Introduction to XLink and XPointer

XLink defines a standard method for creating hyperlinks in XML documents.

XPointer allows hyperlinks to point to more specific parts (fragments) within an XML document.

Prerequisites

Before studying this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of:

• HTML / XHTML
• XML / XML Namespaces
• XPath

If you wish to learn these topics first, please visit our Homepage for these tutorials.

What is XLink?

| | XLink stands for XML Linking Language<br>XLink is used to create hyperlinks in XML documents<br>XLink is similar to HTML links but more powerful<br>Any element in an XML document can be an XLink<br>XLink supports simple links as well as extended links that can link multiple resources together<br>With XLink, links can be defined outside the linked files<br>XLink is a W3C recommendation |

What is XPointer?

| | XPointer stands for XML Pointer Language<br>XPointer allows hyperlinks to point to more specific parts (fragments) within an XML document<br>XPointer uses XPath expressions to locate parts within an XML document<br>XPointer is a W3C recommendation |

XLink and XPointer as W3C Standards

On June 27, 2001, XLink was established as a W3C recommendation.

XPointer became a W3C recommendation on March 25, 2003.

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

Browser Support for XLink and XPointer

Browsers only provide minimal support for XLink and XPointer.

Mozilla 0.98+, Netscape 6.02+, and Internet Explorer 6.0 have some level of support for XLink. Earlier versions of browsers do not support XLink at all.