XML Data File feature

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XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible way to create common information formats. Once the information format is created, you can share both the format and the data on the web or with other programs and databases.

The XML Data File feature in Microsoft Expression Media exports an XML file that contains basic file-related information for all visible media items in the catalog. The XML Data File export dialog box contains the options to include Media properties, Annotations, and EXIFdata (digital camera information) into the XML data file.

XML is similar to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the language that is used for web pages. Both XML and HTML contain markup tags to describe the contents of a page or file. HTML describes how to display and interact with the content of a web page. XML describes the content in terms of what data is being used.

An XML file can be processed purely as data by a program, stored with similar data on another computer, or, like an HTML file, interpreted and displayed.

Expression Media uses a custom Document Type Definition (DTD) to define the markup of an exported XML file. A DTD is a set of formatting instructions that identifies markup tags and can be stored either in a web document or in an accompanying file. If you include a DTD, you will be able to use another program to process the document and display or print it as intended.

The Export as XML command, on the File menu, exports all catalog text contexts and attributes as an XML file, together with folders that contain thumbnails, audio annotations, and original files. At any point, the whole XML catalog file can be imported again into Expression Media. Below is a sample section of an exported XML data file.

<Expression MediaProperties›
<Width unit="Pixels"›5325</Width›
<Height unit="Pixels"›3543</Height›
<Resolution unit="DPI"›300</Resolution›
<Depth unit="Bits"›24</Depth›
<PrimaryEncoding›PhotoJPEG</PrimaryEncoding›
<ColorProfile›sRGB</ColorProfile›
</Expression MediaProperties›

To export a catalog as an XML data file

  1. On the Make menu, click XML Data File.

  2. Select an Include Sections option. You can include Media properties, Annotations, and EXIF data (digital camera information) in the XML data file.

  3. Select any Create Folders option. Expression Media will create a separate folder for each option that you select. If you do not select any of these options, the content associated with these options will not be exported with the XML file.

  4. Select the option Include document type definition to embed the custom DTD in the exported XML file.

  5. In the XSL section, click the plus sign (+) to choose an XSL style sheet. XSL defines the presentation of an XML document. You can use it to translate XML documents into other formats.

  6. Click Make, and then browse to the location where you want to save the export.

  7. Click Save.