Step by Step XML

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Introduction to XML
Review: I own a couple of XML books. This is the one that outshines the rest. Ideas are logically presented and it lives up to its name---it does adopt a step-by-step approach in trying to get the ideas across to the reader. Some people may feel that it is lacking in certain areas (what the editorial review says is accurate) but those areas which it covers, it explains well. It is meant to be an intro to XML and it does a great job in explaining how parts fit together and what supporting docs are required and for what purpose. Well worth the price. After reading, I could understand what XML is and APPRECIATE XML. You cannot appreciate it unless you know it! One the of strengths of this book is the careful reference and explanation of the example codings is enlightening and helpful. Certainly NOT a book written in a hurry to get published.

Some people may be against the biase towards IE 5.x, but it provides excellent support for XML if you know the browser well enough. Using an otherwise poorer XML support browser would, on the other hand, hinder the learning process. IE Explorer has strengths and weaknesses like other browsers, but it is certainly strong in its support for XML.

If you do not know anything about XML, this is the book to start learning with. Excellent XML starters' book. Period.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect first step for beginners.
Review: If you don't know anything about XML (like me two years ago), this is the first book that you should read. This book contains clear explanations backed by good samples and "step-by-step" exercises. You don't have to read the whole book to be efficient when using XML in your project. I only read the first few charters and I already began to code XML. If I can do it, so can you.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful introduction to XML. A pleasure.
Review: If you're looking for an introduction to XML, this book is the right place to start. This book is my fourth attempt at learning the XML basics, and it's just right. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

The most striking thing about it is how well-organized it is. Finally, here is a book with virtually no typos, a CD of sample programs where all the programs work(!!!), and a completely clear labeling of which file on the CD is being used for each sample listing in the book. The writing is very clear, and all the examples are explained very well. And the book is only 362 pages, so you never have the feeling that it will take forever to go through it all.

The content is also very well organized, where each chapter builds on the preceding chapters, and the author does not discuss anything if the context has not already been established. The XML basics are all presented, including entities, DTDs, Data Binding, the DOM, and XSL. (And maybe a little more - the example in Chapter 9 of using the DOM to access XML entities in a DTD starts to get more advanced.)

To make full use of this book, you need to know some HTML. Knowing some JavaScript is also helpful, but not absolutely required. On the other hand, by the time you're ready to tackle XML, you should already know the HTML basics.

The book does not go into more advanced topics like SAX or SOAP, but that is OK since this is a beginner's book. Reading this book (and playing with the sample code) should give you the appropriate background for a more advanced book.

A warning: this is a Microsoft Press book, and all the samples are displayed in the Internet Explorer 5.x browser. If you are allergic to IE, then you should find another book, but you would be missing out on a lot.

Rating:
Summary: Baby Steps
Review: This book is very much a beginner's guide to XML. I went into this book with a very rudimentary understanding of what XML is, and found it to be a good start-off point. The writing style is simple and straightforward. All the samples are included on the CD, but I found that by typing them in by hand instead, I understood the sections better. Plus, I could change some things and gain even more understanding.
The book explains what XML is, some examples of applications that use XML, and how to display XML data via Cascading Stylesheets, databinding, the Document Object Model, and XSL stylesheets.
As a programmer, I would like to have seen the book tell more about the creation of XML documents from sources other than notepad (i.e. : programmatically) for use in places other than IE ,or at the minimum, have it point at some other resources for this information.
Finally, the book doesn't really wind down - it just stops cold.
Overall, a good primer.