XML & Xsl Fast Start 2nd Edition

Need a precise, focused training guide for XML & XSL?

Get this 130-page Fast Start guide to quickly learn XML & XSL fundamentals. Regardless of whether you are an IT manager, developer, administrator or an advanced user, this Fast Start guide will help you learn the essential concepts needed to successfully work with XML & XSL.

Covers all versions of XML & XSL.

What is XML? XML, or eXtensible Markup Language, is a metalanguage. That is, it's a language that can be used to describe other languages and a specification for storing information. Although XML and HTML may seem to have a lot in common, in reality the difference between them is like the difference between night and day.

HTML is used to format information, but it isn't very useful when it comes to describing information. For example, you can use HTML to format a table, but you can't use HTML to describe the data elements within the table. The reason for this is that you can't really depict something as abstract as a distributor or a customer with HTML, which is where XML comes into the picture. XML can be, and is, used to define the structure of data rather than its format.

This Fast Start guide begins by showing you the basics of the XML language and then builds on that knowledge to show you how to create, style and transform documents. 1. XML Basics7 2. Using XML11 Extensions to XML12 XLink and XPointer12 XSL13 XML Namespaces14 XML Schema14 XPath14 Creating XML-Based Solutions15 Authoring Tools15 Application Development Environments15 Database and Data Integration Solutions16 XML Document Structure16 XML Naming Rules17 3. Working with Root, Parent, and Child Elements19 Understanding Root Elements19 Understanding Parent and Child Elements20 Nesting Parent and Child Elements20 Adding Root Elements to Documents21 4. Defining XML Elements and Tags23 Using Elements Tag Pairs23 Using Empty Elements25 5. Using XML Attributes29 Defining Attributes29 When To Use Attributes31 Adding Attributes to Elements32 6. Additional Structures in Elements35 Using Predefined Entity References35 Using Character Data Sections37 Using Comments38 Using Processing Instructions40 7. Specifying XML Declarations43 Using the Version Attribute43 Using the Encoding Attribute44 Using the Standalone Attribute45 8. Creating Well-Formed Documents47 9. Understanding DTDs49 Using Elements in DTDs52 Using Attributes in DTDs53 10. Introducing XSL57 11. Matching Structures to Template Rules63 Understanding the Element and Root Nodes Template65 Understanding the Modes Template66 Understanding the Text and Attribute Nodes Template67 Understanding Other Built-In Templates67 12. Structuring XSLT Stylesheets69 13. Defining the Output Format73 Setting Attributes for the output Element73 Formatting Output as XML or XML-Based Markup75 Formatting Output as HTML81 Formatting Output as Text or Program Source Code87 Setting the Output Format89 14. Defining Template Rules and Declarations92 Creating the Root Template92 Creating and Applying Template Rules93 Outputting the Contents of Nodes97 15. XPath Operators & Expressions99 16. Understanding XPath Operators and Datatypes107 17. Using Relative XPath Expressions111 Referencing the Current Context Node111 Referencing a Parent Node112 Referencing Siblings Relative to the Current Context113 Referencing Child Nodes114 18. Using Absolute XPath Expressions119 19. Locating Other Nodes121 Working with Attribute Nodes121 Working with Text Nodes124 Working with Comment Nodes125 Working with Processing Instruction Nodes126 20. Using Namespaces with Element and Attribute Nodes129 21. Using Wildcards and Predicates in XPath Expressions131 Selecting Any Node131 Skipping Levels in the Hierarchy133 Filtering To Match Nodes with Specific Values 135 22. More Options...137