Java and XML

The Document Object Model (DOM)

The Document Object Model, unlike SAX, has its origins in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Whereas SAX is public-domain software, developed through long discussions on the XML-dev mailing list, DOM is a standard just as the actual XML specification itself is. The DOM is also not designed specifically for Java, but to represent the content and model of documents across all programming languages and tools. Bindings exist for JavaScript, Java, CORBA, and other languages, allowing the DOM to be a cross-platform and cross-language specification.

In addition to being different from SAX in regard to standardization and language bindings, the DOM is organized into "levels” instead of versions. DOM Level One is an accepted Recommendation, and you can view the completed specification at http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-DOM-Level-1/. Level One details the functionality and navigation of content within a document. A document in the DOM is not just limited to XML, but can be HTML or other content models as well! Level Two, which should finalize in mid-2000, adds upon Level One by supplying modules and options aimed at specific content models, such as XML, HTML, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). These less-generic modules begin to “fill in the blanks” left by the more general tools provided in DOM Level One. You can view the current Level Two Candidate Recommendation at http://www.w3.org/TR/DOM-Level-2/. Level Three is already being worked on, and should add even more ...