September 22, 2003
XML and PHP
A rather long technical post about the future of Tabulas. Read more if you'd like.
I've discovered that PHP has nice built-in classes and functions that handle the creation and parsing of XML documents with ease. I've been learning about it (while "studying" for my advanced orgo exam tomorrow) over the past week... I've written a quick XML parser and XML document creater ...
And thus begins the next step. The goal is for Tabulas is not only to become a strong centralized journaling service, but also to serve as the center of a network of websites by syndicating all data.
I am in the process of working on a script (called TabulasXML) that you install on your own webserver. When you first install the script, you input your Tabulas account username/password. The script then downloads all your entries in XML format and stores them on your server.
Whenever you post on Tabulas, the central Tabulas server sends a message to TabulasXML installed on your server ... and sends your server a copy of your entry in XML.
What purpose does this serve? A lot of people like to run their journals off their own servers. This helps facilitate that process by installing a light-end script that fits seamlessly with the user's site. Easy! So you will no longer have to run MT or b2 on your own server while also running a Tabulas; you can do both at the same time!
From a business sense, I think syndicating the data makes Tabulas a more viable business entity. Imagine Tabulas as a central data bank with a bunch of smaller entities (like other projects and website) using data off of Tabulas. A real-life example would be someone who is interested in making a Moveable Type clone using Tabulas XML data.
Basically I want to position Tabulas to go beyond simply serving up a service to becoming a dependent "mother" project for some other projects... in essence creating a series of "Tabulet" (smaller Tabulas') projects that rely on Tabulas for their welfare.
In any case, I'm going to work on the XML format some today and run a mass upgrade script tonight that will generate XML files for all entries posted so far. Then I'll test the parser on roykim.net =D
I've discovered that PHP has nice built-in classes and functions that handle the creation and parsing of XML documents with ease. I've been learning about it (while "studying" for my advanced orgo exam tomorrow) over the past week... I've written a quick XML parser and XML document creater ...
And thus begins the next step. The goal is for Tabulas is not only to become a strong centralized journaling service, but also to serve as the center of a network of websites by syndicating all data.
I am in the process of working on a script (called TabulasXML) that you install on your own webserver. When you first install the script, you input your Tabulas account username/password. The script then downloads all your entries in XML format and stores them on your server.
Whenever you post on Tabulas, the central Tabulas server sends a message to TabulasXML installed on your server ... and sends your server a copy of your entry in XML.
What purpose does this serve? A lot of people like to run their journals off their own servers. This helps facilitate that process by installing a light-end script that fits seamlessly with the user's site. Easy! So you will no longer have to run MT or b2 on your own server while also running a Tabulas; you can do both at the same time!
From a business sense, I think syndicating the data makes Tabulas a more viable business entity. Imagine Tabulas as a central data bank with a bunch of smaller entities (like other projects and website) using data off of Tabulas. A real-life example would be someone who is interested in making a Moveable Type clone using Tabulas XML data.
Basically I want to position Tabulas to go beyond simply serving up a service to becoming a dependent "mother" project for some other projects... in essence creating a series of "Tabulet" (smaller Tabulas') projects that rely on Tabulas for their welfare.
In any case, I'm going to work on the XML format some today and run a mass upgrade script tonight that will generate XML files for all entries posted so far. Then I'll test the parser on roykim.net =D
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