How are XML documents created?
XML can be used when documents are created or can be applied retrospectively to existing documents, although retrospective conversion may not be as easy as encoding at the time of creation. A plain text editor such as Microsoft Notepad can be used to create XML documents, but it is generally easier to use a dedicated XML authoring tool. Work on the LEADERS project has used SoftQuad XMetaL 2, but many other XML authoring tools are available. In future, XML capability may increasingly be found within proprietary word-processing software; but at present the use of conventional word-processors to create XML documents cannot be recommended because of the risk that proprietary encoding will be added to the XML markup. In order to create XML documents it is necessary to have some knowledge of XML’s rules for document structure. A basic understanding of document type definitions is also likely to be required. When an XML authoring tool is used, the application of XML is greatly simplified and
