XML Exercise: A Poem

Before you begin

Before beginning this assignment, you should prepare your workspace: Where do you want to do your coding homework this semester? You will be doing most of your coding work for this course in the <oXygen/> XML Editor. This is installed in the campus computer labs, and you may also install it on any other computer(s) you plan to work with this semester. Also, before beginning homework assignments, you need to read the related tutorials we have posted (plus notes you took in class) and keep these open and handy to consult as you are working. For the very first assignment, here is what you will need:

• Install the <oXygen/> software on your own computer(s) Follow the instructions and apply the license key we have posted on Canvas.
• Read our Introduction to XML
• Read File Conventions for Canvas Assignments, so you will know how to name this and most other homework files you submit on Canvas.

Goals

This assignment should give you experience with:

1. Writing well-formed XML using elements and attributes.
2. Making decisions in how to write XML so that it binds related kinds of information together by:
   • Nesting elements that relate to each other.
   • Thinking about the relationship between your markup and the source document.
   • Thinking of elements and attributes working together (like file folders with labels attached).
3. Using basic features of the <oXygen/> software environment.

Try coding a poem in XML

To get started with XML coding, and working wtih a tree structure for modeling a document, start by coding a poem (which we absolutely chose because it is about trees and leaves). Our source document for this assignment is the poem Leaves by Lloyd Schwartz as posted on poets.org.

Coding the letter in <oXygen/>

• First, highlight and copy the text of the document that is relevant for representing the poem.
• Open a new XML document in <oXygen/>. Click on the icon at top left that looks like a piece of paper with a folded corner (or go to File and New...), type XML in the filter window, and click the Create button to launch a new XML document.
• Paste in the text you intend to mark up, and begin marking it to apply elements and add attributes.
• Tips: Watch the color of the square in the upper right corner: if it is green, your code is well-formed, but if it turns angry red, you will know there is an error, perhaps tangled tags or a missing angle bracket, or a missing root element. Notice how <oXygen/> generates a closing tag every time you type your own start tag. One handy trick is to you use your mouse to highlight text you want to wrap in an element, and use Control+E in Windows (or Command+E on a Mac) to bring up a window to enter an element name. (You have to add the attributes after you set an element name.)
• Save your work frequently, and name your file using our standard form for homework names.

Suggestions for XML markup of a source text

Remember that a well-formed XML tree requires a single root element, wrapping the entire document.

Try highlighting text that you want to tag, and using CTRL + E (Windows) or Command + E (Mac) to fill in a tag name. The oXygen editor will then insert the start and the end tag of an element where you want to wrap it around some text.

Remember that line breaks in the text are not preserved in XML. Mark up the structure of the document accordingly! Use the Format and Indent button (which we call pretty print feature in oXygen to look at the structure you are creating. Here is a screen capture showing you where to find the Format and Indent button. (Note: I have set up my oXygen Editor in dark mode, so your colors will likely look a little different than my image.)

Tips:

• Try not to code element and attributes that copy the same words and phrases in the text. think of categories, standard units, or simple identifiers you can supply so that your markup adds new value to the text.
• Try to use elements and attribute names that you imagine repeating if you were coding many letters in a project. Think about how to keep the coding manageable and not too complicated for others to continue.
• Consider adding elements (perhaps a note with your own text inside) to annotate the document or represent some of the contextual information available with the text. How could you write markup to clearly distinguish your voice from the poem?

There is no single way to do this exercise, but we want you to think about how you nest levels of information (elements within elements), and the relationship between elements and attributes in XML.

When, where, and how to submit the assignment

Check and make sure you saved your file following our homework file naming rules, including giving it a .xml file extension. Submit your XML file on Canvas on Assignments (for XML Exercise 1) before our next class.