XML Publishing with Axkit [Paperback]

Kip Hampton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

Web developers rely on XML to separate data from presentation and create a consistent templating system for a web site. Although limited XML-to-HTML conversion is possible within some browsers, web developers creating dynamic or complex sites will find server-side XML transformation a necessity. Unfortunately, until recently, there have been few XML tools available for server-side XML transformation or authoring.

AxKit, a mod_perl and Apache-based XML content delivery solution, was designed to meet that need with a cost-effective and efficient plugin architecture. AxKit allows the developer to quickly design modules to create faster web sites, and deliver them in a wide variety of media formats. AxKit also takes care of caching so the developer doesn't have to worry about it. AxKit meets the demands of the web developer nicely, but, as with any new toolkit, there is a learning curve.

For developers who want to flatten that learning curve and get right to work with AxKit, XML Publishing with AxKit provides detailed information on how to install, configure, and deploy AxKit effectively. The first book solely devoted to AxKit, XML Publishing with AxKit also offers a concise and focused look at how to create XSLT and XPathScript-based pipelines for XML data transfer.

This solidly useful new book presents web programmers with the hands-on knowledge they need to get really creative with AxKit. It features a thorough introduction to XSP (extensible Server Pages), which applies the concepts of Server Pages technologies (embedded code, tag libraries, etc) to the XML world, and covers integrating AxKit with other tools such as Template Toolkit, Apache:: Mason, Apache::ASP, and plain CGI. The book also includes invaluable reference sections on configuration directives, XPathScript, and XSP.

With XML Publishing with AxKit, web developers will have all the tools they need to deliver complex XML-based systems quickly, the power to develop their own systems for style sheet negotiation, and the flexibility to design completely new style sheet languages.

XML Publishing with AxKit gives those new to XML all the background and the courage they need to jump right in and deploy AxKit. And it gives XML-savvy professionals everything they need to hit the ground running.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kip Hampton came to AxKit initially as a Perl-loving Web Developer seeking an alternative to Cocoon. He was one of AxKit's earliest adopters and along the way has contributed several smaller modules, XSP taglibs and some documentation. Since discovering the power of XML and AxKit, he has immersed himself in the XML world and has subsequently become the author of the monthly Perl-XML column for O'Reilly's own XML.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1st edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596002165
• ISBN-13: 978-0596002169
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,305,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to publish XML, June 19, 2004

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: XML Publishing with Axkit (Paperback)

Suppose you have a bunch of XML data. You want to offer it up on the web and your web server happens to be the most common one, Apache. Perhaps, as Hampton points out, you want to make the data available in various transformed ways - HTML, PDF or RTF, say, as these are very common formats. Each format needs a different operator to generate its output from your XML. Well, you may be in luck. Hampton suggests adopted AxKit as a way to do all this, fully compatible with Apache.

Along the way, he offers concise ways to use XSLT, XSP, RSS and stylesheets. In other words, he gives a motivating context in which to quickly learn the rudiments of these packages. Certainly not comprehensive in each. But this can be a blessing in disguise. For example, the full expressive power of XSLT grammar can be rather daunting to master. So his book also practises an informal but useful subtheme. He gives you a pragmatic minimum acquaintance with various subsidiary packages that are not AxKit itself. A useful extra benefit of the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars XML Publishing for Apache and Perl programmers, September 30, 2004

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: XML Publishing with Axkit (Paperback)

XML seems to be on the mind of just about everyone who publishes information to the Internet. The big advantage is the ability to take content and publish it in various formats from a single source. As a general rule when you are talking about XML you are talking about using Java to implement it. AxKit gives the user the ability to publish XML documents using Perl. That means that you will have to have Perl installed to use it. Basically the prerequisites are an Apache server, the mod_perl Apache extension module, an XML parser written in Perl or in C with a Perl interface module, and the AxKit distribution. One you have all that put together and functioning you can start using the book to learn how to publish XML documents with AxKit. The actual techniques in the book are straightforward and well explained. If you are familiar with Perl there is nothing complex here, just a few different things to learn but nothing bizarre. With plenty of sample scripts so you can follow along and write your own following the examples XML Publishing with AxKit is a recommended read for people who are very familiar with Perl and want to get up and running with XML publishing with the minimum of effort.