Amazon.com Review
Say you know only a little bit about Extensible Markup Language (XML). You know what it is, generally, and some of the roles it plays in software. You don't, however, feel ready to do real work with it.
The Official XMLSPY Handbook fits your requirements brilliantly by simultaneously introducing you to XML and XMLSPY, which is one of the most popular tools for generating, editing, and analyzing XML documents. Certain aspects of theory that you'd get from a standards-based XML book (
XML in a Nutshell is one of the best) fail to appear in this practical guide for programmers, but then it's rare to win a contract because you know the standards documents exclusively.
Practical from page one, author Larry Kim begins with a quick introduction to the mechanics of XMLSPY 5 (which appears in 90-day full-featured demo form on the companion CD-ROM), then explores the software's features--which happen to coincide with XML's handiest capabilities--one by one. Though the graphics are sometimes small and grainy, Kim does an admirable job of explaining how XML and its related technologies work, and especially how XMLSPY fits into the practical picture. The reader is left wanting only one significant feature: information on how to design XML into applications, not just implement it. That's a big subject, though, and one that might best be left for Kim's next book. --David Wall
Topics covered: Extensible Markup Language (XML), Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), XSL Transformations (XSLT), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Web Services Definition Language (WSDL), and how all of these interact with Altova's XMLSPY development environment. You'll learn how to manipulate XML and its variations in XMLSPY, and get a bit of background on how each works.
From the Back Cover
"The XMLSPY Handbook is your secret decoder ring to the entire world of XML and XMLSPY(r) 5."
-From the foreword by Alexander Falk,
President & CEO, Altova, Inc.
Here's the only guide sanctioned by the XMLSPY company...
This is it - the only XMLSPY reference book authorized by Altova, Inc. Written by a top XML "spy," it reveals all the secrets of this award-winning XML development environment, already used by more than 1 million registered users worldwide. Learn to create and validate documents, design XML Schemas and WSDL files, and build and debug XSLT stylesheets. Whether you're new to the Spy world or a veteran seeking faster, easier ways to build XML applications, this is the definitive handbook and the official textbook for XMLSPY training and certification.
Everything you need to know about
* Using XML Schema, XSL/XSLT, SOAP, and WSDL
* Developing XML applications using advanced XML editing views
* Putting XML fundamentals, DTDs, and Schemas to work
* Building Schemas and Web Services
* Integrating with SQL Server, Oracle, and Tamino databases
* Creating and managing XMLSPY projects
* Developing XML content-management systems
* Transforming XML and debugging XSLT stylesheets
* Architecting XML-enabled Web sites
CD-ROM INCLUDES
* Special 90-day trial version of XMLSPY 5 Enterprise Edition
* Sun's Java(TM) 2 Platform, Standard Edition, Version 1.4 for Windows
System Requirements: PC with Windows 9x or later. 50MB free hard drive space. See the "What's on the CD-ROM" appendix for details and complete system requirements.
