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With the arrival of Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and its support for XML, more and more Web developers can start relying on XML to deliver content to Web clients. Written for the Web designer or developer,
Project Cool Guide to XML for Web Designers presents a remarkably comprehensible explanation of how to use XML effectively with coverage of all the major related standards.
The best thing about this book is its clear (and friendly) style when approaching the difficulties of XML and related acronyms. With simple examples (using food menus and newsletters), it shows how XML is used to structure document content. Perhaps the best section here is the clear explication of DTDs used to define XML documents. Only after XML and DTDs are covered does the book turn to display issues with coverage of CSS and XSL (for defining visual styles for elements) and HTC (for scripting events). Of course, Web programmers might be most interested in HTC, but as the author notes, different players on a Web site's team must work together to use XML effectively.
Another standout section presents interviews with some of the major XML innovators, plus an excellent explanation of how the W3W reviews and approves standards like XML. Of course, XML is still much more difficult to master than HTML. But this book makes a good case that you can start hand-coding XML successfully right now. Project Cool Guide to XML for Web Designers is probably the simplest available choice for learning XML for any Web designer or developer. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered: XML basics, W3W standards review process, DTDs, CSS, and XSL.
Back Cover copy
A complete webmaster's and web designer's guide to exploiting XML's full capabilities for presenting data. Project Cool Guide to XML for Web Designers. Internationally renowned web developer Teresa A. Martin gets you up to speed on what XML is, how it works, how it fits in with other web design and development tools, and how, when, and why to incorporate it into your web site. Project Cool Guide to XML for Web Designers is the only XML guide geared specifically to the needs of webmasters and designers, and offers clear step-by-step guidance for integrating the XML process--from DTDs, parsing, and assigning style data to displaying a page in web browsers. You get all the background information and working examples you need to: *Master the XML syntax to create well-formed and valid documents. *Build a simple DTD and create elements and attributes lists. *Attach styles to an XML document and display it in a web page. *Work with XML and the 5.X browsers to display pages more powerfully. *Use the new Document Object Model (DOM). *Learn about the new XSL specification, CSS, and IE5 behaviors. On the companion web site at projectcool.com/guide/xml you'll find: *A live demo that lets you see XML in action. *Regular updates on emerging XML specifications and applications. *Working examples of XML solutions. *Visual glossaries.
