Introduction
This three-day
instructor-led his course teaches developers how to program
with XML in the Microsoft .NET Framework in order to build
Microsoft Windows or Web-based integrated applications that
are easier to build, scalable, and flexible.
Audience
This course is intended
for:
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Programmers who build Web-based or Windows
applications that access data |
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Programmers who build Web services |
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Programmers who build applications that access data
stored as XML |
This course is not
recommended for developers who:
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Want to learn a programming language, such as
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET or Microsoft Visual C# |
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Want an introduction to XML and related technologies |
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Want advanced-level information on developing
XML-based applications |
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Want to learn how to program by using Microsoft XML
Core Services (MSXML), or how to program with XML in
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 |
At Course Completion
After completing this
course, students will be able to:
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Explain how XML is integrated into the .NET
Framework and the classes associated with XML in the
.NET Framework. |
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Parse and read XML in the .NET Framework. |
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Write and validate an XML document. |
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Manipulate cached XML documents in memory. |
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Query XML documents. |
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Transform XML documents. |
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Create new XML schemas programmatically. |
Prerequisites
Before attending this
course, students must have:
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Experience with programming languages such as Visual
Basic .NET or Microsoft Visual C#. |
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Experience using the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
developer environment. |
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Experience building applications using the
Extensible Stylesheet Language for Transformation (XSLT),
XML Path Language (XPath), and XML schemas. |
Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to XML
in the .NET Framework
This module introduces the
use of XML in the .NET Framework to help you solve common
business problems. XML is a standards-driven technology that
is ideal for applications that use the Internet. Microsoft's
implementation of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards
ensures that applications you develop with XML in .NET will
successfully communicate with other W3C-compatible
applications
Lessons
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Overview |
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Course at a Glance |
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Common Business Problems |
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XML in the .NET Framework |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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Explain how XML provides solutions to common
business problems. |
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Discuss how Microsoft's implementation of W3C
standards for XML provides a framework for XML
solutions to business problems. |
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Diagram XML support in the .NET Framework. |
Module 2: Parsing XML
This module discusses how
to parse XML data from a file, string, or stream by using
the XmlReader class. It also covers how to use the
XmlTextReader to process XML as text, and how to use the
XmlNodeReader to filter data by using an XPath expression
and the object.
Lessons
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Overview of XML Parsing |
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Parsing XML Using XmlTextReader |
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Creating a Custom Reader |
Lab 2.1: Parsing XML
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Exercise 1: Building an XML Web Service to Parse XML |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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Create a Stream object from an XML file. |
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Build a mutable string by using the StringBuilder
object. |
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Handle errors in the form of XML. |
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Parse XML as text by using the XmlTextReader object. |
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Create a custom XmlReader object. |
Module 3: Validating XML
This module gives an
overview of XML Schema Definition (XSD) data types, and then
covers how to use the Microsoft .NET Framework XML classes
to perform XML schema validation. The lesson Advanced
Validation teaches how to resolve external entities, how to
validate XML fragments, and how to validate XML by using a
Document Type Definition (DTD).
Lessons
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Examining Schemas |
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Validating XML While Parsing |
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Advanced Validation |
Lab 3.1: Validating XML
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Exercise 1: Extend an XML Web Service to Validate
XML |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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Instantiate an XML validating reader. |
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Associate one or more XML schemas with an XML
validating reader. |
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Handle errors that result when a validating reader
processes invalid XML. |
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Create an application that uses the .NET Framework
XML classes and XML schemas to validate an XML
fragment. |
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Resolve a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
reference to a schema or DTD. |
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Create an application that uses the .NET Framework
XML classes and an XSD schema or a DTD to validate
well-formed XML. |
Module 4: Writing XML
Writing XML is a central
skill in developing XML-based applications. This module
describes the .NET Framework classes that are used to write
XML with or without namespaces. The module also explains how
to control the format and validity of XML as it is being
written.
Lessons
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Overview of Generating XML Documents |
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Writing XML |
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Generating XML with Namespaces |
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Controlling XML Format and Converting XML |
Lab 4.1: Writing XML
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Exercise 1: Building an XML Web Service to Write XML |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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Use the XmlTextWriter class to write well-formed
XML. |
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Generate namespaces for elements and attributes. |
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Control indentation and other code format
characteristics when generating XML. |
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Write XML that preserves characters that are
normally represented by using escape characters. |
Module 5: Querying XML
This module explains the
process of querying an XML document by using XPath. It
explains how to write code to load an XML document, and how
to create a navigation cursor by using an XPathNavigator
object. It also explains how to create your query by using
an XPathDocument object, and how to examine the result
types. In addition, this module describes how to compile
your query and evaluate your results.
Lessons
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Introduction to Querying XML Using XPath |
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Creating and Navigating a Document Cache |
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Executing Your Query |
Lab 5.1: Querying XML
Documents Using XPath
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Exercise 1: Creating and Loading an XML Data Cache |
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Exercise 2: Compiling and Executing Queries That
Return Nodes |
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Exercise 3: Compiling and Executing Queries That
Return Numbers |
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Exercise 4: Compiling and Executing Queries That
Return Strings |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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Describe the business reasons for querying XML
documents by using XPath. |
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Cache XML data for querying by using an
XPathDocument object. |
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Create an XPathNavigator object to navigate through
an XML document. |
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Compile and evaluate the result of an
XPathExpression object. |
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Iterate through an XmlNodeList object returned by an
XPath expression. |
Module 6: Manipulating
Cached XML
This module introduces the
XML Document Object Model (XML DOM) and explains how to
locate and manipulate XML by using the DOM.
Lessons
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Introduction to the XML Document Object Model |
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Navigating XML Using the DOM |
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Creating New Nodes |
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Modifying and Deleting Nodes |
Lab 6.1: Manipulating
Cached XMLDocument Objects
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Exercise 1: Loading an XML Document |
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Exercise 2: Navigating an XML Document |
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Exercise 3: Adding Elements and Comments to an XML
Document |
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Exercise 4: Modifying and Deleting Information |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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Open and save XML by using the DOM. |
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Locate XML by using the DOM. |
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Create nodes in the XML node tree. |
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Modify and delete nodes in the XML node tree. |
Module 7: Transforming
XML
This module explains the
process of transforming XML documents. The module teaches
the student how to apply an XSLT transformation to an XML
document by using the .NET XML classes. It does not teach
XSLT syntax or commands.
Lessons
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Introduction to Transforming XML |
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Programmng the XslTransform Class |
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Extending XSLT Style Sheets |
Lab 7.1: Transforming
XML Documents
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Exercise 1: Applying a Style Sheet |
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Exercise 2: Using Style Sheet Parameters |
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Exercise 3: Extending a Style Sheet with an
Extension Object |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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List the business use cases for using XSLT. |
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Describe the transformation process. |
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Apply style sheets to XML documents by using the
XslTransform class. |
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Display XML by using the ASP.NET Xml Web Forms
control. |
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Pass parameters to XSLT style sheets. |
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Apply a style sheet that references an extension
object. |
Module 8: Serializing
Objects as XML
This module provides
students with the skills needed to create XML documents from
the data contained within programmatic objects. This process
is referred to as serialization and can be used to persist
object data or to share object data between applications.
Lessons
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Introduction to XML Serialization |
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Serializing Objects Using XmlSerializer |
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Controlling XML Serialization |
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Lab 8.1: Serializing
Objects as XML
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Exercise 1: Serializing a Purchase Order |
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Exercise 2: Controlling Serialization with
Attributes |
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Exercise 3: Deserializing an Invoice |
After completing this
module, students will be able to:
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Define XML serialization. |
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Serialize and deserialize objects by using the
XmlSerializer class. |
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Control XML serialization by using attributes. |
