XML and XPATH: How do they work?

[Joe Schaffner <schaffner.joe@gmail.com>]

Hello Everybody,

 

I'm writing a dictionary of modern Greek verbs at http://modern-greek-verbs.tripod.com

 

The pages are linked using html anchors, like this:

 

-- from grafo.html

<a href=""agapao.html"><i>Type</i></a>

'áãáðÜù' is the next verb on the list of linked pages.

 

'Type' is the name of the list, a singularly-linked, circular list. There are three types, 'ëýíù', 'áãáðÜù' 'èåùñþ', and therefore three pages in this list.

 

I was wondering how such a list would appear in an xml version of the dictionary.

 

Do I do the lists in XPath?

 

HTML hyperlinks rely on the appearance/layout of the page. They're simply grouped together. A student knows which links to follow by looking at them.. but a processing program must know the name of the list.

 

Within each Type there are Models:

 

[<i>Model</i> <a href=""ginomai.html">Prev</a>" <a href=""diablepo.html">Next</a>]

[<i>Model</i> <a href=""bafo.html">Prev</a>" <a href=""anagrafo.html">Next</a>]

The list is hierarchical. Types are broken down into Models which can be broken down into sub-models.

 

The Models are nested from top to bottom. The definition is recursive...

 

This verb, ãñÜöù, is part of the ëýíù Type, and falls between other Models ãßíïìáé and äéáâëÝðù, in alphabetical order...

 

ãñÜöù has two sub-models (verbs which are conjugated like ãñÜöù): âÜöù, and áíáãñÜöù, the compounds of 'ãñÜöù'...

 

Of course, 'ãñÜöù' is also an instance of itself. It is a real verb, in addition to being a model for others.

 

I'm thinking something like this:

 

-- This file is 'grafo.xml' which is on the 'luno.xml' list

 

<type>

   <next>http://modern-greek-verbs.tripod.com/agapao.xml</next>

   <model>

      <prev>http://modern-greek-verbs.tripod.com/ginomai.xml</prev>

      <next>http://modern-greek-verbs.tripod.com/diablepo.xml</next>

     <model>

        <prev>http://modern-greek-verbs.tripod.com/bafo.xml</prev>

        <next>http://modern-greek-verbs.tripod.com/anagrafo.xml</next>

     </model>

   </model>

</type>

 

But I don't want to invent my own language. I'm hoping XPath will do the trick. I've been reading the documentation, which is very large, and I haven't really found any good examples.

 

Thanks. I'm sure you can save me a load of time.

 

Signed,

 

xml-newbie

 

 PS

 

(What is XLink?)