XML Linking

Abstract

The Web Consortium’s XML Linking working group is developing specifications to enable more advanced hypertext functionality on the Web: in particular fine-grained anchors, external annotation, and bidirectional links. This paper examines basic goals and approaches; describes HTML linking limitations XML Linking seeks to overcome; and surveys the Working Group’s primary specifications: XPath, XPointer, and XLink. As of this writing, the last two, while well advanced, are not final recommendations, and so are subject to change. Consult the W3C Web site for the latest versions. © 1999, ACM. All rights reserved.