Benefits of Using XML Data

This section explains why you should use XML as opposed to HTML content for your Web site. Because of XML’s advantages, Ektron recommends using XML content whenever possible. Below are several reasons why XML is the preferred format for managing content.

Standardized format for capturing content

- You can create an XML Smart Form then require anyone creating content in a folder to use the form. The result is more uniform and consistent information.

- Within an XML Smart Form, you can require authors to complete fields in a specified format. So, for example, if you want the author to enter a date, XML can ensure that it’s captured in a standard format. Several standard formats are provided (email address, zip code), and you can create your own.

Superior control over content display

- Authors contribute XML content but have virtually no control over its format. The Web administrator determines the format through an XSLT file. By customizing the XSLT, you can exert maximum control over your Web site’s appearance.

- Since one file controls several (even hundreds of) pages, you can update just that file to efficiently change the look of all pages whose content is based on the Smart Form.

Improved search capabilities

- Because XML data is captured in individual fields, you can focus a search on relevant fields. For example, if your XML content captures data about books, you can place an author search on your Web site. Since that search only looks through content in the Author field, it is much faster and returns more reliable results than a search of HTML content.