[XML-SIG] Where to start?

[Martin v. Loewis]

> I am ready to leave my secure world of fixed length records and
> enter the brave new world of XML.  I have looked through the
> website, including this SIG; I have purchased the XML Processing
> with Python book and worked through the examples (though they do not
> seem to work with Python 2.1.1.  There appear to be many choices for
> XML processing software (or perhaps I'm reading it wrong)...what do
> you suggest I use to create and process XML for transmission via
> sockets?  

For creating XML, plain print/write statements are usually sufficient,
unless you already have some XML which you use to create other XML.

For processing, there are many options, and knowing that the output
will get over a socket doesn't help much in deciding which one is
best. With no further information, I'd recommend to use the DOM API.

> Are there any good tutorials? The How-to was hard to
> follow (IMHO, I may be a bit slower than the average bear)?

Don't be tricked into assuming XML was easy to do, even if people tell
you it is. It takes quite some learning effort, as there are many
issues involved. I would recommend that you attempt to solve the
problem at hand; that will already provide you with an understanding
of the application domain. If you then find specific questions of the
type "how do I", don't hesitate to ask them here.

Regards,
Martin