it to a static XML document.
Lessons
- Introduction to Transforming XML with XSLT
- Creating Output Templates
- Filtering and Sorting XML
- Programming with XSLT Constructs
- Transforming XML Structures
Lab : Displaying an XML Document Using XSLT
- Exercise 1: Creating and Using a Style Sheet
- Exercise 2: Creating an HTML Table in the Style Sheet
- Exercise 3: Creating Hyperlinks to a Details Page for Each Book
- Exercise 4: Displaying Authors on Separate Lines
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Describe how XSLT transforms an XML source tree into a result tree.
Write XSLT style sheet templates.
Apply style sheet templates to other nodes.
Write XPath expressions to select and filter nodes.
Sort XSLT output.
Program with XSLT language constructs.
Generate new nodes in the XML result tree.
Module 5: Embedding XML Data in HTML
This module explains how to use XML data islands. The module describes the benefits of embedding XML data in an HTML page, and then outlines how the XML data island is exposed as an ADO recordset.
Lessons
- Accessing Data on the Web
- Data Binding
- Manipulating the Data Source
Lab : Embedding XML Data in HTML
- Exercise 1: Building an XML Data Island
- Exercise 2: Binding an HTML Table to an XML Data Island
- Exercise 3: Binding a Nested HTML Table to Repeating XML Elements
- Exercise 4: Displaying Data Using Non-Tabular Data Binding
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Define XML data islands.
- Describe how to use Data Source Objects (DSO) to display XML data islands in an HTML page.
- Create an XML data island in an HTML file.
- Bind XML data to HTML elements.
Module 6: Manipulating XML Data on the Client Using the DOM
This module explains how to use the DOM to access, manipulate, modify, extend, and transform an XML document.
Lessons
- The DOM View of XML Documents
- Accessing DOM Trees
- Transforming XML with XSL Programmatically
Lab : Transforming XML Data on the Client
- Exercise 1: Transforming the XML Data
Lab : Manipulating XML Data on the Client
- Exercise 1: Adding a <quantity> Element to the OrderItem
- Exercise 2: Adding the <orderitem> Element to a Shopping Basket Data Island
- Exercise 3: Detecting Existing Orders for a Book in the Shopping Basket
Lab : Displaying XML Data Using the DOM
- Exercise 1: Adding the View Order Page
- Exercise 2: Building an HTML String
- Exercise 3: Calculating an Order Summary
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Define the Document Object Model.
- Access the DOM tree and list common DOM objects.
- Navigate a DOM tree.
- Apply an XSLT style sheet programmatically.
- Retrieve information from a DOM node.
- Add, change, and remove nodes from a DOM tree.
Module 7: Posting XML Data from Client to Server
This module explains how to submit XML data from browser to Web server.
Lessons
- Preparing XML Data on the Client
- Posting Data to the Server
- DOM Manipulation on the Server
- Receiving the Response on the Client
Lab : Sending XML Packets to the Server
- Exercise 1: Creating the XML Data Packet
- Exercise 2: Adding the Order Details to the XML Data Packet
- Exercise 3: Posting the XML Data Packet to the Web Server
Lab : Processing XML Packets at the Server
- Exercise 1: Receiving the XML Data Packet at the Server
- Exercise 2: Processing the XML Data Packet at the Server
- Exercise 3: Sending XML Data to the Client
- Exercise 4: Updating the Stock Levels
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- List the benefits of using XML in client/server applications.
- Use the XMLHTTP object to send data back to the server.
- Convert XML into a server-side Document Object Model (DOM) tree.
- Issue a response from the server to the client.
- Process text and XML responses on the client.
Module 8: Validating XML Using Schemas
This module explains how to construct XML schemas and how to statically and programmatically associate them with instance documents.
Lessons
- Introduction to XML Schema Validation
- Creating Simple Datatypes
- Creating Complex Datatypes
- Creating Advanced XML Schemas
Lab : Validating XML Using Schemas
- Exercise 1: Creating the Validation Environment
- Exercise 2: Creating Simple Element and Attribute Declarations
- Exercise 3: Creating Complex Types
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Validate an XML document.
- Create simple datatypes.
- Create complex datatypes.
- Create advanced XML schemas.
Module 9: Introduction to SOAP and XML Web Services
This module explains how to use XML Web services. It includes an explanation of Microsoft .NET and SOAP, and shows you how to call a Web service and how to use the SOAP Toolkit 2.0.
Lessons
- Introduction to XML Web Services
- Introduction to SOAP
- Calling XML Web Services
- Using the SOAP Toolkit 2.0
Lab : Calling an XML Web Service
- Exercise 1: Invoking the Currency Converter Web Service
- Exercise 2: Handling the Web Service Response
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Define an XML Web service.
- Identify scenarios in which XML Web services can be used.
- Build a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) envelope.
- Invoke an XML Web service.
- Build a SOAP application by using the SOAP Toolkit 2.0.
