Introduction to XLink and XPointer

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Table of contents

XLINK Basic
XLink HOME
XLink Intro
XLink Syntax
XLink Example
XPointer Example
XLink Summary
References
XLink Reference

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# XLink and XPointer Introduction

XLink defines a standard way of creating hyperlinks in XML documents.

XPointer allows the hyperlinks to point to more specific parts (fragments) in the XML document.

## What You Should Already Know

Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:

- HTML / XHTML
- XML / XML Namespaces
- XPath

If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home page.

## What is XLink?

- XLink is short for the XML Linking Language
- XLink is a language for creating hyperlinks in XML documents
- XLink is similar to HTML links - but it is a lot more powerful
- ANY element in an XML document can behave as an XLink
- XLink supports simple links (like HTML) and extended links (for linking multiple resources together)
- With XLink, the links can be defined outside of the linked files
- XLink is a W3C Recommendation

## What is XPointer?

- XPointer is short for the XML Pointer Language
- XPointer allows the hyperlinks to point to specific parts of the XML document
- XPointer uses XPath expressions to navigate in the XML document
- XPointer is a W3C Recommendation

## XLink and XPointer are W3C Recommendations

The XML Linking Language (XLink) became a W3C Recommendation 27. June 2001.

The XML Pointer Language (XPointer) became a W3C Recommendation 25. March 2003.

You can read more about XML standards in our W3C tutorial.

## XLink and XPointer Browser Support

The browser support for XLink and XPointer is minimal.

There is some XLink support in Mozilla 0.98+, Netscape 6.02+, and Internet Explorer 6.0. Earlier versions of all of these browsers have no XLinks support at all!

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