XML Explained

[Steven Gonzales]

An XML file does contain data. It doesn’t embed media files, but it points to them if parsed correctly.

Here’s Apple’s explanation:

https://developer.apple.com/appleapplications/fcpxml.html

[Arnie Schlissel]

XML is a markup language, like HTML. It contains no media. It contains only metadata about each clip. The timing, the in & out points, filters, etc. You can export a timeline in XML & open it up in Text Edit or a word processor to take a look at it.

Arnie
Now in post: Peristroika, a film by Slava Tsukerman
https://www.arniepix.com/blog

[Dylan Reeve]

XML has similarities with OMF and EDLs I guess.

It’s basically closest to an EDL, it’s basically a glorified text file that describes the edited sequence. However unlike EDL which is a format with very limited formatting and options, XML in pretty much infinitely variable. Each element of the sequence can have any of a huge number of ‘tags’ associated with it, each of which can have any number of attributes.

That’s what makes XML like OMF – it can carry a lot of extra data beyond simple cuts and transitions like an EDL. But it’s a lot more open that OMF. And, as mentioned, it doesn’t offer embedding.

XML, in general is quite well described on Wikipedia, the specifics of FCP’s implementation is just about the tags and attributes it uses to describe the data.

XML is widely used in professional video – almost all the non-linear video formats (P2, SxS, XDCAM) record clip metadata in XML files – in their own format (not the same XML format as FCP’s).

[Herb Sevush]

Bibbo –

There’s a great article titled “What Is XML” by Philip Hodgetts on Ken Stone’s Final Cut Pro site. Here’s the link.

https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/xml_hodgetts.html

Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions

[David Roth weiss]

[Herb Sevush] “There’s a great article titled “What Is XML” by Philip Hodgetts on Ken Stone’s Final Cut Pro site.”

Jeeze, thats like reading a scientific treatise on thermodynamics — thankfully for us the FCP interface only has like one or two buttons.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

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[Jack Bibbo]

Cool great stuff thanks.

Without seeing this thread I reposted sorry about that.

thanks again.