XML/HTML Implementation Question. — OZONE Asylum, home of the Mad Scientists

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XML/HTML Implementation Question.

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Your Text: Insert Slimies » Insert UBB Code » Close Last Tag \| All Tags UBB Help	Yeah, see, I understand the general purpose of XML for abstracting data for use in multiple applications. In fact, I am working on an RSS channel for the schools MetaDot portal. In this context the tutorials are very helpful and XML itself is quite intuitive. To start from the beginning. My content management system is not so much about publishing information from alternate sources or providing information in a re-useable manner. Rather it is about easing site production and maintenance. In a nutshell, I am trying to automate the aspects of production that have plagued me in the past 2 years developing and maintaining a 300-page site single-handedly. Because there's no telling how the next site I have to build will be structured, a regular content management system doesn't offer the flexibility to be much use to me. My system will server three basic purposes: [ulist] A nested two-dimensional templating system that allows any page to easily be viewed in text-only/printable/browser-specific modes as well as unique templates for each site. Althought the majority of templating information can be gleaned from the directory structure, exceptions will need to be made on a per-site basis (eg. which pages of a site should be included in the navbar, or which sites even HAVE a navbar). This meta-information will need to be stored somewhere. Re-useable modules which generate standardly formatted output using an individual site's specific data. So, for example, there may be an "Business Hours" module that appears on our various retail sites. It's the same INCLUDE file for every site, but it uses site-specific data to generate the appropriate hours listings for the current date (there may be 20 different schedules for a business unit at a University throughout the year). Although my implementation will generally involve a database, I feel like the data should also be stored in human-readable format and not dependent on the entire system (in case someone wanted to check the data out of context). It will also be easier to migrate the system to different databases and/or languages. *Automated Site Maintenance, such as checking for unique META and TITLE tags for each page, performing translations of standard html elements that are easily produced by hand into obtuse presentation-related bug fixes (eg. <h1> -> <div class="header1"> ), notifying the web manager of necessary updates, etc. There are many more aspects to the site maintenance portion, but the point is it will require meta-data such as expiration dates for pages, and various flags related to what transformations should be performed in what contexts, etc. Again the database will exist, but the basis of the information should be stored in XML for easy accessibility. [/ulist] That is probably way more than you want to know about such a proprietary system in such early stages of development, but that is the basis of my question. Is it better to store snippets of XML in each page's <HEAD> or is it best to have, say, one 'data.xml' file in each site's directory that stores not only the overall site's data, but also contains a hierarchy representing each page in the site to contain page-specific information. -jiblet Loading...
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