I have noticed that XML is in the HTML forum when XML is used for storing data, not actually displaying it. This makes me think it is a database rather than programming language. Who here agrees with my views?

Well XMl is almost like HTMl except that XMl does not have any fix tags, meaning that each tag is very specific like a heading tag like <h1>; unlike html, xml the programer can define his own tag to corresponde with the data that is being used. Its more like SGML it is a meta language or a language that defines other languages, and so in a way you can define your html just a bit more with specific xml tags that html will translate into the rest of the design.

It's a programming language, but it can't be used independantly of an interpretor. It can be used to store data, but it can also be used to display data and content.

XML is a programming languange, and a caching file too, I think so.

XML is certainly not a programming language, neither is HTML or XHTML. You can not do any calculations with XML, it's impossible to do 2+2 with XML. XML is a general-purpose extensible markup language. XHTML and HTML are also markup languages, but with defined tags and values.

It is not a database language either, but XML files can be used as databases because a XML document can easily be parsed by another program. XHTML, RSS and SVG are examples of markup languages that use the XML syntax, but none of them are related to databases.

This post has been edited by Amezis: Nov 9 2007, 08:58 AM

right-e-o! after reading sm's post, i was thinking to myself...all that typing just to give a simple "no"? yes, xml like html helps define a language. they aren't one. just like meta tags will define things even further within an html document. it's a markup language. that's what xml is defined as just like html. they can't compete with any programming language whatsoever. these markup languages cannot proccess what a programming language can. now to be more specific, and i will try my best in this in simple terms for understanding, html is used for oraganizing information and how things look. your end result being your webpage. xml is pretty much used for defining information or data and because xml can be used to store information or data, it can be used for a database but is NOT a databased language. again, it is ONLY a markup language

now i know there has been a ton of debates about wether xml or even html is a programming language. this will continue until the world comes to an end....but only because people don't understand how things are proccessed in a programming language. heck, even i don't fully.

hope this helps. it's hard to define languages in simple terms. why the original question? was there a purpose or were you just curious?

Yes. XML, HTML, XHTML, et ceteral are just markup languages and nothing more. They're used for defining settings and creating general purpose documents. Creating documents is the keyword, here. You don't make applications or scripts, but documents, like spreadsheets and letters, documentation, and web pages. If it were a programming language, it would be able to do mathematical calculations and use functions of mathematical functions as well as machine code and libraries. Last time I've heard HTML doesn't require libraries to unlock new functions - you just type and view. It's not turing complete by any means and so can't be a programming language.

Saying that a markup language is a programming language means that you have a lot more to learn about computers.

This post has been edited by Tetraca: Nov 9 2007, 12:48 PM

Well, I was using programming language very loosely when I stated that HTML was a programming language. It is in some ways a "programming language". It is telling your web browser to perform certain actions there by "programming" your screen. So in some ways I am correct and in many ways incorrect. Also, I had a very valid point with this question. I am seeing if I can use XML as a secure flat file database system for storing something like my index of files or something.

again, the question has been answered for you unless you want to be more specific. YES, xml can be used for a database

but NO in every sense of the word that xml and html are programming languages. they are languages, yes, but not programing languages. they follow a set of rules based on the language, yea, but like tetraca said, they offer no mathmatical calulations or fuctions. in other words, they don't compute things like a programming language does. they don't interpret 1's and 0's so how can they even speak to your computer?

just because programming languages can be embeded in other computer languages do