Indesign and XML?

[Django]

Hi, I'm know a little about a lot of things. Web, print, design etc...I've been learning Indesign and have grown very fond of it and it's powers recently.

I have been reading up on XML and how it could help integrate maybe web and print but don't fully understand it's application.

can someone explain this or maybe even give me a real world example of how it's used.

Thanks

-Django

[PrintDriver]

http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/08/04/indesign.html

[Django]

Thank you PrintDriver, looks like I have some reading to do now!!

-Django

[Patrick Shannon]

There was one instance I had at my old job where XML came in real handy. I had a client that had a BUTT-LOAD of stationary, advertisments, flyers, etc. Her business had about nine addresses (all on the materials) and she was always closing/moving/changing those addresses. So everytime that happened, I would have to go back through ALL the material and change it. Not to mention it was very easy to make an typo with so much to look over.

So what I did was I contructed an XML file with all the addresses on them and worked through all her material and linked them to this one file. So whenever there was an address change, all I had to do was open the respective file and update the XML link and the addresses would be automatically updated.

Not to mention it was so much easier to spellcheck one single document.