Lousy design/layout impairs usability
I purchased this book primarily as a reference when I need a little more detail on a tag or function. The author has done what seems to be an entirely thorough job documenting each tag and function in a consistent and useful manner. Once I find it, the content is all I need. I have yet to read through the other chapters; I have a feeling they will provide useful insights.
Unfortunately, it is all but impossible to thumb through the book to find a specific tag. Because the tags and function names are all lowercase, they appear almost identical to the next-level headings which are mixed case. A rule under the paragraph or something would have helped a lot (I have been marking each with a highlighter). I'm not sure why they didn't maintain the boldface from the TOC (see below); that would have helped.
The headers and footers display nothing more than the chapter name/number and page number-- contrast this with a typical O'Reilly design (JavaScript 5th Edition) where the page headers in the Core JS Reference chapter show the first and last entries on the spread just like a (good) dictionary.
So, you can expect to have to refer to the Table of Contents often. Unfortunately, there is typically 4"+ (10-12cm) of blank space between an entry and its page number in the table of contents. This would be another usability disaster except that they at least boldface the tag and function names along with their page numbers. (Hint to designer: dot leaders have been around for a while now...)
I will avoid purchasing reference works from Wrox/Wiley in the future.
For serious developers only -- but perfect for the right audience
This is exactly what I want from a technical book on a tricky, subtle topic: it is *serious* and does not kid around. If you're new to programming, XML, declarative languages, or regular expressions: this is not the book for you. If you're familar with all those things and want to put a new tool in your toolbelt, this is the book. It explains the semantics and the processing model thoroughly, instead of just describing the syntax. It also serves as a reference for XSLT 1.0, because the author carefully indicates what features are available in which version.
I recommend getting the companion XPath book XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference (Programmer to Programmer) at the same time; the XSLT book doesn't cover XPath, but you really need solid XPath skills to accomplish anything with XSLT.
Just one problem: the diagrams are really ugly. They weren't designed for print; they're jaggy and blurry. I've seen the same diagrams in other materials though; I think it's part of the XSLT spec.
Excellent choice
In addition to his obvious authority on the subject of XSLT Michael Kay is one of the best writers out there. This book gives a thorough explication of the history and concepts behind XSLT that is valuable for newcomers and informative for more experienced hands. It is written for those with experience with programming languages but new to XSLT or new to XSLT 2.0. It presents thorough documentation for elements and functions, with examples of their use.
Not a stand-alone book, terrible format for reference
From the book's introduction: "In previous editions, XSLT and XPath were covered in a single volume. This time, they have been divided into two separate books: this one covers XSLT 2.0, while the companion book 'XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference" describes XPath." ... "This book is intended to be used alongside the companion volume ... Since XSLT 2.0 has such a strong dependence on XPath 2.0, you really need both books."
It turns out, most of the questions I needed answered aren't even covered in this book. That was frustrating for me.
I later purchased the companion XPath 2.0 book. In their favor, I will say that I have never had a question about XSLT or XPath that wasn't answered by these books.
However, both books are perhaps the worst-formatted reference books I have ever seen. Much of the book consists of an alphabetical reference of XML elements or XPath functions. Unfortunately, the page headers and footers only contain page numbers and chapter titles. They do not contain the name of the element or function that is described on that page. So you can't just riff through the pages watching for your function to appear in the footer.
There is a heading for each element or function name, but the font used for the sub-headings are as large as (if not larger than) the major headings. There are no page breaks between functions or elements. So you can't even visually scan the pages looking for your functions.
Finally, the table of contents consists largely of function or element names on the left, with page numbers on the right, separated by about five inches. But there are no dot leaders between them. So, even when you resort to using the table of contents to find the section you need, you have to use a ruler to find the page number.
not for beginners
I would not think this book is a "start learning xslt book". It is not meant to be start of with. It is a definately a great reference book for xslt 1.0 and updates for xslt 2.0. This is a kind of book in which you work your way from the index at the back of the book to the desired topic.
(25 reviews)
