Document Object Model Analogy: In many ways, the Document Object Model (DOM) can be compared to the schematic of a house. A house's schematic details the relation and placement of objects within a house. For instance, within a schematic, you are able to understand the relationship of the sink to the wall, as well as the corresponding plumbing. In other words, the schematic defines the relationship of one object to another and often, illustrates the rules by which they are governed. HTML and XML documents are also composed of objects, and although these objects may not be physical, like a sink, their organisation and interaction is still coordinated by a set of rules. In this case, the DOM acts as a foundation for the placement and interaction of objects within a document. Whether the object is a table, a piece of information, or a script, the DOM specifies a model for the interaction of these objects. For developers, a thorough understanding of these relationships is paramount, and often, it forms the basis for a system's development.

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Tap the Power of the Document Object Model

Here's a practical guide to using the W3C's standardized DOM interfaces to process XML and HTML documents. Learn the concepts, design, theory, and origins of the DOM. Use the DOM to inspect, navigate, and manipulate a document's nodes and content; then learn to build useful applications that can easily be ported to any DOM-compliant implementation without re-coding. Get easy-to-follow advice on using the DOM in real-world scenarios such as manipulating document content, creating user interfaces, and offloading processing to the client side. "The "Document Object Model: Processing Structured Documents will help you flatten your learning curve, standardize programming, reuse code, and reduce development time.Discover the advantages of having a common means of manipulating document information Examine the history and theory behind the DOM's structure, organization, and API Learn to work with various DOM implementations for both client and server Dynamically view and edit a document's elements and navigate its structure Develop document-processing applications that are implementation independent Learn to work with the core data types and interfaces required for effective DOM applications Take advantage of DOM support in Web browsers--including the latest versions of Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Opera Dissect common algorithms and code patterns of DOM processing Build useful, practical DOM applications using a step-by-step approach Debug DOM code in browsers and client/server applications

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