Professional ASP XML - Softcover

Baartse, Mark; Dalvi, Dinar; Hahn, Stephen; Mohr,Stephen; Blair, Richard; Homer, Alex; Haines, Corey; Slater, John; Bolognese, Luca; Williams, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861004028 ISBN 13: 9781861004024

Publisher: Apress, 2000

Synopsis

XML, the Extensible Markup Language, is a platform-independent language for describing data. The XML and related specifications, as well as the Document Object Model, have all been developed with language independence in mind. This was done to allow any programmer to use these powerful protocols and object models in their own language of choice, thus providing a huge development potential for the XML community and offering a myriad of opportunities to developers working with established technologies.

ASP has long been leading technology for server-side, dynamic web applications. And XML, as the newest markup language and a standard format for the universal sharing of data, is undoubtedly set to become an intrinsic part of all major development both on the Web, and in the wider business community. The next generation of web sites will inevitably combine these technologies as e-commerce matures and developers look for more efficient ways to integrate Internet presence with business systems.

About this title

Review

Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) and the Extensible Markup Language (XML) are two of the hottest Web technologies, but each, because it is a complex topic in its own right, usually is documented individually. Professional ASP XML ties the two together in an important way, illustrating how to utilize them both to produce next-generation Web applications.

This product of several Wrox authors shows how and where XML fits in with ASP development, and whets the reader's appetite for creative solutions to typical data-handling problems. Because the focus of the book is a step beyond the XML specification itself, the basics of XML are covered up front in a quick and practical discussion. The authors do a great job of explaining the Document Object Model, as well as the DTD-versus-schema controversy. Then it's on to the fun stuff: a look at how to build XSL style sheets dynamically from a database, bind XML data locally with data islands, and construct a component that encapsulates reusable XML file operations.

The best way to grasp the power of XML, however, is to see it in action. Fortunately, the authors devote a large portion of the book to case studies that use XML in various ways: to drive an online survey system, generate programmer documentation for DLLs, represent a shopping cart, and serve as the glue behind a workflow application. If you're developing for the Web, sooner or later you will find XML either useful or necessary. This book should be required reading for any serious ASP developer. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• XML syntax
• DTDs and schemas
• XSL and CSS
• ASP/XML integration,
• ADO/XML integration
• Client-side XML data binding
• XML procedure libraries
• Schema repositories
• SOAP
• Data transferring
• Data presentation

From the Publisher

This book has been selected by the editors of Wrox Press to be part of the Wroxbase website.

This book is for intermediate to advanced ASP programmers, who have little or no knowledge of XML, and want to expand their programming ability by adding XML skills to their repertoire. XML will be explained from the ground up. However, other technologies will not be discussed in such detail and it is assumed that the user is familiar with other Internet techniques on the Microsoft platform, such as (D)HTML, client-side scripting with JScript, and programming in Visual Basic. You should have at least a basic understanding of three-tier architectures like Microsoft DNA.

If you have read or heard a bit about XML and wonder how to use it best, building on your existing programming skills, then this book is for you!

Edition details

• Publisher: Apress
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1861004028
• ISBN 13: 9781861004024
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 883