| The main idea behind the concept of separating the | | | | (Open Financial Exchange) is a close relative of XML |
| content from its presentation is to allow website | | | | that has been widely used by financial institutions |
| developers a useful framework to develop their | | | | who have been using Electronic Data Interchange |
| website giving them the ability to change the | | | | (EDI) systems to transmit orders and invoices over |
| website's appearance whenever they like without | | | | private networks, intranets and the internet for |
| needing to redo the content structure. This article will | | | | several years. |
| explain the rationale behind separating content from | | | | The need to present the content in a standard way |
| presentation. | | | | that separates it from any design elements was so |
| Don't get me wrong, there isn't just one method for | | | | urgent that for the first time in software |
| implementing this concept. More than that, since the | | | | development history all the three major players (SUN, |
| introduction of technologies such as CGI, ASP, and | | | | IBM, and Microsoft) actually agreed with each other |
| PHP that allow web developers to generate dynamic | | | | and XML become a standard almost overnight and |
| web pages, a lot of companies have found creative | | | | was adopted by many content providers and news |
| ways to develop their website applications using this | | | | agencies. |
| concept as their foundation. | | | | Yet the concept was not fully implemented. CSS |
| Over the past few years, the internet community | | | | handles the styling aspects while XML handles the |
| has been trying to create a set of standards for | | | | document content. What about the webpage layout? |
| creating web sites. A new technology called CSS or | | | | New websites are been published each day by |
| Cascading Style Sheets has been introduced. There is | | | | thousands. Every day millions of new web pages are |
| nothing actually new in the way CSS handles a web | | | | being added to the internet's global database. |
| page's presentation. CSS allows the developer to | | | | Webmasters have found that changing the page |
| define a style for each html tag element. This is | | | | background color or the font color might not be |
| similar to the method developers (programmers) | | | | enough to keep their website fresh and polished to |
| used in the old days when they attached a variable | | | | compete with other new websites. However, |
| to each html tag defining its style. The major | | | | changing the website layout can sometimes involve a |
| difference is that CSS style definitions can be | | | | lot of effort because it involves modifying the web |
| interpreted by most of the existing browsers | | | | page source code. XSL was introduced to solve that |
| available while in the older method the dynamic web | | | | issue. Consider XSL a set of rules that can describe a |
| page engine performs the interpretation. | | | | web page layout. Combine it with XML (and optionally |
| The internet standards organization W3C has | | | | with CSS) you will get a valid html file. |
| encouraged the use of CSS by enhancing its ability to | | | | XSL is very similar in its mechanics as any other |
| control the web page's look and feel. New style | | | | dynamic web page generator. Beside the fact that |
| options have been added to the CSS specifications | | | | XSL is platform independent, its biggest advantage is |
| that have not been added to the HTML description | | | | that it can be processed on the client side. The web |
| language. There's no doubt that this was a smart | | | | server sends the client the content using XML format |
| move. It's forced web developers to use CSS to | | | | and the layout definition using XSL format. By doing |
| achieve an attractive web page that also supports | | | | that, the load on the web server's CPU is reduced |
| the principle of content separation. Unfortunately CSS | | | | allowing it to perform other tasks more quickly. |
| did not find its way into the internet mainstream | | | | However, XSL was not adopted by all the major |
| easily because of compatibility issues with most web | | | | web browsers. So unlike XML, XSL has not found its |
| browsers. These days CSS is widely supported by | | | | way to the market easily. |
| most of the major web browsers, while CSS2, an | | | | Before you run back to your desk and start |
| enhanced version of CSS still has serious compatibility | | | | redesigning your website according to these |
| issues. | | | | magnificent standards, you should be aware that |
| Obviously, the separation of content from its | | | | those technologies are really not needed most of the |
| presentation deals not only with the styling aspects, | | | | time. In fact, using them unnecessarily can cause |
| but also with browser compatibility issues. The styling | | | | performance problems. CSS usually will not cause |
| aspects were the first to be handled by web | | | | your system to slow down. Just try to keep your |
| developers and web designers. As the complexity of | | | | CSS file as small as possible. Many web developers |
| information technology (IT) systems become | | | | maintain large CSS files with lots of unused style |
| increasingly more difficult to maintain, the internet | | | | definitions. Deciding to work with XML is a serious |
| community is looking for a solution that will become a | | | | decision. If your website generates dynamic web |
| standard so that content can be easily be managed. | | | | pages supported by databases like MySQL, adding |
| One goal for this standard is to define a "language" | | | | additional XML functionality will definitely reduce your |
| that IT systems can "talk" with each other and | | | | website performance. Sometimes you won't have a |
| exchange information. Large corporations have | | | | choice and will need to upgrade your hardware to |
| historically used many different software platforms in | | | | maintain your website's performance. There is no rule |
| their networks to conduct business. Internet based | | | | of thumb for this issue. The decision should be based |
| applications can provide a single platform that can act | | | | on each system and its engineering demands. My |
| as an intermediary between all of these different | | | | advice to you is to think two steps ahead. Try to |
| systems and allow communication between them. | | | | predict what kind of future services your website will |
| XML (Extensible Markup Language) has been adopted | | | | be providing. Plan your website properly at stage one |
| as a standard to present the content itself. OFX | | | | and save yourself lots of effort later. |