...and beyond!

I finally feel like I'm doing something, which is great.

For the past week or so I've been struggling with figuring out where I'm headed. I know what my project is, but have been having trouble figuring out how to even begin to learn how to implement it.

Then on Friday there was a meeting regarding the next release of the database in which my project will be completed. And I finally had a chance to discuss what it is that I am supposed to be doing. And they gave me something to work on. I was to create a mock-up (or, wireframe, as they call it) of what my new module of the database will look like. Well, that seems simple enough. It's just playing with the layouts they already have in Photoshop. But, buyer beware: How do I know what it can look like if I don't know what information it is capable of displaying? As such, I started going through the Developer's Guide of the database with which we would like to connect ours. And there are a lot of words I don't know. A lot of acronyms I've never seen. Now's when I ask questions. I get through a good part of it, but get stuck at this concept of "SOAP." And as soon as I ask someone, he gives me a look...like, really? He had no idea how SOAP works, but knows one of the other developers has been researching it for the past month in an attempt to understand the best way to implement it with our database. It's incredibly complicated, but is basically the primary method of communication between databases online using XML files. What are XML files? Well, I've been learning! They are basically documents with a language that the writer creates in order to organize information. Basically, a databank of information. I found these positively excellent tutorials through w3schools.com and I've been actually learning...what a relief.

So, I'm now pretty convinced using XML is the answer to all problems web related, and it's exciting!

Now I'm going to do the XML Schema tutorial. Then WSDL. Then SOAP.

Working my way up.

Update about the rest of my life at some other point.