W3C Architecture Domain

W3C XML Pointer, XML Base and XML Linking

The XML Linking Working Group has completed its work and is no longer active. The XML Activity Statement discusses the W3C's work on XML as a whole; the XML Linking Working Group's final charter covers its last set of work on XML Linking and XPointer in more detail. Responsibility for maintenance of documents issued by the WG rests with the XML Core Working Group in the first instance.

A public registry for XPointer schemes is available.

Check the Implementation Chart.

XML Linking and XML Base reached Recommendation status on June 27th 2001

XPointer reached Recommendation status on 25 March 2003, in three parts: XPointer Framework, XPointer element() scheme and XPointer xmlns() scheme

XML Linking Language (XLink)

Description

This specification defines the XML Linking Language (XLink), which allows elements to be inserted into XML documents in order to create and describe links between resources. It uses XML syntax to create structures that can describe the simple unidirectional hyperlinks of today's HTML, as well as more sophisticated links.

W3C Status

Documentation and associated resources

Implementations

XML Base

Description

This specification proposes syntax for providing the equivalent of HTML BASE functionality generically in XML documents by defining an XML attribute named xml:base.

W3C Status

Documentation and associated resources

Implementations

XML Pointer Language (XPointer)

Description

This work defines the XML Pointer Language (XPointer), the language to be used as a fragment identifier for any URI-reference that locates a resource of Internet media type text/xml or application/xml.

XPointer has been split into a framework for specifying location schemes, and three schemes: element(), xmlns() and xpointer(). The framework and the first two schemes form the XPointer Recommendation, and provide a minimal inventory of mechanisms.

The xpointer() scheme, which is based on the XML Path Language (XPath), is still under development. It supports addressing into the internal structures of XML documents. It allows for traversals of a document tree and choice of its internal parts based on various properties, such as element types, attribute values, character content, and relative position.

W3C Status

Documentation and associated resources

Implementations


Valid HTML 4.0! Henry S. Thompson
Created by Dan Connolly April 2000
$Revision: 1.62 $ $Date: 2005/05/12 12:49:23 $

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