Explains and demonstrates XML and related technologies. For any developer who is interested in learning what XML is, what it can do, and how to use it in their web, e-commerce or data storage applications. Softcover.
Beginning XML provides a complete course in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) with an unusually gradual learning curve. In fact, the introduction states that the book is "for people who know that it would be a pretty good idea to learn the language, but aren't 100 percent sure why." Despite its recognition of the fuzziness of readers' understanding of the technology, the book delivers a rather comprehensive study of XML.
Very little space is wasted detailing the history of XML and its relation to SGML, as is the case in many other titles. The argument for the importance of XML is made quickly, and the basics of well-formed syntax are tackled right off. One notable distinction of this book is its excellent coverage of related technologies, such as cascading style sheets (CSS) and relational databases.
In addition to discussing the crucial companion standards to the core XML language (DTDs, XSL, and XSLT), the book adds a nice perspective to the broad range of applications in which XML can play a role. One section, "Other Uses for XML," illustrates how XML can be used to serialize object models, creating stateless objects and utilizing the Resource Description Framework (RDF). Case studies on--among other things--how XML can be used to build discussion groups, and provide B2B data transfer, round out the text. This book is perfect for Web programmers who are turning their attention to XML for the first time. It imparts a solid understanding of the XML forest and XML trees. --Stephen W. Plain
Topics covered:
Well-formed XML
Cascading style sheets (CSS)
XSLT and Xpath
Document Object Model (DOM)
Simple API for XML (SAX)
XML/database integration schemas
Document Type Definitions (DTDs)
Namespaces
B2B data-transfer applications
Discussion group applications
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
A Must Buy:
This book is very concise and it tells a lot about the subject including other topics such as XSLT, RSS, and many other web technologies related to XML. Would highly suggest buying.
Excellent XML book:
I'm currently reading this book and enjoying it very much. You probably would understand it more if you are already a programmer. But I think it's good for non-programmers as well.
Covers a lot of the new technologies that are using XML, which is very useful.
Great XML Reference Book.:
Other than the fact that you can tell that the book was written by 5 different guys because of the the difference in writing styles between chapters, overall it is packed full of information and a handy reference.
Choppy and poorly written:
(I don't have time for a full review right now,so I will write a few comments and try to add to them.) I knew very little about XML, so this sounded promising. As of Chapter 8, my general comments are: 1. The teaching structure is often murky. At many spots, the authors don't seem to grasp what a beginner needs to know first in order to go to the next step. This makes the material unnecessarily difficult and confusing. 2. Instead of one example page, for some reason the authors will sometimes... more info
