Customer Reviews

HTML & XML for Beginners (Cpg-Undefined)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you happen to want to get into the world of web design you need to know HTML, however if you want to progress further you also need to know XML. So if you don't know either you can spend serious money on several starter books or try this one and save time, money and your sanity.

What I learned from this book was a great deal of information I had never seen before. The author simple approach, yet abundance of information make this a first rate job. The author takes you on a web journey in a step by step layout without overcomplicating any one topic.

Starting off with the HTML essentials like formatting, images, hyperlinks, maps, tables, forms and multimedia you then move on to other topics like CSS, DHTML and special effects to spice up the average web page.

XML, XSL and XHTML round out the end of the book with style, allowing the reader to be able to use the information as you follow along. Although eh book should have been in color, this will detract little from the overall value of the book.

There are plenty of screen shots and the step by step instruction make learning at your pace easy. One thing that does need to be added is a cd-rom with practice files rather allowing for time to work with the areas.

I must admit that when I decided to embark upon my adventures in web programming I was overwhelmed by the shear number of books on the topic of HTML & XML. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the style and approach of this book. Michael Morrison covers HTML, DHTML, XHTML, XML and CSS. But the book isn't limited to simply programming language, it also emphasizes the importance of style, content, appearance and special effects.

The author covers material in manageable portions, then displays the code, again in manageable portions, and follows up with easy to understand explanations that review the topic. This brilliant cycle is repeated through out the pages of each chapter. What is significant is that he puts all the code snippets from the chapter together at the end to show the reader what the end result is. And the reader can even follow along with a text editor to see his/her own work! The code is clean, the examples are easy to understand and the author is consistent. Bravo!

On the other hand, there were one or two topics that left me wanting for more information but I was readily able to facilitate my hunger by browsing the web. All in all, this book was a huge help and I recommend it supremely.

After designing a seven page read-only web site with Netscape Composer (which generates HTML source code) I found that potential Web hosts tended to become twitchy at the prospect of Composer's "inelegant code". Their concern is that not only would the code not be XHTML compliant (the standard for the future that is being implemented now), but that some of the code simply would not run on some browsers.

Swoon... I needed a quick fix book that would explain enough about XML and XHTML for me to go in and manually convert the Composer-generated HTML code for XHTML compliance. I also needed to be able to use a checking tool to verify that the altered/upgraded code would pass the test.

Thank goodness for Michael's book. My first bonus was discovering that Netscape 7.1 actually generates HTML 4.1 code, which is basically current. My second bonus was finding that Michael has a very readable style and gets to the point quickly. To be honest, I just speed scanned the vast majority of the book and used it as a reference guide while I dove in almost immediately to perform the XHTML conversion.

The way MM explains things, the conversion was a very simple process, and the icing on the cake is that he explains how to use the WC3 Validator online free checking service, which allows you to safely and simply upload your source code for a given web page, and have it checked in real time. One cute bonus from the Validator site is that when your code passes the test, you can download an icon indicating that your code for that page is XHTML 1.0 Transitional compliant.

I'm sure there are many good books out there of a similar nature, but for me, this book by Michael Morrison works for people who just want to get in there quickly and do it. Like many busy men and women, I don't have time to read War and Peace, and MM appears to understand that need for speed and clarity.

Finally, while there is some breezy humor and a very friendly feel to the book, it does not descend into the infantile 2 cent jokes and puns that some books have been known to contain.

Excellent.

This wonderful book provides Web coding with a clear and concise guide to the world of HTML, it also previews even more powerful alternatives such as XML and shows the importance of XML to the WWW. The book is rich in examples and walks the Web beginner through basic HTML techniques such as creating and publishing Web pages, formatting text, adding graphics, and creating hyperlinks. The book shows you how to use tables to organize content, forms to gather input from site visitors, image maps to support point-and-click navigation, and styles, properties, and multimedia to add visual and verbal content. It clearly demonstrates how to energize Web pages with interactive elements by using DHTML. The book concludes with an extensive discussion on XML, and its relevance for data exchange. If you have yet to start coding and are a beginner this book provides the fastest way to get started coding a Web page.

FinancialNeeds.com

When I bought this book it is clearly written so you can understand the HTML and apply right away the techniques.
Don't bother with any other book.
Also if you are interested in learning beggining Java Script I would suggest you read this book first cause you can apply the material.
Of course the purpose of learning a program language is to be creative and make your own style or even to start a new career in programming.
This book will not dissapoint you. And you don't have to know any Java Script to make your web page more interactive.
I just recently bought "Jave Script for Dummies" and was very dissapointed. I was more than happy to return to reading and applying this book. It is not boring and you can learn to do your own forms. If you want to move to Java Script after you read this you should have an easier time understanding Java Script.
Also what I liked about this book was that it does not insult your intelligence. Thanks for this book I look forward to reading and building my web site.

I wrote a review of this some months ago with praise and admiration for this book. I thought that the book would end up on my shelf along with piles of other technical and instructional manuals. However and to my surprise, I've discovered that for the past 4 months this book has been a constant companion. I've turned to it for many small facts that slipped my mind from time to time.

The well-worn pages are testimony to a well-read book.

I am taking a beginners course in html/web design and I bought this book as a supplement to the course. Well I'm writing this review because the book has been so helpful that I think it should be part of the class. I've spread the word at school and to the professor and now several of us have it.

I was asked if I would be willing to teach web design as an advanced course offering for high school students. I'm not new to HTML, but I have been using a WISIWYG app to manage website for years. With this course, I felt it was important to start at the beginning in order for the students to have the solid foundation of web design and it' code, and then move into the current apps. I also fekt I needed a quick refresher. Thus I was looking for a book that would clearly explain the fundamentals of HTML and be simplistic enough for high school students. After seaching I came across this one.
This book clearly explains the basic HTML and much more. After reviewing the book, I felt confident that this book would meet my students and my needs.

this was a ok book, alot of small talk instead for really showing you things. Would have liked more examples of what xml can do instead of the history of. Came in good condition.

One of those "should have known"

This is from Microsoft Press and when possible it speaks from a Microsoft perspective; not necessarily selling but certainly letting you know when Explore does this or Front Page does that.

It also spends too much ink on analogies and could have packed more technical content in all those pages.