XML vs HTML: Differences and Similarities

Markup code, or markup language, is basically a set of words and symbols created by the computer industry for the purpose of processing, organizing and presenting information, and to inform the computer how to interpret a document.

Unlike other programming languages, markup languages ​​are both user-friendly and machine-friendly. In general, they contain standard words in a syntactic way that makes them easy to understand by the reader. Although a number of different markup languages ​​exist, HTML and XML are two of the most commonly used markup languages.

In recent times, HTML and XML have become two of the most popular languages ​​used on the Internet. Due to their wide range of applications, advantages and disadvantages, these languages ​​can be used in different scenarios. Here we will compare two of the most common markup languages ​​in different aspects.

Let’s take a look at data science-based interview questions based on scenarios.

What is XML?

The Extensible Markup Language (XML), also known as the XML Schema, is a markup language for describing, formatting, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data in various formats. It outlines the rules for encoding documents in a way that makes them both machine-readable and human-readable. In terms of its dynamic nature, it serves as a means of transporting data, not displaying it.

XML emphasizes simplicity, generality, and a degree of flexibility to work on the web. Although the XML is document-oriented, the language can also be used to represent any data structure, including those for web services. Users have the freedom to design their own tags in XML – they describe themselves.

Features of XML

• Because XML stores data in plain text, it simplifies data storage. This makes retrieval easier than in databases.
• When it comes to transporting data, XML files are great, especially for applications that aren’t compatible with displaying other data formats.
• The XML format is compatible with many reading devices, making it accessible to the blind or people with other disabilities.
• The XML language is extensible. Users can create self-descriptive tags in any language, depending on application requirements.
• There are no predefined tags in XML. It is important to define your custom tags.

What is HTL?

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is a standard language for web-based documents. It consists of a series of elements that envelop and enclose content, making it behave or appear in a certain way.

Using the attached tags you can, among other things, hyperlink words or images, make words italic, make fonts larger or smaller. Aided by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages ​​such as JavaScript, this process can be accomplished more easily. An enclosing tag can link one word or image to another, make words italic, or make the font larger or smaller.

It is used to annotate text (note to the computer) so that a machine can better understand and manipulate the text. In addition, website designers can use HTML to create order forms, reservations, and search forms. The HTML coding language is therefore the cornerstone of building your brand and running your online subscription-based business.

Features of HTML

• Besides being a simple, easy language, it supports writing web pages and is easy to learn.
• Codes can be changed and are easy for anyone to understand.
• HTML contains many tags that can be used to create web pages.
• This tool allows the creation of web pages with the content of the user’s choice.
• In addition, it provides hyperlinks to other pages, which makes browsing much easier.
• The HTML language is independent of the operating system (OS). It is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux.
• Pages can be embellished with images, sounds and videos, which makes them very attractive.
• It is easily compatible with scripting and style languages ​​such as CSS and JavaScript, allowing for dynamic functionality.
• There is plenty of support for embedding multimedia in documents.
• It is flexible enough to support hyperlinks if needed.

XML vs HTML

While both HTML and XML are markup languages, they differ significantly in many ways. Both have many advantages and disadvantages that can also be taken into account when making decisions. These are some of the main differences between the two:

1. Objective

XML is by nature designed for transporting and storing information.

In contrast, HTML is used to improve the appearance of text and data.

2. tags

As part of XML, the user has the option to create tags. This allows users to create tags in any language they want.

Tags are predefined in HTML. A user can use the tags to create web pages according to their needs.

3. Nature

Since XML is used for data transport, it is dynamic in nature.

Since HTML is mainly used to represent data, it is static in nature.

4. Language type

Since XML is case sensitive, it is important to consider uppercase and lowercase letters when writing code.

Since HTML is not case sensitive, uppercase and lowercase letters are not important.

5. Coding Errors

XML will not return the final result if there is an error in the code.

Minor coding errors can be ignored in HTML and the result can still be achieved.

6. Document size

The document size can be large in XML.

HTML does not support long documents. A best formatted output can be achieved by simply adding the syntax.

7. Scary of tags

A well-formed XML document should have a closing tag.

A closing tag is not always necessary in HTML. Although the tag must be associated with a tag, has the
-tag none
tag needed.

8. white spaces

In XML, spaces are preserved – you can use them in your code.

The HTML language does not store spaces, so you cannot use them in your code.

9. Nest

In XML, nesting must be done properly.

Nesting does not affect HTML code in any way.

10. drivers

Because XML is content-driven, it doesn’t have many formatting options.

However, HTML is presentation driven. The appearance of the text is extremely important.

11. Object support

XML objects are expressed using conventions, mainly attributes and elements.

The HTML language supports native objects.

12. Null support

XML instance documents must use xsi:nil for elements and the associated namespace must also be imported.

The HTML language recognizes the null value natively.

13. Making decisions

In XML, it takes more time and effort to map application types to XML elements and attributes.

Direct mapping is provided for application data in HTML.

14. Document size

A document in XML is usually large in size, especially when it uses an element-oriented approach to formatting.

HTML has a short syntax and produces formatted text.

15. Parsing in JavaScript

XML requires a DOM implementation and JavaScript code to map the text inside objects.

To parse text into HTML, it is not necessary to write additional application code. This can be achieved using JavaScript’s eval function.

16. learning curve

It is very difficult to learn XML because it involves learning technologies such as DOM, XPath and XML Schema.

Developers are familiar with HTML because it is a simple technology stack.

Conclusion

XML and HTML are both markup languages ​​that handle data and can be used together. They both use Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and respond directly to browser requests or with AJAX. The HTML code is responsible for displaying the data while the XML code is responsible for storing and transferring the data. Although both languages ​​are markup languages, their practices are very different.

HTML and XML are the structural foundation of any website or application, so learning them is crucial. While HTML is a simple predefined language, XML is a standard language used to define other languages. The importance of learning both HTML and XML cannot be overemphasized as they are the foundation of all websites and applications and serve as the structural and integral elements.

Shivam Bhatele is a software developer.