• As XML gains popularity, developers are looking to implement XML technologies in their line?of?business applications
• This book offers readers real?world insight into XML so that they can build the best possible applications
• Offers an in?depth look at XML and discusses XML tools, services (RSS, SOAP, REST, WSDL), programming (DOM, SAX, Ajax), and languages (.NET, Java, PHP)

As XML gains popularity, developers are looking to implement XML technologies in their line-of-business applications. This book offers readers real-world insight into XML so that they can build the best possible applications. It offers an in-depth look at XML and discusses XML tools, services (RSS, SOAP, REST, WSDL), programming (DOM, SAX, Ajax), and languages (.NET, Java, PHP).

From document type definitions and XQuery to Web services and form development, this book takes you through all of the XML capabilities that companies want to implement today. It not only covers the basics of XML and the XML specification, but also shows you the XML?based applications that are driving the tech industry forward, such as blogging and alerts.

Professional XML first guides you through the steps for utilizing XML and XML?based presentation technologies. It next delves into the steps you can follow to transform and program your XML documents. You?ll then discover best practices for integrating XML with Ajax, the .NET Framework, Java®, and more. Integrated throughout the chapters, you?ll also find proven tips and techniques on how to apply the discussed technology so that you can continue to build the best possible applications.

What you will learn from this book

• All about the XML specification and its related technologies

• Ways to define the structure and data types of an XML document

• How to build and work with XML documents using a number of different developer tools

• Tips for using RELAX?NG, XSLT, XPath, XML?DOM, and more

• How to effectively use RSS and Atom to aggregate data

• Techniques for integrating advanced Web services into your applications

Who this book is for

This book is for developers who have a general understanding of programming technologies, such as C# or Java, and are looking to add XML to their architecture.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real?world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Bill Evjen is an active proponent of .NET technologies and community?based learning initiatives for .NET. He has been actively involved with .NET since the first bits were released in 2000. In the same year, Bill founded the St. Louis .NET User Group (www.stlnet.org), one of the world?s first such groups. Bill is also the founder and former executive director of the International .NET Association (www.ineta.org), which represents more than 450,000 members worldwide.
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Bill is an acclaimed author (more than 13 books to date) and speaker on ASP.NET and XML Web services. He has written or co?written Professional C# 2005; Professional VB 2005; and the best?selling Professional ASP.NET 2.0, as well as ASP.NET Professional Secrets, XML Web Services for ASP.NET, Web Services Enhancements: Understanding the WSE for Enterprise Applications, Visual Basic .NET Bible, and more. In addition to writing, Bill is a speaker at numerous conferences, including DevConnections, VSLive, and TechEd. Along with these items, Bill works closely with Microsoft as a Microsoft Regional Director and he has received the Microsoft MVP designation for many years.
Bill is the technical Architect for Lipper (www.lipperweb.com), a wholly?owned subsidiary of Reuters, the international news and financial services company. He graduated from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, with a Russian language degree. When he isn?t tinkering on the computer, he can usually be found at his summer house in Toivakka, Finland. You can reach Bill at evjen@yahoo.com. He presently keeps his weblog, www.geekswithblogs.net/evjen.

Kent Sharkey is an independent consultant who lives and codes in the midst of the wilds of Vancouver Island. Before going solo, Kent worked at Microsoft as a technical Evangelist and Content Strategist, promoting the use of .NET technologies. When not coding or writing, he?s off hiking, biking, or canoeing (or exploring the wilds of Azeroth). He shares his house with his wife, Margaret, and two "8220;Children," Squirrel and Cica.

Thiru Thangarathinam is a Microsoft MVP who specializes in architecting, designing, and developing distributed enterprise class applications using .NET?related technologies. He is the author of the books Professional ASP.NET 2.0 XML and Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Databases from Wrox press and has coauthored a number of books on .NET?related technologies. He is a frequent contributor to leading technology?related online publications.

Michael Kay is widely known in the XML world as the developer of the Saxon XSLT and XQuery processor, and as the editor of the XSLT 2.0 specification. His Wrox books XSLT 2.0 Programmer?s Reference and XPath 2.0 Programmer?s Reference are regarded as the definitive guides to these languages. Michael runs his own company, Saxonica, which develops the Saxon technology and provides support and consultancy for XSLT and XQuery users. His background is as a software designer creating database products for a mainframe manufacturer. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Reading (UK). In his spare time he sings and plays croquet.

Alessandro Vernet co?founded Orbeon in 1999, which makes Orbeon Forms, an open source product to build and deploy sophisticated forms on the Web. He is one of the authors of Professional Web 2.0 Programming and is a member of two W3C Working Groups: the XForms and XML Processing Model Working Groups. Before co?founding Orbeon, Alessandro was at Symantec as part of the VisualCafé team, working on their next?generation RAD for web applications. He holds an MS/CS from the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and since 1998 lives in the incredibly energetic Silicon Valley.

Sam Ferguson is a Project Manager with API Software, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Sam, who lives in Ayrshire, specializes in SQL Server, Microsoft Office Server System 2007, .NET, and all XML?related technologies. In what little spare time he has, Sam enjoys playing golf and is an avid fan of the Glasgow Rangers.

• As XML gains popularity, developers are looking to implement XML technologies in their line-of-business applications
• This book offers readers real-world insight into XML so that they can build the best possible applications
• Offers an in-depth look at XML and discusses XML tools, services (RSS, SOAP, REST, WSDL), programming (DOM, SAX, Ajax), and languages (.NET, Java, PHP)

• As XML gains popularity, developers are looking to implement XML technologies in their line-of-business applications
• This book offers readers real-world insight into XML so that they can build the best possible applications
• Offers an in-depth look at XML and discusses XML tools, services (RSS, SOAP, REST, WSDL), programming (DOM, SAX, Ajax), and languages (.NET, Java, PHP)

• As XML gains popularity, developers are looking to implement XML technologies in their line-of-business applications
• This book offers readers real-world insight into XML so that they can build the best possible applications
• Offers an in-depth look at XML and discusses XML tools, services (RSS, SOAP, REST, WSDL), programming (DOM, SAX, Ajax), and languages (.NET, Java, PHP)

With over 1,200 pages, Professional XML is a comprehensive guide. It makes you wonder if XML has now become too big a subject for a single book. The problem is not so much XML itself but all the related technologies and applications, such as XSLT for transforming XML, SAX for parsing it and SOAP for calling remote procedures using XML messages. Some XML titles, like O’Reilly’s XML in a Nutshell, manage to be more concise by focusing only on the core of XML. The downside with such titles is that you will need further resources in order to get an idea of how XML can usefully be put to work. Professional XML is better in this respect, because it is more wide ranging and has case studies and examples.

The early sections of the book cover XML basics: syntax, validation using DTDs (Document Type Definitions) and Schema, navigation with XPath and use of XSLT. Next there is a look at programming XML through the DOM (Document Object Model), SAX 2 and through advanced XSLT. An extensive database section includes chapters on data modelling, data binding with the Java-based Castor specification and use of XQuery. The later chapters cover XML applications including SVG for scalable graphics, XSL FO (Formatting Objects) for document presentation, RDF (Resource Description Framework) for transporting meta data, SOAP and finally business-to-business messaging with Microsoft BizTalk server and with UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration).

Professional XML is a detailed if rather dry tour of XML from a developer’s perspective. It maintains a fair balance between Java and Microsoft implementations of XML tools. Overall it makes a valuable one-volume resource, although most developers will want to supplement it with more specialist XML titles. --Tim Anderson

XML--eXtensible Markup Language--is capable of rendering all data transfer and display OS and application agnostic. It’s a self-documenting meta-language (used to describe data) implemented as a sub-set of SGML. As the authors of Professional XML explain, to use XML you first define an XML "vocabulary" suitable for your purpose. There are already vocabularies suitable for molecular modelling, commercial data exchange, legal and medical documents and much more. A vocabulary definition is contained in a DTD (Document Type Definition). The authors justify the need for the XML meta language, cover usage and XML document handling via DOM, Document Object Modelling. They don’t spare blushes either, freely acknowledging XML problems such as the already perceived need to move from DTDs to the more elegant, XML based Schemas.

While conceptually simple, XML is tricky to implement well in data structures and XML parsers, not least because it’s a moving target. The authors cover a wide range of ways to use and implement XML with real-world examples--including heavy coverage of the SAX XML API implemented in Java--but what comes through most clearly in the 1,150 pages of Professional XML is XML’s lack of maturity. This is unsurprising: W3C only nailed down the XML 1.0 specification in February, 1998. There is, though, no doubt about the need for, and importance of, XML in a networked world. Whether you are developing for Web or business-to-business applications, you need to understand XML. Professional XML meets this need. --Steve Patient

A serious look at how to use XML in sophisticated real-world Web applications, Professional XML goes beyond your run-of-the-mill tutorial by giving you practical examples and techniques.

The book focuses on W3C XML and the various enabling technologies that are becoming entwined with XML. It provides three threads of content, representing the different angles from which readers will approach XML. The first covers the core material, including well-formed syntax, data modeling, and the Document Object Model (DOM)--a critical programming interface to XML documents. The other two threads cover the most common usages of XML: as a data format and transport mechanism, and as a visual presentation language for human interaction.

The material is aimed at Web developers who already have a handle on standard Web architectures and are looking into what XML can add to the mix. Chapters on where XML fits into eBusiness and the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) illustrate how powerfully XML can impact tomorrow’s Internet-driven marketplace. Four case studies explore rather advanced applications as well.

While Professional XML provides an overview of XML, it’s best to read it as a secondary resource after you get the basics from a traditional primer. This fine work will then propel you to the frontiers of XML technology. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: XML syntax, Document Type Definitions (DTD), data modeling, Document Object Model (DOM), Simple API for XML (SAX) 1.0, namespaces, schemas, linking, XML--database integration, server to server transfers, eBusiness applications, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and SOAP.

* As XML gains popularity, developers are looking to implement XML technologies in their line-of-business applications
* This book offers readers real-world insight into XML so that they can build the best possible applications
* Offers an in-depth look at XML and discusses XML tools, services (RSS, SOAP, REST, WSDL), programming (DOM, SAX, Ajax), and languages (.NET, Java, PHP)

Can be a reference.
This book has got a decent content about XML. But, most pages have been added to technologies that aren’t being used much and just adds bulk to the book. A little rhetoric and not always concise to the point; but can live with it. Over all a good reference book. 3 Stars.

Very informative and complete
I am astounded at the vicious, even obscene references to this book! One reviewer was using the book (according to him, "defacing the book") in a class, so this may account for the resentment towards the work and its authors. (It is interesting to see that when I reported the obscene reviews to Amazon, they removed them almost immediately. Impressive!)

In any case, the book is covering a subject that is huge and complex. Furthermore, the specifications for the XML technologies are not static. So it is quite a task to try to cover all of this material in one book. The authors have done a good job of it -- better than most, to be sure. I would say that it would be best to wait to get the third edition that is coming out since this one is a bit dated, but if a reference is required now it is still a very good one to have.

There are many confusing things that are inherent in XML. One simple example is the difference between "Document Type Declarations" and "Document Type Definitions" (DTD’s). The authors go out of their way to point out that this confusing issue exists and to help you avoid mixing up the two concepts. We have to face the fact that the XML Specs are tedious, confusing and difficult to learn at times, and should not take our frustration with the subject out on this book! Childish comments like, "This book is boring", etc., are not helpful. LEARNING XML IS BORING! Grow up and get over it! ("Here we are now, entertain us..." Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana 1991)

IBM listed this book as the reference for their XML Certification (141) exam for a reason. I’m using it and finding it to be a very complete, helpful learning tool.

Getting more and more dated but still the "Bible" for XML
Written in 2001 it’s really starting to get dated with advances in many of the XML and related specs (not to mention new specs). But overall it’s a good solid tome if you had to just have one but I’d prefer to have something more recent. That said it helped me pass my IBM developer certification for "XML and related technologies" in 2003.

Total trash
This book would have been more useful if all pages were blank, then at least I could use it to keep notes. I would not buy any other books by any of the authors of this book it is so poorly written. A total waste of time and money. Topics are presented in a very unorganized manner, there is no effort to develop understanding but rather ideas are presented before being explained. There is too much verbose and poorly worded explanatory material to make this even a good reference book. Avoid this book unless you’re looking for something to start a fire.

Where can I find the source code?
Hi, All

I bought the Professinal XML 2nd editon and quite like it so far. However I could not download any source code form www.wrox.com anymore, would anyone help to tell me where I can find a complete copy of the source code? Could some one help to email me one? My email address is wangqunx@yahoo.com. I really appreciate your help.

Total crap
This book is awful. I can’t believe my college used it as a text. this book stuffers the same problems as every other Wrox Press book. It sucks. It’s over written because obviously a book with more pages is informative, it’s rushed to press, as you can tell by having to have 13 or so authors pound it out practically over night. The book doesn’t cover anything well it’s written poorly, so poorly eventually I just started skipping around and defacing the book in class. It’s amazing I’ve only owned 2 or 3 other books this bad and honestly their all Wrox Press that Red Cover is a big stop sign. AVOID THEM ALL THEIR ALL CRAP

Boring Book.!
This is a very boring book. Chapters look like well organized, but content inside is mass and hard to follow. Don’t buy this book.

A good Reference
As with all Wrox books, this is a huge book covering almost all the areas that XML covers. The authors have tried to be language agnostic (including VB C and Java) and because of this as a Java programmer I prefer the O’Reilly "Java and XML" as being more concise and easier to read (as well as understandably more specific).

Programming language aside, this is a quality book that covers the essential ground work for XML so comprehensively that you may find yourself using XML more widely than you thought possible.

’Curate’s Egg’ - good in parts.
The title does say "Professional" but then I’ve read lots of "Professional" books that weren’t and lots of "in a nutshell" books that were anything but! Given this, plus the dearth of XML books 3 or 4 months ago, I thought I’d give it a try. Bad choice. Much of the writing IS very technical, and some is just plain goobledegook. Other sections are excellent however, giving very clear explanations of XML - perhaps the best I’ve read. I believe that my difficulty with this book is not just down to my lack of understanding, but also that some authors are simply better at explaining in print than others. This is the 2nd "multi-author" book I’ve bought, and the 2nd time I’ve found such books to be good in some parts, not so good in others. If you can preview this book before you buy, then you should do so - you may be better spending your cash in another direction.

Solid Introduction to XML
I bought this book to evaluate for our development team and have gone back to purchase one per developer. Gives good introduction to all major XML technologies (including SOAP and Web Services) and thoroughly recommended

It doesn’t hold your hand but it is a superb reference tool
Over 1,000 pages of in depth explanations of XML including SAX, CSS, XSLT, DTD, XML, Schemas, XLink, XPointer, XPath, e-commerce, BizTalk, SOAP, WAP and WML. Each chapter written by a top professional in the field. A superb reference text. Make sure you get other books too on the latest standards and browser functionality - not all standards make it as far as implementation in a browser!

Too many subjects, too little detail
Having started working on an XML-XSL project from scratch, I bought this book hoping it would help me get started and then form a good reference for the future. Sadly, it fills the drawer of my desk gathering dust.

Although many topics are covered, having read the content, I din’t feel I’d acquired sufficient knowledge to actually do anything.

If you are working on a project using XML, XSL and MSXML or similar to parse, read MSDN and get a pocket XSL reference. Lots of examples are the only way to learn XML and XSL.

This book may be useful for those who need to know about the technology, but for everyday use other books are more suitable.