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"XML in a Nutshell, Third Edition": The Must-Have Handbook for Those Who Call XML Their Syntax of Choice

October 11, 2004

Sebastopol, CA--"XML is simply the most robust, reliable, and flexible document syntax ever invented," assert Elliotte Rusty Harold and W. Scott Means, authors of XML in a Nutshell, Third Edition (O'Reilly, US $39.95). It's no surprise, then, that it's been widely adopted in fields as diverse as law, aeronautics, finance, robotics, multimedia, travel, construction, telecommunications, journalism, theology, and retail. Harold and Means' book is a comprehensive guide to the rapidly growing and ever-evolving world of XML.

Updated and expanded to cover XML 1.1 and XInclude (coauthor Harold is responsible for nearly half of the early implementations of XInclude), this third edition of the authoritative XML in a Nutshell covers all aspects of XML from the most basic syntax rules, to the details of DTD and schema creation, to the APIs developers can use to read and write XML documents in a variety of programming languages.

Whether they're web designers using XML to generate web pages and PDF files or C++ programmers using REST or SOAP to transmit data between systems, readers will find that XML in a Nutshell thoroughly explains the basic rules that all XML documents--and all XML document creators--must follow. Serious users of XML will find coverage of just about everything they need, including syntax from Unicode characters to document structures, details of DTD and XML Schema creation, XSLT transformations, and APIs used for processing XML documents.

Clear, concise, and useful, XML in a Nutshell explores:

  • Essentials of the core XML standards: Readers will quickly and painlessly develop an understanding of well-formed XML (including XML 1.1), DTDs, namespaces, Unicode, RDDL, and W3C XML Schema.
  • Presentation and linking technologies: Developers will gain a working knowledge of XSLT, XPath, XLink, XPointer, XML Base, XInclude, CSS, and XSL-FO.
  • Processing frameworks: This book will help readers understand the tools and APIs needed to write software that processes XML, including event-based Simple API for XML (SAX2) and the tree-oriented Document Object Model (DOM).
  • Quick-reference chapters also detail syntax rules and usage examples for the core XML technologies, including XML, DTDs, XPath, XSLT, SAX, and DOM. Whether they need an explanation of how a technology works or simply want to find the precise syntax for a particular project with ease, this well-organized, must-have handbook delivers.

    Praise for the previous edition:

    "There is a lot to know about XML, but with this excellent reference manual, you don't have to know it, just where to look it up."
    --Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com, December, 2002

    "Sometimes, when you're in the middle of coding, you want the facts at your fingertips--not scattered all over the web, or in pages and pages of Google searches. That's where O'Reilly's Nutshell books really come in handy...XML in a Nutshell is no exception, containing just about every piece of information on XML you're likely to need...a useful reference that should be next to the keyboard of every XML developer."
    --Simon Bisson, PC Plus, December, 2002

    "This is an ideal publication and deserves pride of place on the bookshelf of anyone using XML. LinuxFormat Rating 9/10."
    --Dave Coulson, Linux Format, December 2002

    Further reviews

    Additional Resources:

    XML in a Nutshell, Third Edition
    Elliotte Rusty Harold and W. Scott Means
    ISBN 0-596-00764-7, 712 pages, $39.95 US, $57.95 CA
    order@oreilly.com
    1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

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