Customer Reviews

XML for ASP.NET Developers

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If I were to analogize this book, it would be something in the vein of "Dan Wahlin's `Ferrari'". This assessment implies that the author has crafted a fast, powerful, much sought-after reference to those of us who appreciate the finer things in life (at least in terms of Web development). This was actually the fourth book I read about .NET, having picked it up just shortly after its release in September of 2001. It's a great piece of work, and a must have for the experienced developer looking to take his or her game to the next level. I've found the book to be extremely well written, both grammatically as well as syntactically in the code examples provided.

I'm President of an ASP.NET User Group, and this title is on my "Must Buy" list for books to get.

The book is admittedly smaller than most .NET texts at a "mere" 496 total pages, but don't let the size fool you - it's chock full of helpful stuff. And it's not for the faint of heart - it's hardcore. Dan whets the appetite of the seasoned developer by providing a general discussion about (1) what's possible with XML, (2) how the .NET Framework fits into the picture, and (3) how to do it. This isn't some tutorial for the beginning programmer looking to tackle .NET development and XML at the same time, nor is it for those just looking to find some cool code to instantly plug into their Web projects - the book is best used as a starting block for the experienced developer looking to build robust e-business systems. Hence the title, it's geared specifically for developers looking to expand their skill set or upscale their existing apps to a more manageable and portable form.

This is a true book written for developers, by a developer. Plain and simple.

While the first few chapters of the book give an excellent primer to XML, validation through DTDs/XDR schema, XPath, XPointer and XLink, XSL/XSLT, XHTML, SAX integration, and navigating and programming the DOM, Dan kicks into high gear full speed and blazes into full on apps development. His explanation of the relationship between XPath and XPointer is in my opinion of the better explanations, from any XML text. He also spends much time with managing XML data into and out of databases in his chapters on ADO.NET's XML capabilities and incorporating SQL Server 2000.

More than 1.5 years in the making, the various examples are current with the .NET Framework Beta 2, so barring any major dramatic syntactical changes in the final release of .NET (which at this point is highly unlikely), the book will be relevant for some time, not to be run obsolete in 6 months.

However, a slight concern of mine is the use of C# throughout the book, making it rather alienated in terms of audience. The examples may prove a bit more challenging for the developer choosing to code exclusively in Visual Basic.NET. To truly maximize effectiveness of this book, the reader should possess:
Ø An intermediate-level familiarity with programming within the .NET Framework (Beta 2)
Ø Experience in programming with C# (and/or a background in Java, and/or a background in C++)
Ø Some experience in XML, XSL, and schema

Speaking as someone who is constantly try to evangelize the use of XML to the masses in my own right, Dan preaches a very convincing sermon.

When you're ready for the next evolution in your .NET career...make sure to check it out.

WHAT I LIKE IN PARTICULAR:
Ø The proofreading is excellent - I've gone through it three times, and I found it to be nearly flawless in terms of editorial snafus.
Ø Dan demonstrates some very advanced, very practical, very cool examples. He proposes the development of numerous apps that will truly harness the power of XML and .NET.
Ø In addition to the source code from the Sams Web site, Dan's companion site, http://www.xmlforasp.net/ is one of the best examples out there for being a living extension to his text by way of providing practical demonstrations. Dan also considerately included the files as a Visual Studio.NET project, so that examples appeal to both those who would prefer the IDE/WYSIWYG approach, as well as the hardcore Notepad coders. However with all code examples being written in C#, having each listing available in VB.NET (if not within the text itself) would have been icing on the cake.
Ø Basic .NET error trapping and handling are presented throughout the examples, with liberal uses of the TRY...CATCH...FINALLY construct are used. This indirectly teaches a more refined, disciplined way to write .NET code.
Ø A near complete list or properties, methods, and attributes is well represented...which is hard to find in many .NET texts...largely only including those features that authors chose to use in their own examples. The explanations of the use of the various namespaces associated with the .NET Framework is also very well explained and documented.
Ø Dan has written some of the coolest, most practical Web services I've seen yet, exhibiting what's truly possible and on the new frontier for programming with the .NET Framework.
Ø Dan is also very active in several online ASP and ASP.NET forums and in real life training, and is quick to help with questions about his book, or with XML integration. He makes himself very accessible to questions or comments about the integration of XML. This again is a very welcome value-added extension to the book.

This book is excellent. As one who has studied XML and XSLT extensively, I was looking for applying this knowledge in the .NET paradigm.

If you're a person who knows nothing about XML, the first several chapters are worth $2,000 to $3,000. This is NOT an exageration. I have some time ago spent that type of money for this training, but it doesn't stop here. After you get the basics of XML, XSLT, you'll go on to ADO, ASP.NET, SQL Server, SOAP, and even web services.

I read through the book in about 1 week, but it will take me about a month to digest all of the robust and clearly laid out code examples.

Don't hesitate!

If you have worked with XML in the COM world, the new XML model will come as a shock. This book is a great starting place to learn more about XML in the .NET world. Peppered with more than a few good examples (along with code download), you should be able to get started using XML in your .NET applications.

Since there is a lot of good in this book, I figured I would get the bad out of the way quickly. First off, I believe the book is a bit too heavy on the background of XML. I would have liked a little less background and more .NET. If you are not very well versed in XML, XSLT, etc., these chapters will come in handy. I state this "negative" as a personal item.

The second item is the lack of some examples using other methods, like ReplaceChild, SelectSingleNode, etc. There are some examples, but, in most cases, the methods are highlighted rather than covered in code. I accept this limitation as the number of things you can do with XML in .NET is astounding.

A brief note about the subject head of this review. I am working on an application that needs to input a string into XML, transform it and output a string. This was simple in the pre-.NET world, but has become more complex in .NET. I needed this to happen without saving to a file, as the app is all Internet based. I found the method to do this in the book.

Overall I would say this is a very good work to get started with XML in ASP.NET. If you are a VB.NET developer, be aware that all of the code samples are in C#. I do not find this to be a major hurdle, as I do both, but those who are strictly VB.NET developers may have a tougher row to hoe.

A very detailed resource that doesn't get bogged down. Numerous coding examples provide great support to the narrative. Some authors try to impress the reader with their capability while, at the same time, losing the audience. Wahlin obviously knows the subject matter and competently presents the material to an audience that is still learning.

And I'm living proof. While not an XML guru by any stretch of the imagination, I am an experienced Web developer. This book helped me get a grasp on a technology I know very little about, in conjunction with a technology I feel quite comfortable with (ASP.NET).

The in's and out's of XML are covered in the first 4 chapters, providing some helpful XML reference material. I found the chapters on Datasets and using XSLT with ASP.NET most helpful. Explanations on quick ways to accomplish actions (for instance writing out a dataset to an xml file) are coupled with Dan's take on the BEST way to do these tasks.

Also, the book chapters are logically put together to allow you to pick and choose chapters when you need them as a reference. A good technical read as well. Right now this is my first reference for using XML with ASP.NET.

This is easily the best book for working with XML in ASP.NET, devoted to the subject. The examples are all in C#, but that doesn't really matter. When I needed C# I could copy the code directly; when I needed VB.NET it was easy to convert. This is a well-written, easy to follow book that covers the most important parts of a complex subject, and has lots of good samples to follow. Other XML for .NET books are better for an overall survey of the subject, but the nice thing about Wahlin's book is that it has the gist of XML for ASP.NET programmers. Highly recommended.

I thought this book was written very understandably and read very smoothly. XML is a something I have been trying to improve on and this book created a good medium for me to do that especially when using ASP.NET. Being somewhat new to XML this book provided me with a great look at why I should use it, where, and how. Although a couple select sections were a little too advanced I thought, overall the book provided me with what I was looking for.

I bought the book a month ago and stayed idle in my library until I started using SQL2000 Web Notifications and needed some extra help on the principles.

And that was it. I can only tell you that it kept me reading it for three consequtive days, enough time to keep myself going, understand may parts, realise many possibilities/options and even optimise some code. This is not a book to solve a particular problem but it is a book to get you all excited about XML/XSLT/XLink/XPath and realise how this have been integrated to many of Microsoft Applications... (Notifications is one, CS2002 another).

I regret that I havent had that book before hand. It would have saved me many more hours of searching.

The only minus is that it makes you so excited that you end up spending another couple $$$ on other books to get into more details so I just shopped...
1 of: XPath and XPointer
1 of: Applied Microsoft .NET Framework Programming
1 of: XSLT and XPath On The Edge, Unlimited Edition
1 of: XSLT Programmer's Reference 2nd Edition

couple this with Professinal C# (2nd Edition) or even Beginning C# and you can do most things imaginable with c# and XML.

Thank you Dan.

Over the last few years I have had a difficult time figuring out how I can *easily* leverage XML in my ASP applications. Now that ASP.NET is here, I am looking to leverage XML in my ASP.NET applications. Thankfully, Dan Wahlin figured there would be a lot of people looking to leverage XML in their ASP.NET applications. XML for ASP.NET Developers does an excellent job of exploring the pertinent XML classes in the .NET Framework. Not only does the book explore XML classes but it also explains strategies and common uses for XML in your ASP.NET applications. Finally, the book covers how the XML libraries fit into both ADO.NET and XML Web Services. If you plan on using XML in your ASP.NET applications then you can't go wrong with this book.

This is the best tech book I've read in awhile. He spends very little time on the basic information about xml, and moves right into practical information. I have so many 1000 page books on my shelves that are just full of screen shots; I think most of them have less text than this one, at only 400 pages! The book reads very well, and he seems to actually introduce concepts in order, believe it or not; this is one of the perpetual problems plaguing the "committee" books so popular lately.

Having said what I did about the 400 pages, I almost wish the book were longer, because the pace toward the second half of the book moves from merely furious to downright blistering, with whole concepts explained, demonstrated, and left in the dust in the space of three pages, with nary a screen image to show what you just did. Oh well, I happen to think sometimes that's for the best, though, so we'll actually do it ourselves to see what happened.

Some source code is missing w/o any explanation, very hard to find on the site, but there if you persevere. Code examples worked fine, some small typo bugs that if you can't catch, you should probably be reading a lower-level book...

Covers: XML- good; XPath- good; Xsl- excellent; SQL support for XML- excellent (if furious paced).

And ALL the code examples in C#! I LOVE this because VB is the most DENSE, HARD TO READ CODE EVER INVENTED BY MAN! Cool language, yes, but LOUSY for printouts in a book.