Editorial Reviews:
Developers and system administrators alike are uncovering the true power of XML, the Extensible Markup Language that enables data to be sent over the Internet from one computer platform to another or one application to another and retain its original format. Flexible enough to be customized for applications as diverse as web sites, electronic data interchange, voice mail systems, wireless devices, web services, and more, XML is quickly becoming ubiquitous. XML Hacks is a roll-up-your-sleeves guide that distills years of ingenious XML hacking into a complete set of practical tips, tricks, and tools for web developers, system administrators, and programmers who want to go far beyond basic tutorials to leverage the untapped power of XML. With plenty of useful real-world projects that illustrate how to define, read, create, and manipulate XML documents, XML Hacks shows readers how to put XML's power to work on the Internet and within productivity applications. Each Hack in this book can be read easily in a few minutes, saving programmers and administrators countless hours of searching for the right answer. And this is an O'Reilly Hacks book, so it's not just practical, imminently useful, and time-saving. It's also fun. From Anatomy of an XML Document to Exploring SOAP Messages XML Hacks shows you how to save time and accomplish more with fewer resources. If you want much more than the average XML user--to explore and experiment, do things you didn't know you could do with XML, discover clever shortcuts, and show off just a little--this invaluable book is a must-have.
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 6 to 7 of 7 total reviews (Page 2 of 2):
 Another excellent Hacks title...
O'Reilly has delivered another excellent title in the Hacks series. This time it's XML Hacks by Michael Fitzgerald. While not as "fun" as, say, the Digital Photography Hacks book, it's just as useful if working with XML is something you do as part of your IT job.
Chapter breakout: Looking At XML Documents; Creating XML Documents; Transforming XML Documents; XML Vocabularies; Defining XML Vocabularies with Schema Language; RSS and Atom; Advanced XML Hacks
For those not familiar with the Hacks series, each book contains 100 tips, techniques, and plain cool things you can do with the technology. Some will be things you already know, some will be things you aren't quite ready for yet, and others will be ones that you just can't wait to try out as they solve a problem you've been living with for far too long.
There were two areas I liked in this book. The Creating and Transforming chapters introduce a number of software packages, both commercial and free, that can help you manage the process of working with your XML files in something more elegant than Notepad. The RSS and Atom chapter is also cool as I use RSS in my blog feed, and this will help me understand and enhance that feed.
I've yet to find a bad Hacks title, and this is no exception. Very good material.  Very wide breadth of topics
Very useful if you already deal with XML and need help with occasional tricky points. While you could try to learn XML from this book, I wouldn't suggest it. Whereas, if you already have some familiarity with DTDs, schemas and other topics like SOAP and Open Office, then the book is potentially far more useful.
Perhaps the most intricate parts of the book deal with using XSLT to process XML documents. Trouble is, the XSLT usage can be very convoluted and non-obvious, unless you know it thoroughly. The hacks Fitzgerald describe that involve XSLT are neat. But, perhaps by necessity, they only hint at the depths beneath.
Overall, the book shows the ever-growing scope of XML. From interacting with SQL databases to the Microsoft Office suite, to news feeds like RSS. The book is excellent motivation for gaining fluency in XML. More Customer Reviews:
Previous Page
|
(7 reviews)
