data transfer and display, xml application standard?

searain

I want to save a shopping cart order information, 10 items of products (each product will have item, code, name, price, quantity inforamtion) all in one field called "order_products".

I want to be able later on grab the data from this field called "order_products" to display it nicely. Such as HTML table.

So it might be nice that I save these 10 items of products information in an html table format in the first place. So later on, I just call it and display it directly.

But in other applications, I may also need to dig out the information of each item, such as the code, the name, the quatity, product by product.

To dig this out this kind information from a HTML table is hard and not general applyable.

So I guess the solution is XML application.

So XSL sheet can determines the display. Also the data in the XML format can be easily grab and dig out which is which.

Any one can recomend any standard XML application in the business world for this purpose?

Sorry, just realize this is a total XML question. Could anyone direct me to a good XML forum like this one for PHP?

Thanks.

acidbox

I am not sure exactly what you mean. You want a script to convert your data into XML? If that is the case, there are lots of free ones all over. Check the code library on this site, and the one over at www.zend.com

searain

I am new to XML. I always thought that XML is only for separate the data and display format. And I already did it by database and php, so why I need XML.

But after I getting to learn more XML, then I get the points.

Say if I want to save Order Information in my database, without XML. I have to define fields for code number, product name, price, quantity etc. One table field for each piece of information.

But with XML, I can save all these information in one field, called "order". And when I use it, I grab the xml format information from this one field, and covert it back to the code number, product name, price, quantity.

This way, database structure is more general. I don't have to add or delete table fields for diffferent customers. All I have to do is add or delete some XML contents in the only one field, "order".

I want to know if there is already a XML application (standard) for shopping cart / order information out there used by the general online business community.

So I don't have to define my one XML/XSL etc. If I use that standard one, I also can communicate with other companies' systems using the same XML/XSL sheets etc.

I am not sure if I am right on this thought and if I make myself clear.

As I said, I was new in XML. So please correct me if I am wrong.