If you're reading this column, you're probably as jazzed about XML Web services as I am. So we would probably agree that every Web application ought to be built on an XML framework. And that when the user interface is HTML-based, the HTML should be a transformation of a repurposable XML core. And that the engine powering that core should make its services SOAP-callable and (where possible) URI-addressable.
But when push comes to shove, we will still tend to fall back on tried-and-true methods: a conventional app server, HTML templates. That doesn't mean, though, that we can't anticipate and encourage recombinant growth[6]. For starters, use HTML doctitles wisely. Libraries that futzed this vital bit of metadata missed a chance to be included in an ad-hoc directory. Design your URL patterns as though you are designing an API -- which, in fact, you are. And here's a great transitional tip. If you can't offer up self-describing XML content, at least use CSS tags to assign structural names, as well as style names, to key data elements.
Web apps can't help but be proto-services, whether you plan for it or not. Expect, and encourage, unintended use.
1. http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/2002/12/17.html#a547
2. http://www.drizzle.com/~lostboy/binaries/Spanish.wav
3. http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/2002/12/10.html#a535
4. http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/stories/2002/12/11/librarylookup.html
5. http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/02/11/07/021107opwebserv.xml
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