Professional ASP XML

Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) and the Extensible Markup Language (XML) are two of the hottest Web technologies, but each, because it is a complex topic in its own right, usually is documented individually. Professional ASP XML ties the two together in an important way, illustrating how to utilize them both to produce next-generation Web applications.

This product of several Wrox authors shows how and where XML fits in with ASP development, and whets the reader's appetite for creative solutions to typical data-handling problems. Because the focus of the book is a step beyond the XML specification itself, the basics of XML are covered up front in a quick and practical discussion. The authors do a great job of explaining the Document Object Model, as well as the DTD-versus-schema controversy. Then it's on to the fun stuff: a look at how to build XSL style sheets dynamically from a database, bind XML data locally with data islands, and construct a component that encapsulates reusable XML file operations.

The best way to grasp the power of XML, however, is to see it in action. Fortunately, the authors devote a large portion of the book to case studies that use XML in various ways: to drive an online survey system, generate programmer documentation for DLLs, represent a shopping cart, and serve as the glue behind a workflow application. If you're developing for the Web, sooner or later you will find XML either useful or necessary. This book should be required reading for any serious ASP developer. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• XML syntax
• DTDs and schemas
• XSL and CSS
• ASP/XML integration,
• ADO/XML integration
• Client-side XML data binding
• XML procedure libraries
• Schema repositories
• SOAP
• Data transferring
• Data presentation