Customer Reviews

HTML Programmer's Reference

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like the title says it IS a reference book, so if you arelooking for a tutorial, this is NOT the book for you. On the otherhand however, if you are experienced in HTML then this can be an invaluable reference tool.

For example, the major part of the book is an alphabetical listing of all the HTML tags supported up to and including version 4. So, if you know the tags it is an excellent reference to ensure that you use them correctly, with cross browser support.

For me, the books main strength as a reference aid was its excellent coverage of what is/is not supported by the different browsers (Netscape and IE), and which version of the browser was first to support it. I find that this part is essential as it allows me to decide what to include with reference to my intended audience. I have also used the color reference provided fairly frequently, although you could probably get this info else where.

If you are looking for a little help also with JavaScript, you won't find much here, but you are probably better off looking for a dedicated JavaScript reference anyway.

All in all, it is always my first line of HTML reference, and rarely, if ever have I needed to go further afield for HTML information. If you are working with HTML professionally this book (or something very similar) is an essential tool and for under $15 is worth anyone's money.

It is just what it claims to be - a comprehensive well set out reference. If you are new to the subject matter its a quick way to see "what there is out there", for the expert the detail is there in full.

But this is no tutorial, examples are minimal - so if you are learning HTML this is the book for you but NOT the only book!

Ever since I started making websites, I've always been looking for an HTML reference book. But, I couldn't find any that's good enough. Most HTML books are for beginners or those who wants to understand HTML. NONE of them are purely for reference. This book covers a wide area in HTML and it's really good for people who understands HTML. I highly recommend this book for web designers and HTML programmers.

It's been about 3 years since I wrote my original review of the book HTML Programmer's Reference, 1st Ed. [see post November 19, 1999]. Since that period, I've developed and deployed several web sites all from having obtained the basic knowledge and practical application of the syntax and tag constructs from this modest book. The direction of HTML development is moving forward with the wide usage of XHTML. And, again the authors show insight into the industry trend by updating this REFERENCE book with the latest version of XHTML 1.0.

If I must say something negative [seeing that the publishers market this book as an "idea book"], the examples shown are a bit basic. For example, the "target" attribute within the "<a " Anchor tag explains the various formats but does not clearly show its usage when rendering a page within a browser's frames, which is a common usage of this feature.

I use this book when I have forgotten the exact construct of certain tags, or when the pages are rendered in several browser products [like IE or Netscape]. If your beginning to think about designing web pages, this is only one of several books you'll own. There are plenty of "how-to" books that cover the syntax and tag construction in a more reader-centric format. I must state that this is a reference book and is probably not intended to begin your exposure to web development services [only the authors will disagree]. However, this book is truly a gem and worth every cent of the price, and like fine wine, will hold its value well into the future.

This book is, just as it claims, the most authoritative quick reference for HTML programmers. This is an excellent book!

The authors list each HTML tag in alphabetical order and give each legal attribute and actually explains what each one is and does. They give you browser compatibility information for each tag as well as all of the browser-specific attributes and event support.

The book is finished out with an indispensable special character and color reference - giving all information about it as possible as well as browser compatibility.

This book is wonderful! Excellent! Indispensable! And anyone who would say otherwise is as ignorant as they come.

This is a really useful book. It may look a little technical at first with the 10-20 line syntax summary beginning each entry, but don't be put off!

The entry for each element (TD, P, BODY, FRAME, etc.) explains the applicable attributes (size, type, width, etc.) and the applicable values ("80%", "red", "text/css") for each attribute. It tells you which browser supports what, what is legal, what is discouraged but expedient ;-).

There are tables of colors (names, hex values, rgb decimal values), character entities (always telling you which work with which browsers).

Each entry explains the use of the element and its related attributes and values.

Appendix A is an excellent 20 page discussion of URLs.

Appendix B is 2 pages of carefully selected web resources.

This is not at all a Begin To Learn HTML book. But to check syntax or to see what exactly you can put in a <TABLE> tag, it's just great. It is an excellent supplement to something more in the tutorial line.

Unfortunately, the subject is strictly HTML, so no information on Cascading Style Sheets is included.

Oh, there is a 10 page summary of events (onclick, etc) and which elements (& browsers) support them for the dynamic HTML crowd.

This book references browsers only by their main version number (i.e., Navigator 4, not 4.5 versus 4.01) and it predates Internet Explorer 5.

I prefer this book, as a reference, to the O'Reilly HTML book or their DHTML book and to the big fat HTML The Complete Reference (same author & publisher). The last one, I think, in fact contains the book I am reviewing as its appendix A, but it is so heavy and cumbersome it stays on the bookcase in favor of this smaller one.

This book is a great reference! I've been looking for some time for a book where I can flip through the pages, find the tag I need, and get its attributes, w/o having to dig through tutorials, looking up basic in one part of the book, and advanced items in another part. I will definitely get a lot of use out of this one.

Exactly what I needed for use on one of the top websites in the world! It lists not only each command and its variations, but also what differences in the command may exist for IE, Netscape or WebTV It won't teach you HTML or improve your code, but it will lay out your options and refresh your memory about specific commands

I wanted an HTML handbook, not a textbook, something to give me the format and options for each command. This is it.

The organization couldn't be clearer: the bulk of the book is the complete list of HTML directives, in alphabetical order. It also includes indices of names for special characters and colors. There's a lot of compatibility information, too, regarding both HTML versions and browser incompatibilities.

The "Examples" section is weak, and seems to assume a knowledge of SGML beyond what HTML really requires. It's also vague about specifics of style directives, and the relationship of HTML to CSS or embedded scripts. Other books fill those gaps, though. This book works as just one in a more complete library for web-page writers, and that's just fine.

There are better books to learn from, but this is the best I've seen for supporting experienced HTML users.

This isn't absolutely a book to learn HTML. It's not very useful at that. But when you know HTML and you need a place where to get quickly precise and complete information on every HTML tag, this is the best. Differently from many huge trash books (like the xyz bible...), it's small, simple, complete, easy to read, ant it will leave some free space on your desk. I'm using it every time I need to make an HTML page.