eXtensible Markup Language is used for defining data through HTTP (or any text-only transfer vehicle). Unlike HTML, you can define your own tags (as data types/ fields) and create self-contained, hierarchical data sets. That can be sent anywhere to be processed/ queried.

I have not used it in a production app yet, but we are working on a project where it might fit the bill. Before I go about writing an XML generator/ parser, I wanted to make sure nobody had already done it for me. (I made this mistake with ADO- rolled my own only to find out Ken Levy had already written ( a probably better ) one.)


>What is an XML string?
>
>>Has anyone written a utility to create an XML string from a dbf file, and / or vice versa? Am I the first to need this?