Notes Week 10

What Is XML?

·         Subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), easy to interchange structured docs over internet

·         Defines how Internet Uniform Resource Locators can be used to identify component parts of XML data streams

·         Document Type Definition: role of each element of text in a formal model, not required in XML

·         XML lets users bring mult files together to form compound docs, where to put pictures in text, give processing control info to supporting programs, add editorial comments

·         Composed of a series of entities, each one contains 1+ logical elements, each elements has certain attributes to describe how to be processed

·         To define tag sets use DTD

·         Some elements are placeholders, empty elements. No end-tag. Usually for graphic.

·         Important=unique identifier, cross reference between two points in doc

·         Text entity, commonly used text within DTD

·         XML file normally has three types of markup, first two option: processing instruction, document type declaration, document instance

Survey of XML standards

·         Builds on Unicode & DTD

·         XML 1.1 first revision, revise treatment of characters in the XML specification to make it adapt more naturally to changes in the Unicode specification & normalization of characters

·         Based on Standard Generalized Markup Language

·         XML Catalogs has instructions how XML processor resolves XML entity identifiers into actual documents. System identifiers given by URIs. Public Identifiers.

·         Namespaces in XML universal naming of elements and attributes in XML docs. Assign vocab markers if want to embed XHTML.

·         XML Base associating XML elements with URIs specify how relative URIs are resolved in relevant XML processing actions

·         Canonical XML Version 1.0 standard method for generating physical rep of an XML document, called canonical form. Accounts for variations allowed in XML syntax without changing meaning.

·         XML Path Language syntax/data model for addressing parts of an XML document, a little language

·         XPointer Framework defines a language to refer to fragments of an XML doc

·         XLink generic framework for expressing links in XML docs. Harder than in HTML.

·         Relax NG XML schema language, define and limit XML vocabs. Original is DTD, but some people dislike it while Relax is more simple/expressive.

·         W3C XML Schema another schema language for XML. First part constrains structure of doc, second constrains contents of simple elements and attributes.

·         Schematron schema language register collection of rules against which the XML doc is to be checked rather than mapping out entire tree structure

Extending Your Markup

·         Looks like HTML docs, starts with a prolog, ends with exactly one element

·         Single element can be viewed as root of doc, build off from there

·         DTD declared in XML doc’s prolog with !DOCTYPE tag

·         Elements nonterminal or terminal. Nonterminal contain subelements, grouped as sequences or choices. Terminal elements as parsed character data or EMPTY. Elements declared as ANY.

·         Elements can have zero or more attributes, declared using !ATTLIST tag

·         Character data most common data type for attributes. Types id, idref, idrefs

·         Namespaces avoids names clashes, can be defined in any element. Define all namespaces within the root element and use unique prefixes. Namespaces and DTDs don’t work well together.

·         Xlink describes how 2 docs can be linked

·         XPointer enables addressing individual parts of an XML doc

·         XPath used by XPointer to describe location paths

·         Location path has location steps

·         XLink to link docs together, uses its own namespace

·         XSL is two languages: transformation language (XSLT) and formatting language.

·         XSLT can transform XML  into HTML, bypass formatting language

·         XML is family of lanugages

W3Schools XML

·         Greatest strength of XML Schemas is support for data types, they use XML Schemas so don’t have to learn new language, secures data communication

·         Well-formed XML doc is a doc that conforms to the XML syntax rules

·         Complex types, simple types

·         <schema> element root

·         Simple element contains only text, can’t have attributes

Muddiest Point Week 9

Could you please explain again how to link CSS style sheets together so that they apply to a whole web page?

CSS Readings

On the making of a most basic CSS webpage...
1. Use either NotePad, TextEdit, KEdit. No word processors. The first line of HTML file tells the browser what type of HTML it is. < and > tags tell browser where to put text of document.
2. To add color: Start with a style sheet embedded inside the HTML file, <style> element. Style sheets in CSS are made up of rules: a. selector tells browser which part of the doc is affected by the rule b. property specifies what aspect of the layout is being set and c. valu is the value of the style property.
3. Then add fonts, make sure you put in alt fonts in case someone is using an old school web browser.
4. Add a navigation bar with 'padding' or 'position'
5. Style the Links, <a> element for hyperlinks
6. Adding a horizontal line to separate the text that is significant at the bottom.
7. Put style sheet in separate file so all pages can then point to it and apply same style

Chapter 2 CSS
A rule is a statement about 1 stylistic aspect of 1 or more elements. A style sheet is a set of 1 or more rules that apply to an HTML document.
A rule has: 1. selector: link between the HTML document and style. Specifies which elements are affected by the declaration. 2. declaration: apart of the rule that sets forth what the effect will be. made of 2 parts: the property, quality or characteristic that something possesses and value, the precise specification of the property.
Gluing combines the style sheet and HTML document by:
1. applying basic, document wide style sheet for the document by using the style element
2. applying the style sheet to an individual element using the style attribute
3. link an external style sheet to document using the link element
4. import a style sheet using CSS @import notation
Must use a CSS enhanced browser to display web page
Properties inherit from parent unless it is the background

Muddiest Week 8

Could you reexplain absolute pathways and relative pathways?

HTML

As part of my undergrad education I had to take a class on web design and learned the basics of HTML, although we didn't really use HTML. We mostly used CSS in Dreamweaver. HTML is interesting. You have to be very exact because one little misplacement of a / and your web page is not going to look like you want it. Likewise, it can be frustrating when you cannot get the exact code as you want it. It is interesting to look at the HTML of a particular web page because it is quite complex. I liked the wired.com cheat sheet. It definitely seems like a handy bit of info of all the typical coding. Luckily in my classes we didn't have to worry too much about writing HTML because I think it would have driven me crazy otherwise. I am not tedious enough to do so.

Notes on the article:
Content management systems collect, manage and publish content. Anyone can make a guide. These guides allow people who want to contribute content to a web page to do so without having to know HTML. With CMS content can be a variety of things, such as resource links, images or PDFs. Once the submitted object is in the database it can be used over and over again. Although some websites decide to use CMS to censor what is being submitted, they also just make it easier to add content to websites. Content can be customized so it lets people be creative, as well. In this article FrontPage was the web development software used, mostly because it was free. After the CMS was developed it was tested out and eventually switched over. The system was proven to be beneficial for managing their research guides. The appearance of the guides stayed consistent. The CMS model has not been something that all libraries have taken on yet, but if they do they should take their time transitioning.

Muddiest Point Week 7

I do not have any muddiest points at this time.

Notes Week 7

How Internet Infrastructure Works
The internet is the formation of all the networks in the world connecting together. In 1964 there were only four host computer systems, not there are an insurmountable amount. The Internet Society is in charge of overseeing the policies and protocols of the internet. A Point of Presence (POP) is how local users use a company's network. There is no controlling network, just more high level networks that control things via Network Access Points. A router is used to communicate one computer with another. An IP address identifies your computer. Its made of octets with a Net section and a Host/Node section. The Net section identifies the computer's network it belongs to and the Host identifies the actual computer. A Domain Name System maps text names to IP addresses automatically so that a user doesn't have to manually connect to a network. Machines that provide services to other machines are the servers, the machines that connect to the servers are the clients. Protocols tell the computer how the client and server will communicate with each other.

Google
Google has over 100 projects. Many of these we have used already, such as the Desktop. Desktop is like a better version of the toolbar for your whole computer. The Google Foundation and Google Grants both work to "make the world a better place" by supporting numerous charities. Google Answers is a service that allows a user to ask researchers any question and have them research it for you. Adsense is a program that makes it so featured ads will be relevant to the individual user's interests. Orkut is a social network Google invented that is slowly gaining users. Google believes that they should make money from ads, not by having people pay for their search results.

Dismantling Library Systems-Pace
Integrated Library Systems (ILS) have to work hard to remain relevant and keep up with evolving technologies. They either must start over or retool to add new software to their system. It is highly discouraged to start over because it can make for a lot more work than is necessary and ruin what they had before. Pace says that ILS can either "continue to maintain large systems that use proprietary methods of interoperability and promise tight integration of services for their customers or choose to dismantle their modules in such a way that librarians can reintegrate their systems through web services and standards."

Muddiest Point Week 6

Can you please provide examples for the different network set ups (bus, star, ring) and what kind of institution would employ them? Which one is the most popular and/or efficient? Also, with peer-to-peer, why is it that sometimes on the wireless network connections on my PC there will be other people's computers on the list, but you cannot connect to them?

Notes on Computer and Wireless Networks

On the Local Area Network (LAN) wiki--
LAN is a computer network that interconnects computers in limited area, such as ones that are in a home or schools. Because they are in a smaller area they have a faster data transfer rate and do not require leased telecommunication lines. Typically Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two options for building LANs. Ethernet was developed at Xerox PARC in 1973-75. Coaxial cable has traditionally been used for cabling to form LANs, but now that Wi Fi has become popular they are not necessary. LANs will forever remind me of my dorky high school friends who used to have 'LAN parties' to play video games against each other.

Computer Networks wiki--
Computer networks are a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communications channels that make it so that resources and information can be shared. Communications protocol are utilized for sharing information, such as Ethernet, IPS. These computer networks are what make is possible for us to email, share documents, or connect to a shared server. However, they also help viruses to spread, interfere with other technologies, and be difficult to set up.

Management in RFID in Libraries, Coyle--
RFIDs are like bar codes, but read with an electromagnetic field. RFID stands for radio frequency identifier. They can carry more complex tasks then a bar code. Some familiar usages are in cars for auto tolls, card keys or to track animals. They can be used in a library for security measures as they can keep track of when an item is checked in or out. When a person checks out of the library they can check out a stack of books at once instead of scanning each bar code. RFID tags can save time processing and money since it has all the information on the chip. They make it easier and more cost-effective to inventory and to do so more regularly.

How To Use SweepstakesAdvantage.com: Jing inspired tutorials

Jing Video Tutorial

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Muddiest Point Week 5

Is there a popular content management system that most libraries use? Why is that one universally agreed upon, if so? Do libraries and archives use different management systems? Museums?