7. XML tools

7.1 XML parsers

An XML parser is the basic software layer that is indispensable in any IT application that uses XML data representation: it is the parser that enables you to move from the standardized external representation of information, in the form of a tagged text stream, to an internal representation specific to the application.

An XML parser can only process a well-formed document in its entirety, and must report any malformation in the tagged flow as a fatal error. There are also validating parsers, capable of comparing an XML document with its DTD and reporting so-called validity errors. With the emergence of XML schemas, this category of parsers will gradually be supplanted by tools capable of comparing an XML document with its schema.

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