A brief introduction to XML and SOAP
In the real world, computer systems and databases contain data in incompatible formats. One of the most time-consuming challenges for developers has been to exchange data between such systems. XML is a standard tool for data exchange between different types of applications.
One minute guide to XML
- XML stands for EXtensible Markup Language
- XML is a markup language like HTML, but is designed to describe data and focus on what data is.
- XML tags are not pre-defined, you must define your own tags.
- XML is used to Exchange data.
- XML Tags are case-sensitive.
- Comments in XML are similar to that of HTML.
- XML has a shorthand for empty elements: A sole tag ending with /> signals that the element has no contents.
One minute guide to SOAP
- SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol.
- SOAP is a protocol for exchanging XML-based messages over computer network using HTTP.
- HTTP + XML = SOAP.
- SOAP is platform & language independent.
- SOAP message is an ordinary XML document which has an "Envelope" element as its root element in addition to an optional "Header" element, the "Body" element.
What is escape sequence in XML?
An escape sequence causes an escape from the normal interpretation. A C/C++ programmer might have used the following escape sequences frequently viz.
\n - New Line
\r - Carriage return
\t - Tab
In XML, several characters are part of the syntactic structure of XML and will not be interpreted as themselves if simply placed within an XML data source. You need to substitute a special character sequence (called an "entity" by XML). These special characters are:
| Special character | Escape Sequence | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| & | & | Ampersand sign |
| ' | ' | Single quote |
| " | " | Double quote |
| > | > | Greater than |
| < | < | Less than |
For example, "Branches & Divisions" would be encoded as "Branches & Divisions"
XML support in Tally Prime
One of the most powerful features of Tally Prime Software is its support for XML tags for data exchange. A software developer can integrate any existing application to read and write from and to Tally Prime using XML Tags. This would certainly benefit the customer who is saved of doing same entries in Tally Prime for Accounts finalization purpose.
As stated earlier, XML tags are not pre-defined as HTML tags. Tally Prime software has its only XML tags and these tags are specific to Tally only.
udiMagic Software and Tally Prime
- udiMagic is data converter tool.
- It uses XML for data exchange with Tally.
- It converts Excel data into XML format.
- It then automatically imports the XML data into Tally.
- The XML can be redirected to a file also using the Settings button in udiMagic.