This four-day course builds skills in Java’s XML processing APIs – chiefly parsing using SAX and DOM and transformations using XSLT, all using the Java API for XML Processing, or JAXP. It also covers the newer Java API for XML Binding, or JAXB, which standardizes serialization according to XML Schema. The course is intended for students with a working knowledge of XML – and possibly DTDs or XML Schema – who want to build XML applications or components using the Java language. Everything in the course adheres to W3C and Java standards for completely portable code.

The first module introduces the JAXP and the two main Java APIs for parsing XML documents: SAX and the DOM. Students learn the basic JAXP architecture and how to create parsers that expose SAX or DOM APIs, and how to configure parsers according to the SAX features and properties specification. SAX parsing is covered, working from simple SAX event handling through patterns for understanding document content from event sequences, to error handling and document validation. Students then learn how to read document information using the DOM’s tree model and API, and move on to using the DOM to modify and to create new documents and information nodes. The final two chapters of this module cover the DOM2 Traversal and Events modules and the JAXB, with a focus on XML serialization and persistence.

The second module introduces students to the XPath and XSLT specifications, and how to use JAXP as an interface to XML transformations. Students learn the basic JAXP Transformer architecture, develop fluency in the exacting but powerful XPath syntax, and then build a number of XSLT transformations. Study of XSLT is arranged first to develop control over output production, including a solid understanding of the sometimes mysterious built-in template rules, template matching, priority and modes, and control of whitespace production. Then students turn towards the source document and learn to extract single values, to make shallow and deep copies of source elements, to use variables, and to use flow-control constructs to effect conditional processing and loops. In the module’s final case study, students build a servlet-based Web application that uses JAXP and XSLT to produce dynamic content based on an XML data source.

The course software also includes an optional overlay of workspace and project files to support use of the Eclipse IDE in the classroom. (This requires that the instructor be experienced in use of Eclipse and able to walk students through basic tasks in the IDE.)

XML Training Learning Objectives

• Understand the use of SAX and DOM APIs for XML parsing.
• Understand the need for JAXP as an additional layer to the standard contract between applications and parsers.
• Use JAXP to write entirely portable XML parsing code.
• Parse element and attribute content, processing instructions, and other document information using SAX.
• Parse documents using the DOM.
• Modify, create and delete information in an XML document using the DOM.
• Use DOM Traversal to simplify and make parsing algorithms more effective.
• Use DOM Mutation Events to track changes to an XML document.
• Use the JAXB to generate persistent Java object models based on XML Schema.
• Implement XML persistence using the JAXB.
• Write simple and complex queries into XML document content using XPath.
• Use XSLT for XML-to-XML transformations.
• Use the built-in template rules correctly to process the right source information.
• Use mode and priority to control template matching.
• Control exact production of text, HTML and XML elements, and whitespace.
• Derive source document content and make copies of node trees.
• Use looping and conditional processing to manage output production.
• Build J2SE and Web applications that leverage XSLT transformation logic.