Displaying XML Data Islands with JavaScript

y capitalizing on Internet Explorer's ability to embed XML data islands in Web pages you can create customized data-display pages with just a few lines of JavaScript

In today's IT world, Extensible Markup Language (XML) is fast becoming the language of choice for transportable data. XML's allure lies in its ability to present a structured environment for data from virtually any data source. Almost every data repository is now able to produce an XML view of its data either natively or through a parsing program.Unfortunately, Web browsers don't automatically display XML data in a form that users can interact with easily. What can you do to display XML data in a usable form?



Internet Explorer (IE) 5 lets you embed XML documents in HTML pages—a capability known as "data islands." One of the simplest solutions to the XML display problem is to bind objects on the page to the data using Microsoft's DSO (Data Source Object) binding technology. When your clients use IE5, all you need to do is create a data island, write some simple JavaScript, and you're home free! In this 10-Minute solution, you'll see how to consume data stored in an XML document using Internet Explorer 5 (IE5), some simple JavaScript, and an XML data island. Because data islands are proprietary, this solution is more appropriate for an intranet standardized on IE5 than for an Internet application.