411 REFERENCE · Wikibooks
Guide to Game Development/Data file types/.xml
Reference material by Wikibooks contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
.xml is shorthand for eXtensible Markup Language, and is a widely popular format for storing data in video games. XML is essentially meta-data: that is, data about data. The programmer can extend the capabilities of XML and create their own tags, hence the term "extensible". It is a markup language in that it is made up of tags, which look something like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<note>
<to>John</to>
<from>Jane</from>
<heading>Reminder</heading>
<body>Don't forget me this weekend!</body>
</note>
External links
Wikipedia page on XML
XML in Game Development - Gamasutra
XML in Game Development - GameDev
XML Tutorial - W3Schools