The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group SGML/XML/XHTML Resources: Part 7 Major Keary

There are many reasons for bringing yourself up to date with XML and XHTML developments. Web publishers, regardless of the kind of material, have a range of XHTML titles to choose from; managers and executives need to keep abreast of what is going on; and professional developers of Web applications must keep up. 

XHTML

Some useful titles are described below. They range from books for novices through to professional references.

XHTML for Dummies

I have mentioned this title before. It makes just one assumption: you know how to use your computer. I was surprised by the scope of coverage and technical depth in a beginner's book. The authors introduce XML and explain where XHTML fits in, and why you should convert from HTML. There is even a chapter on how to convert your HTML files to XHTML.

The tutorial approach goes beyond simple Web pages, extending to the use of frames, style sheets, tables, and forms; including multimedia in a document; scripting with Java; and more advanced topics such using DOM for dynamic Web pages. 

A companion CD contains useful material, including a copy of Amaya; it is set up to be read with a browser. Good value.

Ed Tittel et al.: XHTML for Dummies ISBN 0-7645-0751-6 Published by IDG, 422 pp. + CD,  RRP $44.95 incl. GST

XHTML by Example

This title was also mentioned last month. It assumes some HTML experience, even if only as a dabbler. The presentation is, as the title suggests, by example. There is extensive use of example code to support the text. The author also includes very useful discussions of issues that have to be appreciated for an intelligent approach to Web authoring. Just doing things by rote may be sufficient for the most simple tasks, but not for anything beyond that. 

The discussion of Web content authoring guidelines and techniques is very good. There is a sound introduction to the DTD, and an interesting description of XSLT. The author, who is a member of the W3C XHTML WOrking Group, gives the reader a preview of the XHTML 1.1 standard, describing features such as XHTML Basic, which is a basic set of tags for use with wireless application protocol (WAP) devices.

Very well written and covers all the features necessary for using forms, tables, frames, and multimedia. Not just a how-to book, but a thorough introduction to the principles.

Anne Navarro: XHTML by EXample ISBN 0-7897-2385-9 Published by QUE, 369 pp.,  RRP $54.95 incl. GST

Using XHTML

Designed for intermediate-level users, Special Edition Using XHTML is a comprehensive reference for client-side Web developers. The introduction says, "The perfect reader of this book is someone who has been writing HTML for at least a little while, is interested in the future of the Web and related technologies, and wants to learn how to improve his or her markup skills".

The contents include an introduction to XHTML, XHTML syntax, building Web pages, style sheets, scripting, graphics, multimedia, content for alternative devices (WAP), and other XML technologies. There is also discussion of likely features in XHTML 1.1, such as XHTML Basic and modularisation.

Everything a serious Web author needs to know is here. Using fixed and dynamic design, floating images, frames, cascading style sheets, JavaScript, synchronised multimedia integration language (SMIL), and image maps are some of the topics. The discussions are lucid and detailed, and address real-world issues. There are plenty of practical examples, with source code, such as creating an online survey. There is a section on Web TV, and a part of the book overviews XML and its related technologies. Appendices contain useful tabulated data.

A well priced reference that deserves a place in the library of any serious Web author. 

Molly Holzschlag: Special Edition Using XHTML ISBN 0-7897-2431-6 Published by QUE, 958 pp.,  RRP $77.95 incl. GST

HTML & XHTML

HTML & XHTML - The Definitive Guide is a continuation of the "HTML Definitive Reference"; this is the fourth edition and is very much as here-and-now text. The authors recognise that HTML and XHTML coexist, and will continue to do so for at least for some time to come. They do not attempt to preview XHTML 1.1, or advocate that HTML should be abandoned altogether. 

This is a practical reference to the specific language features that are presently available and recognised by current browsers. The XHTML 1.0 DTD is included as an appendix. There a succinct, but complete, explanation of each tag in tabulated form accompanied by a brief discussion and references to related items. Where appropriate sample code is used to support the text.

This title is compact, comprehensive, and information is easy to find. The authors exercise some economy of language; they say what is necessary clearly and directly. An essential reference for serious Web authors.

Musciano and Kennedy:  HTML & XHTML—The Definitive Guide ISBN 0-596-00026-X Published by O’Reilly, 660 pp.,  RRP $85.00 incl. GST

XHTML

The look of New Riders' XHTML is quite pleasing, from the simple - but eye-catching - cover to its clean typographic layout. The quality of design is matched by quality of content: well presented, written in clear language, and a twenty-eight page index makes information easy to find.

The introduction says, "This book is aimed primarily at Web content developers of all kinds, and web-site administrators who must understand content creation and delivery issues. Secondary audiences include managers responsible for and anyone interested in learning about current trends in web-content creation or delivery." It presents a thorough and well organised coverage of XHTML for those who have a good grasp of HTML and how the Web works. By "good grasp" I mean knowledge of cascading style sheets, frames, forms, and so on.

The introductory chapters are very good for authors and developers approaching XHTML - and XML - for the first time, providing lucid explanations of what elements, attributes, entities, and other terms mean, and lists of all the elements alphabetically with brief explanations supported by example code. Other chapters cover Cascading Style Sheets (CSS); XSL; XForms; calling scripts and other objects; multimedia and graphics; advanced linking techniques; and understanding the concept of extensibility (custom markup solutions). Appendices contain a glossary, useful data, the XHTML specification, and a compendium of resources.

The explanations of XSL, XSLT, linking (using XPath, XPointer, and XLink) are very good. 

A feature of the book is its commentaries on, and descriptions of, useful software products. In some instances a mini-tutorial is included, which is a great help in deciding whether a particular package is worth downloading. A companion CD contains all the example source code, DTDs, and some software.

Valentine and Minnick: XHTML  ISBN 0-7357-1034-1 Published by New Riders, 408 pp. + CD,  RRP $77.95 incl. GST

XHTML Black Book

The Coriolis Black Book series is designed to "provide immediate solutions and in-depth analysis . [and are] . designed to be problem-solving guides and complete references that help you perform specific tasks, especially critical ones that are not well documented . ". This title lives up to that claim. 

Not a book for novices or casual users, its user level is rated at "intermediate to advanced"; reasonably experienced users who want to raise their skills to an advanced level will find it a valuable reference, but it is really for professionals and those who have a need (or passion) to use XHTML to the max.

The content is broken into chapters, each of which opens with an in-depth discussion, supported by illustrative code, that is succinct and designed to bring an experienced user up to speed on the subject. Following that introduction, the rest of each chapter is given over to immediate solutions, which take a common format.

Each tag is presented with brief statements about its purpose, which browsers and DTDs support it, its attributes, and an example of application. The example is usually in the form of a hypothetical problem and its solution (with source code). The problems may be hypothetical, but reflect the kind of thing that crops up in the real world. It is very well done.

Along the way there are some general discussions that further explain certain topics. The content is not limited to just XHTML, but extends to the use of Java, creating Java applets, JavaScript, Perl, CGI scripting, and using XML to extend XHTML. Topics such as using JavaScript to create self-modifying Web pages are also treated in depth with example solutions.

This is probably the most comprehensive listing of HTML and XHTML tags in print. It is, however, a reference - and a very good one at that - and not a tool for learning about XHTML. A companion CD contains useful software for Windows and Mac platforms, and the example code used throughout the book.

Beginning XHTML

This is a text written by programmers for programmers, and the word, beginning, in the title does not mean it is for beginners or novices. There is an assumption that the reader has some familiarity with programming and may be approaching XHTML for the first time. 

The publisher of this title is Wrox Press. They put all their effort into content, which is comprehensive, detailed, and technical. Wrox books are often written by multiple authors; in this case, six of them plus three other contributors. There are also fifteen technical reviewers. There is a great deal of collective expertise represented in Beginning XHTML.

Brief introductory chapters cover the background leading up to XHTML; chapters then move through Getting Started, Links & Embedded Objects, Images, Tables, Frames, Meta-Data, Style Sheets, Site Design Concepts, Page Design, Different Media Types, Multimedia, Forms, JavaScript, Using Scripting in Web Pages, Document Object Models, Multiple-Frame JavaScript Applications, and Using Mozquito. Appendices list XHTML tags and attributes; a tutorial on using HTML Tidy; the use of colour in Web pages; style sheet properties; a JavaScript reference; and XHTML resources (literature and Web sites).

Mozquito is an interesting application that enables Forms Markup Language (FML) tags to be transformed "into robust cross-browser script code". The software can be downloaded from http://www.mozquito.com with documentation. I suspect it could be adapted for other cross-browser applications. The concept of being able to use markup rather than scripting code should be attractive to most Web authors.

Frank Boumphey et al.: Beginning XHTML ISBN 1-861003-43-9 Published by Wrox, 733 pp.,  RRP $87.95 incl. GST

XML

To take full advantage of XHTML's capacity for extension, it is necessary to understand its parent, XML. When W3C introduced XML it was with the expectation that the new standard would be specific to Web publishing. 
It has far greater potential. For example, a German company - STEP GmbH - has developed a product, SigmaLink, that offers "specialty modules" as add-ons to the main product. One of those is the journal publishing module; Kluwer Academic Publishers is a leading of scientific journals (about 600 of them) uses the module for the highly distributed process of journal publication.

Just XML

Now in its second edition, Just XML is an introduction to XML in a Web environment. Apart from a general idea about how HTML works, it makes no assumptions of special knowledge on the part of the reader. However, the author does say, "In general, I believe that anyone with a basic modicum of intelligence and some simple prior exposure to the Web can understand and use XML."

The book is in parts: XML Basics, an introduction notable for the way in which the reader is carried through the essentials to the quite advanced concept of writing a custom Document Type Definition (DTD). 

XML Linking, which deals with the way in which hyperlinks are used in XML. 

XML: doing it in Style, explains the use of cascading style sheets and the role of XSLT.

Rolling Your Own XML Application, demonstrates how to develop a custom DTD using a workable case study.

XML Directions, discusses various XML-related applications (parsers, editors, DTD editors/generators, style sheet tools and processors, and XML-friendly browsers) and future developments.

Throughout the book a case study is developed, FlixML, which will drive a Web site that provides information about B-grade movies (the author's commentary on such films provides a nice touch of lightness to the main text). As much as one might wonder about the value of a B-grade movie site, the exercise is an effective tool for delivering a practical tutorial on how to build an XML application. As already mentioned, the author expects readers to have "a modicum of intelligence" sufficient to keep up the pace. 

The writing style is easy, without resorting to forced humour; ordinary users with more than an ephemeral interest in XML should have no trouble in following the discussion. The content is applicable to XHTML, and the book is commended as a useful resource for XHTML users.

John Simpson: Just XML 2/e ISBN 0-13-018554-X Published by Prentice Hall, 417 pp.,  RRP $67.95 incl. GST

XML For Managers

Management encompasses many different kinds of office. There are those who make final decisions, but do not necessarily have a specific technical background; there are others who are directly involved with technical operations, such as database managers. Then there are the people who have to get proposals through the management tier with persuasive argument. 

There are two good titles for anyone in the management, and advisor-to-management, field. They present the facts about XML in the context of application at the enterprise level. 
Both books should be of great value to anyone responsible for preparing presentations to management, or conducting introductory courses on XML.

XML - A Manager's Guide

I have reviewed this previously. It contains a minimum of example code, focusing on what XML can do, how it works, and enterprise-related applications. It is also an excellent example of documentation. 

It describes the basics of XML, related standards, tools, and "processes and people" - which discusses management issues that should be considered when planning the introduction of structured document technologies. 

Two chapters each present XML applications for enterprises and vendors respectively. These are not quite case studies, but certainly lend themselves to developing illustrative case studies.
A small book, written in a way that makes browsing a pleasure. One can either read it from beginning to end, or go straight to particular topics of interest.

Kevin Dick: XML — A Manager’s Guide ISBN 0-201-43335-4 Published by Addison-Wesley, 185 pp.  RRP $59.95 incl. GST

Enterprise XML

A title in the Morgan Kaufmann Clearly Explained series, this is an "overview of how XML can work in your organisation". A thorough understanding of the Web and HTML is assumed. Even though there is an introduction to XML, readers should have some acquaintance.

For those at management level and who have not been exposed to XML, reading Enterprise XML is a good way of deciding whether XML is worth considering. 

The author's aim is to explain the development of XML applications using other technologies, such as Active Server Pages, JavaScript, and Perl. 

Chapters cover XML Tools (parsers, authoring, and content management); XML Applications (forms, math, channel definition format, resource description framework, and vector markup language); Real-World XML (the problem of browser differences, and XML on the server); Developing XML-Enabled Applications (the Document Object Model, Visual Basic, Perl, PHP, and ASP); XML in the Data Tier (XML as a data source, Oracle and XML, and MS SQL Server and XML); and a case study.

The discussion of browsers, which includes Netscape 6, is interesting. 

The case study, a hypothetical Web site dedicated to the discussion of the DVD format, illustrates (with annotated source code) how XML can be used to provide access to a variety of data for easy publishing and automatic retrieval. 

A companion CD contains all the example code and useful links to XML resources. 

Robert Standefer: Enterprise XML Clearly Explained ISBN 0-12-663355-X Published by Morgan Kaufmann, 321 pp. + CD,  RRP $105.05 incl. GST

XSLT 

The eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT), one of the most important applications in the XML family, is used to transform one XML document to another format-usually that of another XML application. It is commonly used to transform XML documents to HTML in order that they can be viewed with a Web browser, but XSLT can also convert to plain text. The convert-to-HTML capability enables XSLT to be used for a wide range of applications because of the many filters that write HTML files from various applications. 

Ordinary users may find the documentation somewhat obtuse. There are different ways of using XSLT, and there are several XSLT processors. The definitive programmer's reference is Michael Kay: XSLT Programmer's Reference (ISBN 1-861003-12-3, RRP $77.95 published by Wrox). It is a programmer's reference-not for novices-and was reviewed in the February issue of PC Update. A copy is in the library. 

Another title, XSLT: Working with XML and HTML, has been written "for anybody who wants to use XSLT to transform XML documents to HTML documents", but the author points out that "XSLT has concepts that require some programming fundamentals, [but] it is not necessary to have a programming background". The book is a tutorial, written in clear language, that walks the reader through a case study. There is plenty of annotated example code to illustrate the discussion, and a companion CD contains the complete source code for the case study. 

The author makes very good use of graphics to illustrate some of the concepts, such as the `source tree'. In particular, the importance of location paths is explained with the use of helpful diagrams. Don't expect to master XSLT in a sitting; it requires quite a bit of effort and is probably best approached by using live examples such as the application developed in this book.

The tutorial is not designed to cover every nook and cranny of XSLT, but focuses on the "most frequently used 20 per cent of XML and XSLT". The author observes that users skilled in the most-used 20 per cent will be able to handle 80 per cent of all XSLT tasks. It is called the 80/20 rule. 

One of the immediate reasons to use XSLT is that most browsers in current service are not XML-aware. For various reasons many XML documents are being created (particularly for e-commerce applications) and need to be transformed into HTML.

Khun Yee Fung: XSLT: Working with XML and HTML ISBN 0-201-71103-6 Published by Addison-Wesley, 441 pp. + CD,  RRP $77.95 incl. GST

Reprinted from the April 2001 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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