Forum Moderators: phranque
[xml.coverpages.org...]
I continue to be amazed at how much is going on with XML. It seems almost everyday I'm learning about some new initiative/project.
Whats the point of running a dbase site about dynamic online environments if the site you publish is not verified as still containing valid links !
Surely one of the key reasons to use dynamic databases for contents and links etc is to be able to run dynamic cascading updates like for example when links are no longer valid...</cynic>
XML.org is another source for the same info - packaged a bit differently. "XML.org was formed and introduced...by OASIS, the non-profit Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Systems, to minimize overlap and duplication in XML languages and XML standard initiatives...". I have found it to be useful as well for tracking what's happening with XML and the web services it supports.
At first I thought perhaps I was a bit harsh after all link checking usually just verifies that there is a page there not that the content is the same..
Then later I thought no if a link produces an automated 404 page you ought to be able to detect the redirect an note that the page has changed, you might even be able to detect the date of the page but this might be meaningless if linking to a dynamic page (equally so if you managed to cache the old page) so then I thought you could perhaps detect the size of the document returned and if >20% different to what it was at link establishment could infer the link was no longer valid and remove or at least comment on it.
So after all that thinking (first in the bath - then later waiting at th roadside for the AA man to arrive and fix my wife's car) I decided I do stick with what I said, having not yet myself produced a fully dymanic site far less one using xml I do think those out there preaching about it, should set a good example with their own thinking ...
What do you think of the possible methods of link verification suggested above?
txbakers,
I'll get back to you on that. I posted some links in another thread regarding using XML & PHP though I'm not sure they're what you're looking for. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that particular interface myself (MySQL to XML) and how best to use it. I begin an XML class a week from today and hope that will fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge. If you come up with something before I do, please post it here. I'm full steam ahead on working with XML but I'm still sorting out the puzzle.
<added>Another thought. I've been reading about setting up the MySQL db to use XML. Simply put, the table structure and choice of column names follow the XML standard. For example. I have a table called 'Clients' and in that table I have columns for 'Name', 'Address', etc... From this structure I can build my XML document like this:
<clients>
<name>$name</name>
<address>$address</address>
</client>
Mind you this I'm not sure if that example is valid XML but you get the general idea.</added>