XML Step by Step
March 10, 2010 by BPELworld.com
Product Description
A complete learning kit providing all the information, instruction, and software needed to learn the practical basics of creating and displaying XML documents. CD-ROM includes example files for all hands-on exercises, extensive links to further information and resources, and Microsoft Explorer 5.01. DLC: XML (Document markup language). Amazon.com Review
Books about XML often provide more detail than the reader needs and not enough coverage of related technologies. It’s under this premise that Michael J. Young has written Step by Step XML, a kinder, gentler tutorial to XML.
The first thing the reader notices about this book is its light, illustrative style. Well-designed syntax diagrams and pieces of sample code ease XML newcomers into each topic. Valid and well-formed XML syntax is presented at a leisurely pace, with plenty of examples. XML display that uses cascading style sheets (CSS) is presented in a similar manner.
Those who are new to XML should be aware of the topics this book leaves out, however. For example, there is no discussion of schemas–the upcoming alternative to Document Type Definition (DTD)–and relatively little explanation of XML as a data-transfer mechanism. Data binding is discussed, but the focus definitely is on using XML as a presentation vehicle.
While this shouldn’t be your only XML tutorial, it’s a comfortable introduction to the basics and will be especially applicable to your work if you code for Internet Explorer 5.0. For a first taste of XML, it’s a fine place to start. –Stephen W. Plain
Topics covered:
- XML document structure
- Well-formed versus valid documents
- Processing instructions
- CDATA sections
- Entities
- XML with CSS
- XML data binding
- Display with DOM scripts
- XSL style sheets
Buy from Amazon –> XML Step by Step
This is a very good book. Although I have not read it yet or bought it, I can tell from reviewer #2 that this book will be very big. If you like books on XML, then this is the book for you. If you dont like books on XML you should stay away from this book. RUN! There seems to be some descrepancy here about whether IE 5 is only browser that supports XML or not. hehe. WEEEKEEEEEEENG!! SHABBBBBAATTTT!!
Rating: 5 / 5
The book introduces the subject of XML quite well, but for me it took far too long to say it. Why say it a sentence if you can use a paragraph? Why print a listing once if you can print it several times?
It is certainly a step by step guide – for the vertically challenged
Rating: 2 / 5
Great book. The authors takes his work to another level. This book is a definite buy no matter what your previous experience with programming is.
Rating: 5 / 5
The book skips around too much (far too much “For X, see Chapter X”) and barely skims the surface of XML. It doesn’t even delve into the more useful applications for XML, and everything that’s in this book can be had for free on the web. Don’t waste your money. Go to Yahoo! instead and find some XML tutorials. Once you wrap your head around those, move on to more advanced XML texts by Wrox.
Rating: 2 / 5
‘Step by Step XML’ might have been titled ‘Intro to Microsoft and XML’ since the book really is a non-stop commercial for Microsoft and Microsoft products. In this book you learn how to construct and display XML documents using a Microsoft browser, Cascading Style Sheets, Microsoft JScript, and Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL).
‘Step by Step XML’ is very basic, but that is probably for the better since XML is so new and everybody wants to learn it with a minimum of hassle and at maximum speed. ‘Step by Step XML’ could later be supplemented with something more even-handed; a book that even just mentions a non-Microsoft browser, for instance.
Rating: 3 / 5