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XML @ Web Programming
Programming Shed : Programmer Store & Resources |
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XML Index - XML Book :
XML for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide
by Elizabeth Castro Paperback - 269 pages 1st edition (October 2000) Peachpit Press ISBN: 0201710986 Dimensions (in inches): 0.57 x 9.01 x 7.03 The Visual QuickStart Guide series from Peachpit Press is known for boiling topics down to the essentials, and presenting them in an engaging and efficient way, to get the reader up to speed quickly. In applying this model to XML, author Elizabeth Castro had her work cut out for her. Fortunately for her readers, Castro has identified successfully the core components of XML, and presented them in a streamlined way. This book doesn't tackle any of the advanced elements of XML technology, such as SOAP, SAX, or integration with the Document Object Model (DOM). Instead, it focuses on teaching the basic nuts and bolts of creating XML documents, styling them, and defining their structure. This book moves at a fast pace. Document Type Definitions (DTDs), for instance, get only 30 pages of coverage. This tight format comprises simple examples that illustrate commands and concepts, instead of pages of text. The pages are presented in a two-column format, so that code fragments can be placed (wisely) side by side with the step-by-step explanatory text. Each topic example is supplemented with one or more useful implementation tips. For a true grasp of XML and all of its potential, you'll need to follow up this introductory tutorial with more reading on the applications of the technology and case studies. But this little book is a great way to learn the basics of XML in a weekend. --Stephen W. Plain XML for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide covered: • XML documents • Document Type Definitions (DTDs) • Schemas • Namespaces • XSLT and XPath Cascading style sheets (CSS) • XLink • XPointer Web-maven Elizabeth Castro, who has penned Peachpit books on HTML, Perl and CGI, and Netscape, now tackles XML, an indispensable tool for creating personalized, updated content for each visitor on your site. Whether you build Web pages for a living or you're taking on a new hobby, XML for the World Wide Web contains everything you need to create dynamic Web sites by writing XML code, developing custom XML applications with DTDs and schemas, transforming XML into personalized Web content through... Customer Reviews Reviewer: mddevore from Humble, Texas USA With over 60 new books on XML set for release in the year 2000, it seems like another XML book would not be that big of a deal. Well, that might be true if it were an XML book from anyone other than Elizabeth Castro and Peachpit Press. Castro, the author of two other bestsellers, HTML for the World Wide Web and Perl and CGI for the World Wide Web has the rare gift of being able to take extremely complex subjects and render them into understandable terms for just about anyone. In her newest book, XML for the World Wide Web, Castro scores a direct hit in being able to convey the ins and outs of XML and all of its aspects in a way that makes it unique, usable and useful. Castro tackles Schemas, DTDs, Namespaces, XPath, Xlink, Xpointer, XSLT, CSS used with XML and just about everything else being discussed, implemented, debated, planned or argued in the constantly changing world of XML. That's not unusual for an XML book. However, Castro actually pulls it off extremely well, resulting in a very very very good book for those about to immerse themselves in the complexities of XML. That is unusual. Many XML purists will point to Simon St. Laurent's "XML:A Primer" and Benoit Marchal's "XML by Example" as being definitive "first XML books." I would agree, to a point. I have both of those and they are indeed excellent 5-star books but I honestly think that Castro's book will be more digestible to more people not well-versed in XML. Critics, if any, might argue that XML for the World Wide Web is too basic or doesn't cover this topic in extreme detail that way or this way. That's not the point of this book. If you are already working in XML, you'll probably have a shelf full of advanced Wrox or Que or O'Reilly books on XML anyway that are very detailed. No, this book is truly for those just starting out who want to or need to actually learn XML and how to use it. And in that capacity, it succeeds on a grand scale. Castro's HTML for the World Wide Web, now in its 4th edition, has become an industry standard. It can be found in every bookstore across the US and in many many college classrooms. Her Perl & CGI book accomplished the same thing for its target audience. I think that it can be said that XML for the World Wide Web will achieve the same lofty status, becoming the third jewel in Castro's triple crown. I have no gripes at all with this book. But, I do have one suggestion that doesn't detract from the excellence of this work. In XML for the World Wide Web, Castro devotes Appendix A to XHTML. My only suggestion would be that perhaps she should instead consider making the 5th Edition of her HTML book an XHTML book, since HTML 4.01 was superseded by XHTML 1.0 almost a year ago. But again, that's only a suggestion. In conclusion: XML for the World Wide Web...great price, great book, future standard! I recommend it highly to those in the early stages of their XML careers. Reviewer: A reader from New Brunswick, Canada I was very impressed with the author's 'HTML for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide,' so I started 'XML for the World Wide Web' with great enthusiasm. The opening chapters were clear, concise, and easy to follow. Unfortunately, as the book continued, I found the examples more difficult to decipher. There are two web sites supporting the book, but I found neither site answered my questions to any degree of satisfaction. The examples used are poorly explained, much to my surprise. I would suggest tracking down tutorial sites on the web as a primary source of information instead of starting with this text. Reviewer: masked2000 from san jose, ca USA XML and its companion technologies are complicated. This book provides a very readable introduction. I recommend this book for any XML beginner including technical strong individuals. Reviewer: Barry L Gruber from Oakton, VA United States My initial impression of the Visual QuickStart series was very positive, but I don't think this way any more, and especially so after reading this book. The format works OK for a reference book, but it fails as a tutorial. There is no overall big-picture and conceptual understanding of XML. The author gives lots of excerpts from a single extended example that illustrate specific syntax issues, but working with these small pieces is very hard to follow. Smaller complete examples would have been much more helpful. One very important topic - even for beginners - is completely missing. This is the DOM (short for Document Object Model) that lets the programmer use the different XML nodes in a programming language such as Visual Basic. We use XML at my workplace as a means of transmitting information from a SQL Database to code modules that can operate on the information, but there is nothing in this book that is helpful here. There is also no explanation of why the different aspects of XML are significant in the real world. After reading this book, I got the impression that the main function of XML is to format data stored in XML files for end user presentation in HTML. But XML is much more important than this. The book will be of some use - I will be referring to it for answers to specific questions. But if this was the only XML book I had read, I would not have any good grasp of the topic. For an excellent beginner's book on XML, read 'XML Step by Step' by Michael J. Young (now in a second edition). You can really learn something there. |
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