RFXML vs HTML: Key Differences Explained
xml
html
markup language
data display
web development
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This article compares XML (eXtensible Markup Language) and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), highlighting the key differences between them.
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language
Figure-1 depicts HTML script example.
- HTML is the foundation of websites and web applications.
- A typical HTML web page is structured into three main sections: header, body, and footer.
- It’s often used in conjunction with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to simplify and shorten HTML code.
CSS separates the styling information (headers, font sizes, colors, tables, images, spacing, paragraphs, etc.) into a separate file. This approach offers several benefits:
- Code Minimization: HTML paired with CSS significantly reduces code redundancy.
- Centralized Control: A single CSS file can control the appearance of multiple HTML files.
- HTML 5.0 is the latest version.
- HTML can be coded in any text editor (Notepad, TextPad, etc.) and saved with the
.htmlextension. - HTML utilizes specific tags to define different structures, such as paragraphs (
<p>...</p>) and images (<imgtag). - Unlike programming languages, HTML doesn’t use conditional statements, arrays, loops, or functions.
XML: eXtensible Markup Language
Figure-2 depicts XML script example.
- XML defines a set of rules or syntax for encoding documents in a machine-readable format.
- It facilitates opening documents in a browser.
- XML is used for web display. Furthermore, web services and applications utilize XML to transmit data requests over the internet.
- XML is a meta-language used to develop other languages, such as RSS (Rich Site Summary) feeds.
It’s crucial to understand that XML is not a replacement for HTML. Both have distinct design goals.
The following table outlines the key differences between XML and HTML:
| Feature | XML (eXtensible Markup Language) | HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Designed to transport and store data, emphasizing “what data is.” XML is all about carrying information. | Designed to display data, emphasizing “how data looks.” HTML is all about displaying information. |
| Language Type | Provides a framework to define markup languages. | Is a markup language itself. |
| Functionality | Neither a programming language nor a presentation language. | Is a presentation language. |
| Case Sensitivity | Case-sensitive, requiring careful attention to detail when writing XML code. | Not case-sensitive. |
| Data Handling | Facilitates data transport between applications and databases. | Helps render web pages on the client-side. |
| Tag Usage | Allows custom tag creation, providing greater flexibility. | Uses predefined tags. |
| Whitespace Handling | Preserves whitespace. | Does not preserve whitespace. |
| Nature (Dynamic vs. Static) | Dynamic, as it carries information. | Static, as it displays information. |
