RE: XML newbie

>Ok, so are there tried-and-proven methods...

Yes

>...or is this something so simple that people just roll their own?

Yes! <G>

I've _not_ done this from RPG so I can't comment on the ease from there, but
remember, XML is just a big text string. The trick is coming up with the
schema that describes your data. If you are both the publisher and consumer
of the XML you're free to pick, else you have to negotiate.

For example, take the following normalized DB:

Customers:
ID      Name
1       Bob
2       Jane

Items:
ID      Name
1       Razor
2       Watch
3       Windows XP

Orders:
ID      Cust    Date
1       1       5/13/03
2       1       5/14/03
3       2       5/14/03

Order Lines:
Order   Line    Item    Qty
1       1       1       5
1       2       3       1
2       1       2       4
2       2       3       100
3       1       1       1

For order #1 the following XML snipit is valid:

<Order ID="1" Date="5/13/03">
        <OrderLine Line="1" Item="1" Qty="5"/>
        <OrderLine Line="2" Item="3" Qty="1"/>
</Order>

However, for the first line item the following is also valid:
        <OrderLine LineNo="1" ItemNo="1" Quantity="5"/>

As is:
        <OLine Ln="1" ItemNumber="1" HowMany="5"/>

As is:
        <Line TheLine="1" TheItem="1" Count="5"/>       

Etc. In each of these cases I've described the same data using different
words (ie. Qty, Quantity, Howmany, Count) What you use doesn't really matter
as long as the publisher and consumer agree on the words and that's the
point of the schema.

As to "how" to generate this, you could use the CONCAT opcode and make the
string, piece it together using arrays, use DOM, or probably use a fancy SQL
statement, it doesn't matter. 

-Walden

------------
Walden H Leverich III
President
Tech Software
(516) 627-3800 x11
(208) 692-3308 eFax
WaldenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.TechSoftInc.com 

Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)