XML by Example (2nd Edition)

XML books are a dime a dozen, but many are quite tedious in the way they methodically step through all of the various standards. Que's Example series helps you learn by doing with countless examples that build your knowledge through hands-on experience. XML by Example covers an impressive amount of material in relatively little space, providing critical XML knowledge using a reader-friendly format.

This second edition has been updated to cover the latest and greatest features of the ever-evolving XML standard. It includes coverage of the final XML Schemas recommendation and the latest developments of XSL. The book is quite suitable for anyone with basic HTML knowledge.

The book steps its way through all the key topics--namespaces, models, transformations, formatting, etc.--with a style that keeps you engaged in what each topic looks like in real code, versus in theory. Plenty of notes and cautions highlight important points and pitfalls. There is an excellent presentation of how XML can be used to render formatted HTML using Cascading Style Sheets and XSL--one of the first areas many developers want to tackle when wading into the XML universe.

Advanced topics such as SOAP and three-tier architectures are presented, albeit only at a level of detail sufficient to familiarize you with the concepts. XML by Example is an excellent place to start to learn XML and a strong preparatory text for more extensive reading on the subject. --Stephen W. Plain