"XML + U & Me create a database-backed web."

                                                    --- Michael Wesch

Why not RSS? RSS or Really Simple Syndication is an application based on XML that is intended for frequent automatic updating of published content. That is a "Feed." RSS is more suited to Summaries of Information and not full fledged database export and integration as with the more robust XML.

"The elements of the RSS vocabulary are not generally reusable in other XML vocabularies." - Wikipedia  XML is intended for easy, platform independent, data sharing. RSS is a limited subset of XML with its own specific structure and intended use. An XML Application as used by PodCasts.

Here at Global www.viewr.com we prefer not to be limited by RSS and use the Full Featured XML per the W3C Standard. In this way we can offer many more features and possibilities, including auto Agent Profile Generation, Embedded Videos and Flash as well as Videos automatically uploaded to our servers from an XML Feed. You'll find lots of helpful info below and if you have any questions or would like assistance, please let us know.   xml@viewr.com


           "The Metabase XML allows for easy and flexible integration with all standard database technologies,
            from where it can be deployed into practically any application environment."   --- from one of our Users
 

XML a couple of Survival Videos Below


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CONFUSED, NOT A GEEK, DON'T HAVE A BUDGET FOR A GEEK?!

Try our Easy XML Template.

       [ No offense intended, Geeks, but we're here for everyone. ]

==

Sample XML Database Import Files & Info:

viewrlistingimportxmlCDATA.xml

viewrlistingimportxmlESCAPED.xml

With CDATA and ESCAPED content, you can get quite creative.

Be sure to include links back to your site in the Mission area of the Agent Profile and
in the Public Remarks area of each Property Listing.

viewrsample.xml


Here is an Agent Info/Profile Feed Sample:

viewrAgentProfileSampleDemo.xml


Here is a Sample Template

ViewRXMLTemplate.xml


Here is a Video Feed Sample:

viewrVideoFeedSample.xml


Be sure to put links back to your site(s) in your Property & Agent Feeds:

www.viewr.com/links.html

Put these Links & Logos on your pages to show your visitors that you have Gone Global with viewr:

www.viewr.com/linksandlogos.html

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Countries

If a Data Feed is all for one Country, then the Country does not have to be in Feed associated with each Listing.

This can be accomplished when completing the Drag n Drop XML Mapping in your account.

However, if the Data Feed has mixed Countries, the Country needs to be Identified for each Property Listing.

Here are our Country Names that must match for proper data importing.


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Currencies   can be represented in the following ways for each property:

<listprice currency="USD"></listprice>   using all the available and widely recognized 3 letter codes
                                                                        This is useful for mixed currency feeds.

<price></price>
<currency>GBP</currency>     Currency node must be in the feed if the currency is not otherwise designated.
                                                       This is also important for mixed currency feeds.

<listpriceEUR></listpriceEUR>   mapped as for convenience. Your node may say simply <price> if it is
                                                           only one currency in the entire feed; either USD or EUR.

<listpriceUSD></listpriceUSD>   mapped as for convenience. Your node may say simply <price> if it is
                                                           only one currency in the entire feed; either USD or EUR.

==

Database Strings that contain XML Reserved Characters will not work and need to be bracketed by CDATA parameters.

This will not work:
<addDescription>10th St E &amp; R-12 Palmdale CA 93550 - Land For Sale - Lot Size: 8.08 Acres. To request further details please use the Contact Us link below.To view more properties from Vestors Realty click the &apos;More Properties&apos; link below.</addDescription>
                     
This works:
<addDescription><![CDATA[10th St E &amp; R-12 Palmdale CA 93550 - Land For Sale - Lot Size: 8.08 Acres. To request further details please use the Contact Us link below.To view more properties from Vestors Realty click the &apos;More Properties&apos; link below.]]></addDescription>

==

PitFalls

The most common PitFall or error is not having all the <nodes> of the feed in the first/top Property or Agent record.

All the <nodes> that you wish to use must be in the first record for mapping or they will be left out.

The most common of these is Photos. Many times the first Property Listing has no photos and the <node> string that points to where the photos are located is truncated or missing entirely. If you have no photos in the first record, we still need at least the following for <node> Mapping:

<pictures>
<filename>
<url></url>
</filename>
</pictures>

For this reason we suggest you load your Logo as the last photo of every Property Listing and then you get use of the "Real Estate" and missing photos are no longer a problem. (Use the same ratio and resolution as a photo for best appearance.)

Remember <nodes> can have any name and be in any language so long as they are there and mappable.

So, the above could be:

<fotos>
<elnombredearchivo >
<url></url>
</elnombredearchivo>
</fotos>


Another common PitFall that only a Geek would understand is the BOM at the beginning of the file before any XML characters.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><root>

it should be like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><root>

We are working on getting our system to ignore the BOM.

For the Geeks:  "" is the Byte Order Mark (BOM) Unicode or the hex bytes EF BB BF, which becomes the UTF-8 of the BOM, & misinterpreted as ISO 8859/1 text instead of UTF-8.

It may mean that you are using a text editor that is saving files in UTF-8 with the BOM, when it should be saving without the BOM. Also see:  http://www.unicode.org/faq/utf_bom.html#BOM .

==


BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR FEED FOR ERRORS @  http://validator.w3.org/

Then you can be sure your feed will load to viewr.

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We work with RETS :

RETSXMLStandard.html

==

We also work with the OpenImmo Standard.

More info here:

http://support.open-realty.org/showthread.php?t=11956

http://wiki.open-realty.org/index.php/Main_Page

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Property Types

Here are our Current Property "Types".

You can Request New/Additional "Types" Here.

==

You can Get Started HERE.

Essential Elements and Hints

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XML Editors/Validators

Architage XRay XML Editor

Microsoft XML Notepad

XMLMarker

Microsoft XML Toolbox for Excel

Excel XML Converter

Intel XML Suite

If you have a bigger budget, you may want to try Xopus

Reserved XML Characters       <   >   %   &    interpreted as XML Code unless in CDATA.


The following Characters must be Escaped: