Instructor:	John Punin
Class: 		Wednesdays and Thursdays (Sage 3303) 4:00-5:50 pm.
Office: 	Lally 310
Phone: 		x6907
E-mail: 	puninj@rpi.edu or puninj@cs.rpi.edu
Office Hours:   Tuesdays 3:00-5:00 pm

Course Description

This course describes how the Java Programming Language and XML (Extensible Markup Language) are combined to create powerful web applications. XML is a Meta-Markup language designed to create new languages that describe document structure. For example, the new structured version of HTML, XHTML, is an application of XML. This course helps you to understand XML and new markup languages based on XML already developed for different fields such as Mathematics, Physics, Business, etc. Java is the perfect match for XML. While XML is about portable data, Java is about portable code. This course describes several Java APIs, parsers, processors and tools for XML that help to create portable applications.

Prerequisite

The formal prerequisite for this course is Computer Science II and Programming in Java. However, if you are very familiar with at least one object oriented programming language (C++), that is also a satisfactory prerequisite. If you have no knowledge of any object oriented programming language then you should not take this course.

Web Site:

You are encouraged to sign up for the XMLJ newsgroup at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xmlj/.

Textbooks

• (IXML) Required/Optional: Inside XML, by Steven Holzner. New Riders 2001. ISBN: 0-7357-1020-1
• (JXML) Optional: Java and XML, 2nd Edition: Solutions to Real-World Problems by Brett Mc Laughlin O'Reilly 2001. ISBN: 0-596-00197-5
• (XMLB) Optional: XML Bible, 2nd Edition, by Elliotte Rusty Harold. Hungry Minds Inc, 2001. ISBN: 0-7645-4760-7

Schedule

Assignments

• 25%: HW1 - Due Feb 5, 11:59:59 PM - Create and Validate XML Documents
• 25%: HW2 - Due Feb 19, 11:59:59 PM - Parse and Manipulate XML Documents
• 25%: Project - Due March 7, 11:59:59 PM - Open Project
• 25%: Final Exam - March 6

Grading Criteria

Late policy

1. L < = 2: No penalty.
2. L > 2: Late_Penalty = (5 * (L-2)) points from your FINAL course grade.

These penalties add up quickly, so you should use your two allotted late days wisely.

Policy on Collaboration

• No collaboration is permitted on exams.
• You are encouraged to work with other students in the class on the assignments. Useful forms of collaboration include discussing design alternatives, details of algorithms and data structures, possible sources of reusable code, and help with debugging, compiling, makefiles, etc.
• You are also encouraged to practice code reuse, with the stipulation that any reused code submitted as part of your assignment must be clearly and explicitly attributed. Code that can be reused includes that found in the textbooks, code from previous work you have done (in this class or others), and code from other books or internet sites.
• You may NOT reuse code written by another student in this class.
• The easiest way to attribute any code that you reuse is with a comment. You must give enough information so that the TAs can find the code themselves. Examples:

  
  /* the following code is from p. 72 of the Java and XML textbook */
       class Advice extends ...
  
  /* the following code is from my CS I project, October 2000. */
  
  /* The following code was downloaded from ftp://ftp.cs.rpi.edu/pub/... */
  

• Collaboration and discussion does not mean that the assignments may be done jointly; each assignment you submit must be 100 percent your work. You must be especially careful when discussing another student's code (perhaps to help with finding a bug).
• At no time should you copy any part of another student's work (either on paper or electronically), or permit someone else to copy any part of your work. For example, work done on campus or other computers should not be made available so that another student could unknowingly copy any part of your work.
• DO NOT write any code for the other student, even just to fix a typographical error. DO NOT look at another student's code and write nearly identical code yourself. DO NOT "paraphrase" code from another source and fail to attribute it in a comment.
• If at any time you are not sure what constitutes appropriate collaboration or code reuse, it is your responsibility to clarify it with the instructor.

Academic Integrity

• Student-teacher relationships are built on trust. For example, students must trust that teachers have made appropriate decisions about the structure and contents of courses they teach. Teachers must trust that the assignments which students turn in are their own. Acts which violate this trust undermine the educational process.
• The Rensselaer Handbook defines various forms of Academic Dishonesty and procedures for responding to them. All forms are violations of the trust between students and teachers. Students should familiarize themselves with this portion of the Rensselaer Handbook and should note that the penalties for plagiarism and other forms of cheating can be quite harsh.
• Students will not be given credit for any code which the TAs find to be too similar to that of another student's code, or any code which is similar to code from a book or another source which has not been properly attributed. More specifically, credit will not be received in any case of Academic Dishonesty and may result in failure of the course along with disciplinary action.