This reference contains information an experienced Web developer needs to use XML on established and new Web sites. This text is divided up into five major parts. The first teaches the fundamentals of XML language, with emphasis on the creation of XML pages and their publication on the Web. It also discusses rules for creating "well-formed" XML documents and using UNICODE to create documents in other languages. Part 2 discusses Document Type Definition (DTD) documents. Part 3 covers the various style languages that can be used in conjunction with XML to define the appearance of documents. Part 4 explores a number of supporting technologies, many still in the proposal stage, including XLinks, XPointers and RDF. The CD includes all source code, a complete XML site, all relevant approved W3C specifications and a selection of useful development and display tools.
The emergence of XML is having an enormous impact on Web development, and scaling the learning curve of this new technology is a priority for many developers. The XML Bible offers a superb introduction to the subject and the groundwork to understand XML's future developments.
Author Elliotte Rusty Harold uses a patient, step-by-step discussion that clearly points out the potential of XML without boring his readership with tons of SGML spec-speak. Harold opens quickly with a "Hello World" example to get the reader coding early, and follows that with a simple but powerful example of XML's data management benefits--presenting baseball statistics. Once you've coded your first XML documents, you'll be hooked on the technology and motivated to learn about the more sophisticated topics.
Style sheet languages are covered comprehensively to illustrate the presentation possibilities and pitfalls. An unusually long list of real-life XML applications also shows how XML is already being used, and there is in-depth coverage of the Resource Description Framework, Channel Definition Format, and Vector Markup Language. The book wraps up with a section that helps you design your own XML application from scratch.
Titling a book a bible is a bold move, but this engaging and informative guide is entitled to make this claim. --Stephen W. Plain
Topics covered: XML background, example XML applications, type definitions (DTDs), style languages, Xlinks, Xpointers, Namespaces, application planning, and XML 1.0 specification.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Verbose:
I bought Harold's book to help me move from XHTML to XML and to handle data with PHP which does not fit well in a relational database / SQL. This book bogs down quickly in very long explanations & examples which could have been a fraction of the size. I think it has good coverage, but Harold uses too many words every time he approaches a subject. To paraphrase someone else, Harold could write 10,000 words on the color red. The problem with Wiley's Bible series (I have several of them) is that the... more info
Doesn't cover DOM and SAX:
I haven' read the book, only browsed its TOC. It doesn't cover the Document Object Model (DOM) and the Simple API for XML (SAX). It also discusses CSS in too much detail. These days, web development professionals will probably have a knowledge of both HTML and CSS before starting with XML. Consider "Beginning XML" or "Professional XML" instead, both published by Wrow.
Pulp paper:
I have purchased many books from Amazon, but this one is printed on the lowest-quality paper I've ever experienced. Though it's relatively new, the yellowed pages look like a 1960's pulp novel. There is literally a 2mm yellow border surrounding each page. Come on "Hungry Minds" publishers, you can do better than this.
Sola Scriptura:
Review for XML 1.1 Bible (3rd Edition): Elliotte Rusty Harold is that rare technical author who can write about anything and make it interesting. In this case, he has written 1,000 pages on XML providing us with an excellent guide book to this technology. Whether you are a beginner or advanced user of XML, there will be something in this book for you. The book is divided into five parts. The first part discusses the basics of XML giving us an introduction to what XML is, what it is used for, and... more info
