SE Using XML is a comprehensive tutorial/reference that shows you how to create XML documents and applications. This book begins with basic concepts and progresses through the creation of sophisticated XML projects. The book also includes many leading XML tools on the CD-ROM to help you create XML documents more easily.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Using XML, Special Edition, is a wonderful reference for those who know what the heck they're doing with XML, but a very confusing primer for those who don't. To be fair, the Using series was never meant to teach someone; it was meant to crouch purposefully on your bookshelf, waiting patiently for that moment when you look vaguely confused--at which point it leaps off the shelf into your arms, dispenses the answer that you're looking for, and then slinks back into hiding.
In that sense, Using XML serves quite well. But if you're looking for a tutorial, this book will simply look up at you with a kind of confused "Pikachu"-style expression and wonder what you're looking for specifically.
If you don't know what to tell it, you're in trouble.
The book delves into the programming realm--where its strength lies, incidentally--after a couple of obligatory "Intro to XML" chapters. Because XML, being a comparatively simple language, is more frequently about understanding when or why to use a particular feature than how, there is comparatively little code (though there's certainly enough of it to go around). Instead, most of the text explains concepts and gives examples of when it is and isn't appropriate to use certain features, what certain features are intended to be used, and so on, which is very helpful. After all, in many cases the reader will be using the book to try to find solutions and not simply answers. The writing is clear and concise--well, as clear and concise as you can be when venturing into the oft-nebulous areas of XML--when describing code functions and real-life examples, but, as stated, this book is fairly weak on XML concepts. If you didn't understand the concept going in, you're not likely to be much wiser on the other side of the chapter.
There is code galore, however, and much of it is notated, as it should be. As would be expected in a reference book, there are pages and pages and pages of tables with classes and features and commands aplenty. Unfortunately, there are several code samples from real-world Web sites or actual working models. This is "unfortunate" mainly because the samples point to the lack of usable examples in the book. A lot of XML's advanced functions would be made a lot clearer if the book would not only give isolated code fragments for many XML features, but also a wider-scale XML page that would let the reader understand how it's used in the field.
This is by no means a tutorial, and if you're fuzzy on critical XML philosophies, you may want another book. But if you're an XML developer working on a project who needs something to pull off the shelf from time to time, this is fine. --William Steinmetz
Review
"The book is comprehensive and well written and if you're looking for something that covers everything from XML concepts to how to apply XML to the real world, it's worth a look."IT Training, August 2001
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nebulous and Not for the Beginner,
By "lloy0076" (South Australia, AU) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Using XML: Special Edition (with CD-ROM) (Paperback)
Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to examine the book's accompanying CD. I find the book's lack of examples within the text - it doesn't seem to refer to any examples on the CD at all - rather disenchanting.This book would help you if you already understood XML and wanted a firmer grounding in its theory, but if you're new to it then it could be quite a task to learn XML from the book. I've read other reviews where the reviewers have criticised the author's writing style. Whilst this author's style is grammatically correct, the author tends to explain things in detail but not follow up with any type of "this is how to use it in a real situation...". Naturally, your opinion may be different to mine but I would strongly advise you to find a REAL copy of the book in a library or a local book store and thumb through it. You might find it easier to understand than I did... As a reference to consolidate your XML knowledge if you already have it, this book appears to be quite good. However, if you don't already know XML then I think there are easier books or even online tutorials to use.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I hope Ms. Phillips isn't a teacher...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Using XML: Special Edition (with CD-ROM) (Paperback)
This book uses far too much theory and virtually no examples for clarification. I had hoped for a book that would give me something to *do* with XML. There has to be somthing better. Don't waste your time with this one.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Think twicw b4 u buy this one,
By
This review is from: Using XML: Special Edition (with CD-ROM) (Paperback)
The author seems to know her staff pretty darn good but I think she doesn't know her audience. I am not a "computer geek" by any stretch of the imagination but I do code a lot and I purchase and read a lot of computer programming books. This is the first one I have read and didn't understand. There are no examples its all just theory. I read up to the the 150th page and still couldn't write a 6 line XML document. She talks about "well formed" documents, DTD's etc and doesn't show you what they look like. It was until I read another book, that I actually new what XML was all about and I could write somewhat sophisticated xml documents. I certainly think this book is good for some people but it just didn't do it for me. So next time Lee Ann, when you write your book put a "for computer geeks only" sign in front to let us know not to touch it. There are three audiences for computer books: 1. Beginners ...2. Intermediate ...3. Professional ...Just pick one and and stick to it.
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