Beginning XML, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

The most interesting section is tucked away at the end. There are three case studies, one describing an e-commerce site, another a message board and the last a business-to-business application. The case studies put the rest of the book into context and show how XML can be useful in the real world.

This is a useful general introduction to XML, but there are limitations. First, aside from the chapter on SAX, the examples are generally based on Microsoft's XML parser, and those who are implementing XML solutions on non-Microsoft platforms, or who intend to work mainly with XML and Java, would be better seeking out an alternative such as Java and XML. Second, coverage for some more advanced topics, such as XML and databases, is sketchy so you are likely to need other books alongside this one. Even so, XML newcomers will find plenty of content here to get them up to speed. --Tim Anderson

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a rapidly maturing technology with powerful real-world applications, particularly for the management, display, and organization of data. Together with its many related technologies it is an essential technology for anyone using markup languages on the web or internally.

This book teaches you all you need to know about XML — what it is, how it works, what technologies surround it, and how it can best be used in a variety of situations, from simple data transfer to using XML in your web pages. It builds on the strengths of the first edition, and provides new material to reflect the changes in the XML landscape — notably SOAP and Web Services, and the publication of the XML Schemas Recommendation by the W3C.

What does this book cover?

Here are just a few of the things this book covers:

• XML syntax and writing well-formed XML
• Using XML Namespaces
• Transforming XML into other formats with XSLT
• XPath and XPointer for locating specific XML data
• XML Validation using DTDs and XML Schemas
• Manipulating XML documents with the DOM and SAX 2.0
• SOAP and Web Services
• Displaying XML using CSS and XSL
• Incorporating XML into tradition databases and n-tier architectures
• XLink and XPointer for linking XML and non-XML resources

Who is this book for?

Beginning XML, 2nd Edition is for any developer who is interested in learning to use XML in web, e-commerce or data-storage applications. Some knowledge of mark up, scripting, and/or object oriented programming languages is advantageous, but not essential, as the basis of these techniques are explained as required.