--- loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Authoring_XML_Intro.tex	2005/02/18 20:41:10	1.2
+++ loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Authoring_XML_Intro.tex	2017/01/24 19:26:27	1.3
@@ -1,11 +1,19 @@
 \label{Authoring_XML_Intro}
 
-It is assumed that the reader is already familiar with the basic terminology
-of XML. If not, it is recommended that you read http://www.w3schools.com/xml/xml\_syntax.asp
-to acquire a basic understanding of how to read and write XML. 
+LON-CAPA uses a syntax similar to XML and HTML.
+Here are some basic style guides if you do not know the syntax:
+%NOTE: the _ cannot be copy-pasted from the PDF, it would require using \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
+\begin{description}
+\item[XML] \texttt{http://www.w3schools.com/xml/xml\_syntax.asp}
+\item[HTML] \texttt{http://www.w3schools.com/html/html5\_syntax.asp}
+\end{description}
 
-LON-CAPA uses a very simple subset of XML and there is a lot you do
+Compared to the XML syntax, the LON-CAPA language does not require a prolog at the beginning, and does not require encoding special characters within script elements.
+
+Compared to the HTML syntax, the LON-CAPA language does not require a DOCTYPE, but requires closing all elements. Problem documents do not use the html and body tags. Aside from that, most HTML elements can be used in LON-CAPA documents.
+
+LON-CAPA uses a very simple subset of the XML syntax and there is a lot you do
 \emph{not} need to know, including but not limited to: CDATA, DTDs,
 namespaces, and stylesheets. If you search for XML resources on the
 Internet yourself, you do not need to read about those things to learn
-how LON-CAPA uses XML for problems.
+how LON-CAPA uses XML/HTML for problems.