Web Service Development: XML Basics Quiz

Course Information

• Course: BSc (Hons) Software Engineering
• Module Name: Web Service Development
• Module Code: WAT 2104C
• University: University of Technology, Mauritius
• Semester: November 2024

XML and XML Schema & XML Parsers

• Topics to cover: Reading XML, XML Validation, Parsing XML into Objects, Modifying XML, Advanced Filtering

XML - Short Introduction

• XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language
• Designed for storing and transporting data
• Human- and machine-readable
• Self-descriptive using tags
• Platform-independent and language-neutral
• Commonly used in web services, configuration files, and data storage

XML Files

• Start with an optional declaration line (e.g., <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>)
• Example XML files (lunch menu): Include different food items, price, description, and calories

XML Rules

• Case-sensitive: <name> and <Name> are different
• Closing tags: Each opening tag must have a matching closing tag
• Root element: XML files require a single root element
• Attribute values: Attribute values must be quoted

Reading XML

• Exercise 1: Read and extract data (food items, price, descriptions, calories) from inline XML
• Exercise 2: Read data from a file, print only food items with calories below 320

XML Validation

• Step 1: Create and save an XSD file outlining XML structure and data types
• Step 2: Load the XSD file using XmlReader and XmlReaderSettings
• Step 3: Validate XML data against the XSD
• Error handling if data doesn't comply to XSD
• Create an XSD file that restricts values based attributes

Parsing XML into Objects

• Create C# class Ticket matching XML structure (type, fare, zone, time restriction)
• Parse data from XML elements into Ticket objects
• Additional task: Include discount property in class

Modifying XML Data

• Add new entries
• Modify existing entries
• Remove entries based on conditions
• Save updated XML to a file

Advanced Filtering

• Filter XML elements based on specific criteria (price, description, minimum height, etc.)
• Use XPath queries for selecting elements meeting criteria
• Extract specific data based on conditions from XPath queries

Test your knowledge on XML and XML Schema, focusing on concepts such as reading, validating, and parsing XML. Explore the rules and structures of XML files and their practical applications in web services and data storage. This quiz is designed for students in the BSc (Hons) Software Engineering course.