== Step 1: ==

Create a separate directory where you are going to store your file(s).

== Step 2: ==

Open your favorite text editor. I would suggest for this first file, use NOTEPAD because it loads very fast, and no matter how many copies you open, it doesn't act fussy.

== Step 3: ==

Write these two lines first, as they are visible here:

Your entire web page is going to exist within confines of these two tags. I suggest you write closing tag as soon as you write opening tag so that later on, when there are too many tags, you don't get mixed up.

At this moment, you can save file in new directory you just created. Remember while saving, if you are using NotePad, that while writing name of file, for instance, firstpage.html, you have to enclose it within quotes in order to save it as an HTML page: "firstpage.html".

NOTE: Due to character per line limitations, some of HTML text may appear broken, but when you are typing in your text editor, press enter only when you have typed closing tag, for instance,

In following two sections, you get to get your hands dirty with pure viscera of HTML.

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One area where XML is anticipated to be particularly important is in area of electronic commerce.

Traditional mechanisms for electronic data interchange (EDI) are based on interchange of messages between computer systems of two or more businesses. Each message has to be decoded before its contents can be processed or presented to users. Web-based commerce has, by contrast, been based on concept of completing an HTML form and then posting results back to server for processing, without any details of transaction being retained by party completing form.

XML-coded files are, by their nature, ideal for storing in databases. Because XML files are both object-orientated and hierarchical in nature they can be adapted to virtually any type of database, though care sometimes needs to be taken to ensure that enough structural data is retained in database to reconstruct original file.

Data stored using non-XML notations will need appropriate application software to process it, but XML-coded file will correctly identify where each piece of such data belongs in completed document and where it has been stored prior to use.

By storing data in clearly defined format provided by XML you can ensure that your data will be transferable to a wide range of hardware and software environments. New techniques in programming and processing data will not affect logical structure of your document's message. If more detail needs to be added to file all you need to do is to update model and then add new markup tags where required in document instance. If a completely new style is required then existing document model can be linked to new one to provide automatic updating of document structures.