Product Description

XML, the Extensible Markup Language, is a W3C endorsed standard for document markup. Because of its ability to deliver portable data, XML is positioned to be a key Web application technology. Aiming to address the complexity and potential of this markup language, this text provides a desktop reference which should allow users to take advantage of XML's full potential. The book shows how to format files and data structures correctly for use in XML documents. XML defines a basic syntax used to mark up data with simple, human-readable tags, and provides a standard format for computer documents. This format is flexible enough to be customized for transforming data between applications as diverse as Web sites, electronic data interchange, voice mail systems, and wireless devices, to name a few. Developers can either write their own programs that interact with, massage, and manipulate the data in XML documents, or they can use off-the-shelf software like web browsers and text editors to work with XML documents. Either choice gives them access to a wide range of free libraries in a variety of languages that can read and write XML. The XML specification defines the exact syntax this markup must follow: how elements are delimited by tags, what a tag looks like, what names are acceptable for elements, where attributes are placed, and so forth. XML doesn't have a fixed set of tags and elements that are supposed to work for everybody in all areas of interest for all time. It allows developers and writers to define the elements they need as they need them. Although XML is quite flexible in the elements it allows to be defined, it is quite strict in many other respects. This text covers the fundamental rules that all XML documents and authors must adhere to, detailing the grammar that specifies where tags may be placed, what they must look like, which element names are legal, how attributes attach to elements, and much more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #693082 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 492 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Concise, accurate and sharply focused, XML in a Nutshell is a complete introduction to the essentials of the XML standard. It aims to give software developers a full understanding of how XML works, and also provides a handy reference to the version 1.0 recommendation from the W3C (Word Wide Web Consortium).

In four parts, the first part introduces XML and covers the fundamentals, including chapters on Document Type Definitions, Namespaces, and Internationalisation. The next part focuses on XML as a document format, with coverage of XHTML, XSL transformations, XPath, XLinks and XPointer, and using CSS (Cascading Stylesheets) or XSL-FO (XSL Formatting Objects). Data transmission and programming are the focus of the third part, which explains the Document Object Model and introduces SAX (the Simple API for XML). The final part is the reference section, and covers XML 1.0, XPath, XSLT, DOM, SAX and character sets.

XML is a slippery subject. It is really a family of many related specifications, most of which are still evolving, and in addition most developers need to know about several XML applications alongside the core technology. This handbook sticks mostly to the core of XML, so you should not expect more than a mention of SOAP, SVG (Scaleable Vector Graphics), or MathML, to take three examples. It is disappointing to find hardly any coverage of the XML Schema language.

For what it does cover though, XML in a Nutshell is a masterpiece of compression, laying the foundations for an excellent understanding of XML and finding space for example code and apt comments along the way. --Tim Anderson

Review
'It is truly an amazing book '- Greek TeX Friends Newsletter, August 2001 '...there is the usual thoroughness one associates with O'Reilly publications. The coverage is totally comprehensive, and all the data is displayed in an attractive and consistent format.... It contains all the basics of the XML standard. Serious web developers will find topics ranging from the most basic syntax rules, to the details of document type definition (DTD) creation. For more advanced users, they also include details of Extensible Stylesheet Transformation (XSLT) and the document object model (DOM). MANTEX Information Design

Dave Coulson, Linux Format, Dec 2002
This is an ideal publication and deserves pride of place on the bookshelf of anyone using XML. LinuxFormat Rating 9/10

Customer Reviews

A generally good book
This is a generally good book to both someone who is just starting with XML and an XML expert as a reference.

It has a simple introduction on the basic elements of XML, DTD's and Namespaces. It's main part consists of a good explanation on XHTML, XSLT, XPath, XLink, XPointers, CSS and XSL-FO and is good for anyone who wants to learn about these. XML Schemas, the DOM and SAX are also thoroughly covered. The second half of the book is a reference section on all of these, which would particularly interest an XML expert. It has to be said here that although the reference section is really thorough, it does feel a bit messy and you might need some time to get used to.

Unfortunately this book doesn't have any section on how XML can be used with any programming languages. An appendix on PHP or PERL would be particularly welcomed, as something about connecting XML with Databases. On the other hand I guess you could get another book for that and you could see this one as suitable to someone who only wants to learn everything about XML.

Thumbs up
Excellent. All the topics are covered very well. Both the nut shell chapters and reference chapters are well done. I highly recommend this book. Instead of pouring through the vast information on XML and realted techlogies and confusing myself, I thought I will bet my 30 bucks on O'reilly. Well, I am glad I did that. As a java programmer I am greatful to the authors insight to add references for SAX and DOM. I liked the chapters on namespaces,XPath, XPointers and XSL-FO. They gave a good introduction and insight into these technologies.

Smaller than a stack of printouts
There's nothing in here that you can't learn by printing off a stack of the W3C site and reading through that. On the other paw, this book is small, convenient, and forms a valuable handy reference for most occasions.

It's useless as a teaching guide - but then no-one buys O'Reilly nutshells for that.

It's useless as a learned tome of ultimate authority. That's what W3C TR's are for, and this won't replace them.

It's not enough to cover XSLT to any useful depth, although the XPath section goes much of the way. Of the many small and fragmentary aspects of XML; XSLT is the one that benefits most from having a large stack of examples, rather than a reference.

XML Schema is ignored. It's churlish to complain too much, because it's a fast moving field and Schema was one of the fastest moving topics in it. Still, it's definitely the weakest point of the book. If you're working with schema development, then you'll need another reference for that, and it's a topic where reference books get a lot of wear very quickly.

On the whole, any XML beginners will find this a valuable book to have, provided they have a few others too to learn from initially and they're prepared to discard it in 6 months, once they've outgrown it.