Building Web Sites with XML [Perfect Paperback]

Michael Floyd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 1999 | Series: Charles F. Goldfarb Series on Open Information Management

If you're ready to enhance your Web or intranet site with the power of XML, this is the first book that shows you exactly how to get the job done -- step-by-step! Discover all technologies, tools, and techniques you need to build cutting-edge sites and Web applications with XML. Through detailed coverage of the new XSL style sheet standard, learn how to create dynamic sites that are customized based on browser and other user preferences -- including sites that support WebTV, PalmPilot, and other custom platforms. Learn how to use XML to enhance site look-and-fell, interoperability, operation and maintenance. Understand the XML document object model; then walk through building XML that is processed on both the client-side and server-side -- and learn when to use each. Finally, discover techniques for displaying XML in any browser -- even browsers created before the XML standard was established. The book includes extensive sample code, all of it provided on the accompanying CD-ROM. For anyone who wants to leverage XML to create cutting-edge intranet, extranet, and public Web sites -- including Web designers, application developers, and corporate Webmasters.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Preface

The time was early 1997, and the place was the Sixth International World Wide Web Conference. I was sitting at a courtyard table at the Santa Clara, California, conference trying to grab a free meal as journalists are known to do. Across from me was a product manager from a French-based company, Grif, extolling the marvels of a new markup language, XML.

It was, literally, a far cry from the Fifth International World Wide Web Conference I had attended a year earlier in Paris. Then, there was talk of putting full SGML on the Web. But there were enormous hurdles to overcome. SGML was too bloated with options for the Web. It sported features that had more to do with large-scale document management than individual Web page publishing. Worse, full SGML was very complex compared to HTML, which is just a single application of SGML. Let's face it, the reason for HTML's success is largely thought to be its simplicity.

In 1996, XML was a non-story. Yet, in one short year it had become one of the hottest topics within the Web community. As the Editor in Chief of Web Techniques magazine, I was attending this '97 conference with an eye toward securing an XML columnist for our monthly publication. Grif was one of the early companies involved in XML development and possessed the talent we were looking for. I didn't want a theorist. I was looking for a practitioner. Unfortunately, Grif was on XML's event horizon: a black hole sucking everything in its path. I would have to find my columnist elsewhere.

Little did I know at the time that within 12 months I would resign my post as the magazine's editor and become that columnist. Meeting Charles

Four months into the Beyond HTML column, I noted from a message in the newly-formed XML news group that Charles F. Goldfarb would be giving a talk at our local Computer Literacy book shop. Charles, the inventor of SGML, was out promoting his latest book, The XML Handbook. I decided that an interview with the father of markup languages would fit nicely into the column, so I contacted him to make the arrangements. He graciously accepted.

In preparing for the interview, I learned that it was he who coined the term "markup language." I also learned that in 1969 Charles, leading a small team at IBM, developed a language called GML (Charles is the "G" in GML). Of course, I knew he created SGML in 1974, but I also learned that he wrote the first SGML parser, ARCSGML. Charles also worked to turn SGML into the ISO 8879 standard, and he serves as its editor.

My interview with Charles was delightful. He was extremely approachable, and his answers were insightful. In querying him about document exchange versus data exchange, Charles responded that:

"These are all documents in the sense of the way that word is used in the dictionary. It's recognizing that XML is a data representation that has the characteristics of a document. That's where the real power comes in, because you can process it as data—you can parse it and extract the data—or you can present it the way you would a document. And you can do both of those in the same application at the same time. That's the real breakthrough."

Charles and I stayed in touch over the following months, and it wasn't long before he suggested that I write a book for his series. Needless to say, I was honored. During those months we tossed around several ideas. We knew that XML was quickly spreading beyond the confines of the Web. As such, XML's roots in Web development were being left behind. My background with Web Techniques set up the perfect match to write Building Web Sites with XML. So, with a nod of approval from Charles, my journey began. About the Journey

Building Web Sites with XML explores the technologies, tools, and most importantly, the techniques required to build cutting-edge Web sites using XML, Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), and the Document Object Model (DOM). The book introduces XML concepts with expanded coverage of the latest XSL Transformation language, then shows Web designers, Web application developers, and Webmasters how they can use XML to enhance the look and feel, interoperability, operation, and maintenance of their Web sites. This is not a theoretical discussion of XML, nor is it a case study of someone else's project. This book presents hands-on techniques that Web developers can immediately use to enhance their Web sites. Most importantly, the book presents this information in a concise, straightforward manner that doesn't cloud the practical application of XML with esoteric theory. Goals for This Book

One of my goals in writing this book has been to recognize and address all Web developers—from authors and designers comfortable in the ways of HTML and JavaScript, to Web application developers using industrial strength languages like Java and C++. At the same time, it is not my intention to obscure important XML topics with esoteric programming details. Therefore, the primary language used in this book is JavaScript. This choice should make programming, particularly as it relates to the DOM, approachable to non-programmers while giving seasoned developers enough detail to apply XML to their discipline.

An additional goal of this book is to remain platform neutral. Therefore, you will find coverage of both Unix and Windows NT, Apache and Internet Information Server, Java Server Pages and Active Server Pages. Thus, you will be able to find hands-on information that you can apply to your existing arrangement, regardless of the platform, software, and tools you are using. One caveat, of course, is client-side processing. At the time of this writing, only Internet Explorer provides sufficient XML support to warrant coverage in this book. Therefore, this book uses Internet Explorer 5 solely for its browser platform. However, it shows how you can use server-side processing to process XML for display in any browser, no matter what its capabilities are.

Another goal is to provide all of the information you will need to create real-world XML applications. In particular, the first half of this book provides in-depth coverage of XML, the DOM, and XSL. Later parts of the book cover XML schemas and Document Type Definitions (DTDs). The book includes numerous tables for easy reference. So, while the focus of this book is on Web-based applications, you should find it to be a valuable resource in much of your XML-related development.

In addition, applications and examples are included to walk you step by step through the process of creating and processing XML. Examples show how you can transform and render XML using XSL, search and sort XML data, populate tables with XML data streams, create XML-based navigation schemes, and more. Unlike other books, the tools and techniques presented here cover both server- and client-side processing of XML data.

As a final goal, this book covers all of the tools you will need to create real-world XML applications. In particular, this book presents tools for Java servlet and CGI programmers, ASP developers, and JavaScript scripters. The book walks you through the steps of installing these tools on both the development and server platforms so that you can create your own development environment and build solutions for delivering XML. How to Use This Book

This book is organized into four parts. Part 1 covers general XML topics, including XSL, the DOM, and Web-based vocabularies, and gives a quick review of XML markup. Part 2 covers XML in the browser, while Part 3 presents solutions for delivering XML from the Web server. Part 4 covers extended topics such as XML Forms that should be of particular interest to Web developers, and it builds on all of the concepts presented through the book to build a complete Web site based on XML.

You can, of course, read the book from cover to cover. In fact, I recommend that you skim all of the chapters in order at least once. If you are new to XML, you will want to read Part 1 carefully before jumping to either Part 2 or Part 3. Chapter 1 is designed to orient you to XML by describing how XML came about and the reasons for its importance, and suggesting possible applications of the technology. The chapter also introduces technologies such as DTDs, XSL, and the DOM, and it describes XML's relationship with HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

Chapter 2 introduces the structured document and provides a quick tour of XML markup to get you started. Note that Chapter 2 is not an intensive tutorial on XML—you can get that from one of the introductory books on the topic. Rather, this chapter is designed to get you up to speed quickly so you can begin real-world XML development as soon as possible.

A key chapter in this book, Chapter 3, introduces XSL and its associated transformation language, XSLT. XSLT is a primary means for accessing and processing XML elements. Many of the techniques presented throughout the rest of the book hinge on concepts presented in this chapter. Therefore, you will want to read this chapter carefully and refer back to it often.

F

From the Back Cover

• Enhance your Web and Intranet sites with XML right now
• Step-by-step examples, hands-on techniques, tested code!
• Client-side and server-side: XSLT, DOM, Java™-based servlets, Active Server Pages, schemas, and more
• CD-ROM: Includes a complete XML-based Web site to kickstart your site's development

Building Web Sites with XML

"XML's powerful support for data aggregation and smart data-driven styling will make it the Web developer's most useful tool. Michael Floyd's book teaches you to wield it like a master." Charles F. Goldfarb

Build cutting-edge dynamic and interactive Web sites with XML-step by step!

Building Web Sites with XML walks you step by step through enhancing your Web or Intranet site using XML! Leading Web developer Michael Floyd helps you apply the XML technologies you need to know, including the XML Document Object Model, XML schemas, and XSL Transformations (XSLT).

If you know basic XML and you're ready to leverage its full power on your Web, Intranet, and e-commerce sites, you're ready for the book that will show you how: Building Web Sites with XML.

You'll find practical techniques and real-world sample code for:

• Building dynamic sites customized to your users' browsers and preferences
• Serving XML using CGI, Java™-based servlets, and Active Server Pages
• Enhancing site appearance, interoperability, and maintainability with XML
• Client-side and server-side processing-with guidance on when to use each
• Working with specialized Web vocabularies: VML, XHTML, SMIL, CDF, RDF, and more
• Using XML with databases: SQL queries, data transformations, and XML-enabled shopping carts
• Displaying XML in any browser-even legacy browsers

CD-ROM INCLUDED

The CD-ROM includes a complete XML-based Web site to kickstart your site's development.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education (December 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130866016
• ISBN-13: 978-0130866011
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,685,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Floyd is an editor, writer and technical journalist with more than 25 years experience in magazine, book, and Web publishing. He has served as an editor to numerous high-tech magazines including PC Magazine. He was the first Editor in Chief of Web Techniques magazine, and served as the Executive Editor at Dr. Dobb's Journal, the oldest and largest magazine for software developers. His publishing credits soar into the hundreds, and include four books, 3 newsletter launches, two magazine launches, and countless articles, columns and opinion/editorial pieces.

Michael began his career in 1984 at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California where he worked on the Arpanet and Milnet networks. These would later be dubbed "the Internet." While with NASA Michael also launched SofTrek, a Bulletin Board System designed to share public domain software developed by the space agency.

In the mid 1990's, Michael met Tim Behrners Lee, Dr. Charles Goldfarb and other pioneers of the World Wide Web. His third book, "Building Web Sites with XML" appeared in the "Definitive Charles Goldfarb Series," and sold out its first printing before reaching book stores.

Michael's current company, Beyond HTML, specializes in training Internet professionals to design, build and promote Web-enabled applications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A practical guide for webmasters, February 15, 2000

By 

Edward P. Hughes (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building Web Sites with XML (Perfect Paperback)

As the title suggests, this book is targeted for Webmasters with some knowledge of client-side scripting assumed. The examples are clear and most are general enough to be usable in any website. Later parts of the book go into short descriptions of XML-related products currently on the market and their inevitable quirks (most being beta code). Much of this would have been better handled with a link to the author's website considering that a good deal of this info may be obsolete in a few weeks. In the same vein, the included CD which includes a small example website done using XML could have easily been provided online, reducing the overall cost of the book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Using This Book To Build My Site, November 28, 2000

By 

Ken Taylor (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building Web Sites with XML (Perfect Paperback)

This book was my introduction to XML. I purchased it specifically with the intention of creating the XML driven web site at http://mobile.act.cmis.csiro.au. The book provided an excellent background on the purpose, advantages and development of XML and the use of XSLT for transforming XML to HTML for viewing. It also describes the document object model and its use and has short sections on document type definitions and XML schemas. Unusually for a computing book I found it a great read and couldn't put it down until I'd read cover to cover with some skimming where there was too much detail for a first pass.

The book aims to be "platform neutral" and describes implementations in Java and the use of Apache in the Unix environment however there is an emphasis on the Microsoft environment, due mainly to the native support in the Microsoft browser and the integration of various components and tools that make this environment easy to use for XML development. The anti Microsoft fraternity may not approve of this emphasis but it suited my needs, as it was the Microsoft environment I was intending to use.

It is apparent throughout the book that XML standards and development tools are still very new and undergoing rapid change. The book describes a number of XML vocabularies that are in early stages of adoption, discusses standards that are still evolving and includes speculation like "This chapter... examines... and discusses the role XML will play over the next several years." This makes for a contemporary text and is in part what makes the book an interesting read as I got quite excited by some of the scenarios described and possibilities that became apparent. But it does mean the book will rapidly become dated and need a second edition. It also left me with a feeling that the book was rushed for publication in an unfinished state.

The book includes a CD that contains the files for a "full blown Web site" that "includes template files, style sheets, and server pages that you can use to create your own site for serving XML." The techniques employed are discussed in the book and this is a great approach. I created a new directory in the Web server's path and copied the files and subdirectories to my new directory with the intention of starting with a working site and modifying the files supplied to create my own site as suggested. This was a great disappointment. Nothing worked. Absolute rather than relative addressing was used so that hyperlinks were invalid. The cascading style sheets were full of errors so didn't work. The scripts assumed my computer had a recent version of browscap.ini, which most computers wouldn't so they didn't work, and it wasn't obvious why. Getting it to function was tough because fixing up the problems with something you don't yet understand is a big ask. Had I realized how much effort it would take I would not have used the sample templates as a starting point for building a Web site. As well the site includes a database sample but no XML is used in the sample and the HTML is constructed entirely by scripting in an Active Server Page, the opposite of what the book is talking about. It was this disappointment that convinced me the book was published when not yet finished. The source code should have been accessible from the accompanying web site and updated as required with additional implementation issues discussed as they emerged when readers tried to use the supplied code.

With the exception of my major criticism I regarded the book as an excellent and wide-ranging introduction to XML and its uses.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simply a good overview of a Convaluted Subject., February 22, 2001

By 

Joe Stagner (NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Building Web Sites with XML (Perfect Paperback)

I liked this book. As a consultant, I'm forced to assimilate new technology without consideration for my personal interest. I lean more towards the pragmatics of solving my customer's problems, and while XML as a data transport mechanism can be a very appropriate technology choice, XML for presentation, in my experience so far, has fallen short in providing any compelling argument for adoption over conventional client technology in combination with server dynamics.

This book provides a fine over view of a subject that seems to be rarely addressed directly. It provide good comparative evaluation of technologies, but leans slightly toward Microsoft Centricity - mostly because at the time of the books writing Microsoft IE was the only browser to offer any XML support and it's XML on the server technology was arguably the most mature.

The book provides a good look at what you would use different XML related technology for and how you might approach certain problems including how to support XML enabled browsers and "XML Challenged" browsers in the same code base.

The book comes with a CD, the good news is you don't have to type in the code samples; the bad news is the samples have lots of bugs and yje CD contains ONLY samples from the book. No extra code or goodies.

The Prentice Hall XML Series is well regarded. This book is a valuable tutorial for Web Developers - Front End or Back End.

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