XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a widely used data format for storing and transferring information. It is often used in web development, as it allows for structured data to be easily shared between different systems. However, displaying XML data on a webpage can be a bit tricky, as it is not natively supported by web browsers. Fortunately, JavaScript can come to the rescue and make it possible to display XML data in a user-friendly way. In this article, we will explore how to display XML using JavaScript.
Step 1: Understanding XML
Before we dive into the technical details, it's important to have a basic understanding of XML. XML is a markup language that uses tags to define data elements and their relationships. It is similar to HTML in structure, but instead of predefined tags, XML allows for the creation of custom tags. This flexibility makes it a popular choice for data storage and exchange.
Step 2: Create an XML Document
To display XML using JavaScript, we first need an XML document to work with. Let's create a simple XML document that contains information about a book:
```
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<book>
<title>JavaScript for Beginners</title>
<author>John Smith</author>
<year>2021</year>
<publisher>ABC Publications</publisher>
</book>
```
Save this document as "book.xml" in the same directory as your HTML and JavaScript files.
Step 3: Setting up the HTML Page
Next, we need to create an HTML page that will display the XML data. We will use a simple table to display the data in a structured format. Here's an example HTML code:
```
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Displaying XML with JavaScript</title>
<script src="displayXML.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Book Information</h1>
<table id="bookTable">
<tr>
<th>Title</th>
<th>Author</th>
<th>Year</th>
<th>Publisher</th>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
```
Make sure to include a reference to the JavaScript file "displayXML.js" in the head section of the HTML document.
Step 4: Writing the JavaScript Code
Now comes the fun part - writing the JavaScript code to display the XML data. We will use the XMLHttpRequest object to load the XML document and parse it. Here's the code:
```
// Create a new XMLHttpRequest object
var xhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
// Set the callback function
xhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {
if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {
// Call the displayXML function when the XML document is loaded
displayXML(this);
}
};
// Open the XML document
xhttp.open("GET", "book.xml", true);
// Send the request
xhttp.send();
// Function to display the XML data in a table
