"XML is the ASCII of the Future" - Tim Bray

XML, the eXtensible Markup Language, is a universal standard for information exchange between applications and today is used as such in nearly all information technology-related domains. ATLAS.ti has supported XML since the 4.2 release, and we continue to strengthen the central role of XML.

ATLAS.ti features XMLcentrally. Codes, memos, and entire HUs can be exported to XML format. Exporting codes and memos as XML files allows you to transfer all or only selected codes or memos between HUs. But exporting entire HUs to XML opens up endless possibilities for creating powerful reports, conversions to other applications, and even enables the vision of a completely integrated data management that transcends proprietary standards.

XML – What is it?

In case you are not familiar with XML, like HTML, it can be briefly described as a type of document markup language. XML, however, has the advantage that it is less dependent on the capabilities of a particular application (Web browsers for HTML).

More imnportantly, though, XML concentrates on actually structuring information. Structured information contains both content (actual words, pictures, etc.) plus some indication of what role that content plays (for example, text content inside a "heading" has a different meaning from content in a "footnote"; content in a "figure caption" differs from content in a "database table", etc.). Almost all documents contain some structure, and a markup language is a mechanism to identify this structure in a document. The XML specification defines a standard way to add markup to documents.

Using XML, programs can exchange data via a standard data interface.

If you create an XML output file, it can be read by other applications that support XML. One main advantage is that the application can select and define the elements and the layout of the display independently from any display information contained in the document. This is commonly achieved with the aid of so-called stylesheets.