Learn XML – Carry Information To The World!

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language similar to HTML. XML was created to carry information, meaning it is used to structure, store and transport information. The author of an XML document defines its tags; there are no predefined tags in XML. XML documents can be written in any text editor, however handling and processing the document requires an application that understands XML. According to Wikipedia, “As of 2009, hundreds of XML-based languages have been developed, including RSS, Atom, SOAP, and XHTML. XML-based formats have become the default for most office-productivity tools, including Microsoft Office (Office Open XML), OpenOffice.org (OpenDocument), and Apple’s iWork.”

So what can you do with XML? Since XML is used to deliver richly structured content (text, images, video, etc. and how that content is structured within the document) over the web, it is ideal for data delivery tasks that HTML cannot handle. Think of an RSS feed from a blog. It is delivered in XML and conveys your blog content and post structure to whoever subscribes. This way, subscribers and syndication tools can not only see your words and pictures, but how they are formatted; it shows your blog posting the way you intended.

XML can be parsed (read) and manipulated by JavaScript, Perl, Python, Ruby, etc. so it is easy to work with using a number of readily available tools. Think of data you would want to deliver in a standard format from one computer to another over the Internet and XML will likely do the job. Some more examples include affiliate feeds, integrated search feeds and online store feeds (e.g. a dynamic Amazon store for a specific niche being displayed on your website). Perhaps one of the examples becoming more and more common to webmasters is the sitemap.xml file. It provides the search engines with a concise summary of your site so it can be efficiently crawled and indexed.

Learning XML Basics: The Best XML Book

If you want to learn XML, this is the XML book to use. Right now we only display the one. Why? Because the others we evaluated are so far distant from this title that they weren’t something we could recommend.

XML: Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition)

Title: XML: Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition)
Author: Kevin Howard Goldberg
Publisher: Peachpit Press; 2 edition (December 21, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0321559673
ISBN-13: 978-0321559678
Page Count: 288 Pages

Description: “In the seven years since the first edition of “XML: Visual QuickStart Guide” was published, XML has taken its place next to HTML as a foundational language on the Internet. XML has become a very popular method for storing data and the most popular method for transmitting data between all sorts of systems and applications. The reason being, where HTML was designed to display information, XML was designed to manage it.

This book begins by showing you the basics of the XML language. Then, by building on that knowledge, additional and supporting languages and systems will be discussed. To get the most out of this book, you should be somewhat familiar with HTML, although you don’t need to be an expert coder by any stretch. No other previous knowledge is required.

“XML: Visual QuickStart Guide, 2nd Edition” is divided into seven parts. Each part contains one or more chapters with step-by-step instructions that explain how to perform XML-related tasks. Wherever possible, examples of the concepts being discussed are displayed, and the parts of the examples on which to focus are highlighted.”

Reader Reviews:

“Quite simply the best introduction to XML and all the related standards which I’ve found so far. … as a ‘one stop shop’ for anyone new to XML, XSLT, XML Schemas, XPath, etc, this would be hard to beat.” -PGCo, USA

“Mr. Goldberg’s book provided me a concise break down the structure of XML markup language in a detailed/digestible enough manner to keep me engaged and participatory. Each chapter cleverly builds on previous topics, so as to provide a pyramid learning approach. If you are new to XML, curious, or need enough to know to be dangerous in your job, then this book is for you. I read the entire book in a weekend and returned towork on Monday loaded for bear. Now I keep it at my desk for easy reference.” -Robert, CA

“This book is a great introduction to XML. It ís loaded with sample code and examples to get you started. It is well illustrated and makes great use of color. Peachpit Press also offers a companion website with sample code, updates, etc.” -Tim, MI

“”Learn XML the Quick and Easy Way” is an excellent comprehensive overview of the XML vocabulary and surrounding technologies. It is simple enough to be easily understood by non-technical and novice readers, and powerful enough to prepare them to get started using XML right away.” -Elizabeth Andrews, Technical Marketing Manager, Altova, Inc.

“The writing sytle is easy to follow and the book contains plenty of examples, and tips to provide you with a greater understanding of the material. The book explains the basics and simplifies some of the more complex aspects of XML in a format that is easy to follow. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn the XML.” -Frank, USA

Learn XML the Quick and Easy Way!
CLICK HERE NOW and get “XML: Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition)”