Product Description
Cocoon is an open-source development framework for creating dynamic websites with XML and Java. Its popularity is rapidly expanding as companies look for ways to manage content in XML. It allows developers to deliver XML data in a variety of formats, including HTML and PDF, and on a wide variety of devices. This book is aimed at both web designers familiar with Java servlets and XML, as well as Java developers who need to create complex documents from XML data. It extends and enhances the standard Cocoon documentation by providing the background on Cocoon's architecture necessary for understanding how to use it. It also offers extensive coverage of the XSP language used with Cocoon and real-world implementation examples, including developing a web service with SOAP and sending text to web-enabled cellphones. Lead author Bill Brogden has written a number of books on Java, including Sybex's best-selling SOAP Programming with Java. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Too little too late
Six months ago, as no Cocoon book existed yet, this thin volume could have been interesting, but with the release of Moczar and Aston it is simply not worth the money anymore.

It is often rather superficial and is packed with questionnable fillers à la Wrox: one really wonders why the authors and the publisher felt compelled to include useless 'introductions' to css, xhtml and xsl (and more) in a book on cocoon!

Desperately seeking editing
What the authors of this book desperately needed was an editor. This book is a mess. There is no sense of flow. There is no attempt by the authors to explain a topic and then delve further into it building upon what they show us. Instead we get detail. We are told Cocoon is made up of these frameworks and these frameworks use these design patterns and are made up of these pieces which are made up of these pieces. And in the end we know no more than when we started. We are told Cocoon contains these Java classes and are given a sentence explaining each one. We are given lists of SAX classes with no clear explanation of why we should be interested. There are lots of tables and lists and charts that explain nothing. The book never gives a clear explanation of what Cocoon does or how Java fits into Cocoon. The chapter on LogicSheets is a perfect example. There are thirty three tables in this chapter going page after page with no clear explanation of what the tables mean. Then the example at the end of the chapter is so trivial as to be meaningless. In fact, the examples throughout the book are much too simplistic and don't demonstrate the power of Cocoon. There is no question that an enormous amount of research went into this book. It's a shame that the authors weren't able to present that research in a useful way.

Dissapointing
When I originally saw this book, I was intrigued by an alternative way of presenting this fairly complicated material and the seemingly relevant examples.I felt that it was generally incomplete and scattered.

Take the section on custom Generators, for example.The example is derived from an example is a previous book written by another Sybex book on XML and JSP, so it seemed like a nice comparison with an alternative technology.The introduction to the example discusses the dynamics of a branching survey and why a custom Generator is sometimes necessary.Unfortunately, the example doesn't follow through on the promise or the lesson.The example code that I downloaded from the website turned out to be incomplete and inconsistent with the book.Although I eventually got the example running, the end result wasn't compelling enough for me to understand the purpose for writing the custom Generator in the first place.

I was dissapointed and frustrated with this book.For those trying to learn about Cocoon I would suggest Zeigeler and Langham's New Riders book (Cocoon: Building XML Applications).

... before disaster sets in.
Deal with a thing while it is still nothing; keep a thing in order before disaster sets in. A quote from Lao Tzu on the cover of this book which the Sybex production team would have done well to have heeded.

It does not help that the competition - Zeigeler and Langham's offering from New Riders - is both clear, structured and liberally sprinkled with examples. This only accentuates the contrast with this exhibit, which leaves the reader as confused after closing the covers as before he or she opened them. No, correction, make that more confused.

There is no lack of substance here, but also no shape, no argument and no goal. Cocoon is a system where data flows naturally from generators, through transformers, and is dispatched on its way by a final serialiser component. Yet, here in chapter four, the authors announce unconvincingly that a explanation in reverse sequence is ... errr ... in order. Off they go explaining serialisers. Fine. Chapter five, bafflingly, skips transformers and discusses site maps. We finally reach generators in chaptereight. Is this the wrong end of the telescope or are we staring into the proverbial liquid filled boot?

It goes on like this, avoiding any form of educative example and meandering though theory without ever fully explaining why and where. To use a generator I need to know what it generates, but I can search in vain for coverage of even a fraction of Cocoon's generators.

The book almost hits its stride in a reasonable explanation of XSP but then blows it , with a chapter on logic sheets. How would you explain what a logic sheet is? Why, obvious! by listing twenty seven tables of unannotated data before offering any explanation how to put this information to use.

Oh dear. I can imagine the work the writers put into this book. It is often very detailed and many long evenings must have been devoted to research. How sad that the editors at Sybex didn't insist that some shape should be battered into the manuscript before it hit the press. ... Read more

Product Description
Anyone creating content for the Web and looking for the easiest way to learn Extended Markup Language (XML) won't find a better source than this book. Readers get a solid grounding in XML in six easy steps. The first step discusses the shortcomings of HTML and introduces XML, with plenty of real-world example. In step two, Web authors learn how to determine which tags they need to add in order to capture the data they are representing. Step three covers how to add tag definitions without writing a Document Type Definition (DTD) and how to use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to format new tags. The fourth step introduces the concept of XML DTDs by showing readers how to take advantage of existing DTDs, including Microsoft's Channel Definition Format (CDF). Fifth is how to write a custom DTD; and finally, the sixth step teaches readers how to implement Java-based querying of data structures using LiveAgent Pro, a Java application that incorporates sophisticated XML querying capabilities without requiring users to learn any programming whatsoever.



* Discusses the shortcoming of HTML and introduces XML
* Explains how to add tag definitions without writing a Document Type Definition (DTD) and how to use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to format new tags
* Introduces the concept of XML's DTD by showing readers how to take advantage of existing DTDs, including Microsoft's Channel Definition Format (CDF)
* Shows readers how to interpret Java-based querying of their data structures using LiveAgent Pro ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Only basic description of XML
The book is very weak in content and has absolutely no practical examples. I'm not an expert in XML, so I won't give a technical estimate, but with new technology like XML one should not only show his favorable opinion, butprovide examples to prove it's value. Title is also very misleading - infact you've got a combination of 'appreciating the need of xml' and XMLshort description. ... Read more

Product Description
In FileMaker 8.5 Web Publishing, instructor Cris Ippolite delves into one of the best features of FileMaker 8.5: the ability to publish databases to the web. The training covers how to incorporate all kinds of databases for commerce sites, shopping carts, guest books, and interactive businesses on the web using components from FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server Advanced. Cris also teaches about Instant Web Publishing and custom web publishing, as well as using FileMaker with XML and XSLT. Exercise files accompany the tutorials.

Topics Include:

• Exploring Instant Web Publishing options
• Preparing files for publishing
• Accessing a database from a browser
• Configuring FileMaker Pro Server Advanced
• Linking from HTML pages
• Working with XML
• Editing records via the web
• Introduction to XSL transformations
• Creating XSLT with CDML Converter
• Choosing database deployment technologies

Product Description
Your guide to modern technical communicationThese white papers, also available at scriptorium.com, introduce you to critical tools and technologies, including structured authoring, Extensible Markup Language (XML), the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and the DITA Open Toolkit, and user-generated content (blogs, wikis, and forums).The Compass provides essential information about the direction of technical publishing today.NOTE: The Compass is a compilation of white papers that are also available free at scriptorium.com. The book does not contain different or updated content. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn how to build XML Web services and server components with Microsoft® Visual Basic® .NET and Visual C#™ .NET?as you prepare for MCAD or MCSD certification. Includes study guide for Exams 70-310 and 70-320, evaluation software, eBook, and testing tool. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Messy
Messy. I have been reading lessons; I haven't got any big picture. I did not know why it worked like that. The only place I could look for "big picture" was usually lab, at the end of each chapter. This book also lacks reference to ADO.NET object and interface model which is essential in multi-database engine applications. The most disappointing part is so-called "advanced" web service programming. What author thought was advanced level was really a basic level...

Good Resource for XML Editing
I have found "Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft VB.NET" an invaluable tool in XML editor development. It is quite detailed about accessing and manipulating XML data.

More confusing
I was reading it as first book for most of the topics, It was total waste of time to read it.

Might help if you are already well expreinced with .NET but not for beginner

Very Poorly Written
Judging by the positive reviews, this book must have some merit but it is certainly not in the quality of its writing or its accuracy.Perhaps the editor was reassigned to Longhorn duties.Here are some examples of what you can expect in the first two chapters:

"A COM+ component exists in three states: exists and activated, exists and not activated, and nonexistent."

"The pool objects are not destroyed even after their release from the client application. COM+ retains the destroyed object in the pool for recycling..."

" If the value of the CanStop property is set to False, the SCM does not pass the Stop command to the service application."

It's main value to me is as a syllabus.You can use it to direct your search for better explanations on MSDN and, of course, everyone should have Troelsen's "C# and the .NET Platform" which is the best textbook I have read.Ever.

If you find this book useful, don't take the exam yet.
It is at a very basic level. It can be useful for starting in XML webservices, but not enough for the exam.
Some information is outdated.
It has errors. So does the practice test.
Doesn't cover at least one topic which is in the practice test.
The practice test doesn't tell you what is considered the correct answer.
If you find this book useful, you're not yet prepared for the exam. ... Read more

Product Description
This second edition from the New Perspectives series provides comprehensive, step-by-step instruction on coding Web pages from scratch using HTML, XHTML, and XML. Offering new case problems, tutorials, and a new appendix on Web accessibility and Section 508 compliance, this text keeps students up to date on the latest in coding Web pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

deliver took 9 days
the book was in o.k conditions and it took about 9 days to ve delivered at my dooor.

Book binding was broken
The book binding on this book was broken.Since class started the next night, my huband taped it with packing tape.There was no packaging in the box to protect the two books in it.The box was damaged during shipping as well.

Creating Web Pages Review
excellent books with step-by-step instructions for creating web pages.I am new to IT so am glad it's written in "regular joe" speak and not "IT speak" which is very helpful to someone like me who is making a career change.

Why Bother?
This is an over-rated and over-priced book.I am forced to use it, and find that there are better resources available in less expensive texts, and on the W3C School web site.The text is adequate, but barely so.Sell it if you have it, and avoid it if you can.

New Perspectives on Creating Web
Seller was very prompt in getting this book to me.The book is in very good shape.Highly recommended---smooth business transaction. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Confusing and rehash of documentation.
The book is very confusing. Not clear and concise. Several of the chapters seems to be rehash of documentation meant to increase the size of the book.

Worst book on .net web services ever
This is a total disaster. The authors don't know how to present material for readers to understand. Examples are half cooked and mixed up between soap 1.1 and soap 1.2. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides IS developers and architects with the information they need to understand why XML Web services will revolutionize and simplify the way they do business ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Concise, yet comprehensive
While most books on this subject target Web services in internet based commercial applications, this book targets the most quickly growing developer audience for XML Web services - the corporate solution developer.

Don't be fooled however, by its slim 190 pages.There is ample content in those pages, including a comprehensive section on securing Web services.

One feature of the book that is especially worth noting is the "extra credit" section located at the end of each chapter.These sections encourage the reader to take the concepts presented in the chapter and apply them to solve current problems in their corporation.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading XML Web Services in the Organization and was able to immediately apply what I had learned in a real-world solution. ... Read more

Product Description
Microsoft's .NET Framework acts as a platform for building XML Web services, reusable components that can be shared across multiple Web sites. XML Web Services Professional Projects provides you with information on the basics and intricacies of Web services. It offers coverage of topics such as the SOAP protocol, deploying and publishing XML Web services, and Web service description language. It includes real-world projects and outlines the need for Web services in the upcoming mobile technology and Internet scenario. Case studies help you relate the concepts in the book to situations in your own work environment. Designed for Web developers and IT professionals, this book assumes you are proficient in Internet technologies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

tries to cover too much
This book has some good information, but it tries to cover too much.It covers web services created in .NET, Java, and even Perl.Most of the book is related to .NET though.

It is funny that in the intro the authors say they assume you already know XML, but then the first chapter is an intro to XML.Actually, that's one of the reasons I bought the book though.I didn't want to buy a separate XML book.

The other reason I bought the book is that it was on the bargain rack.I wouldn't have paid full price since I am not interested in .NET. ... Read more

Product Description
Jesse Liberty’s XML Web Documents from Scratch is a road map to managing and publishing documents using XML and XSL.Concepts and techniques are taught and reinforced as readers create "BiblioTech," a Web-based book reader that displays the text of a book, provides a collapsible outline, and text search capabilities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!
I give this book an incredible 2 thumbs down. ... I'm a web developer using technologies other than those discussed in the book, but have used ASP, VB, and SQL Server before. I bought this book because I thought it would help me build an XML application. However, what it does it show you how to use the "poorly" written application the author provides.

The book refers to source code on the "CD", but no CD was ever published with the book... you are required to download the source code from his web site and try and use an extremely bad readme to help get the application set up. Within the book, the author deals with subjects is a somewhat disjointed manner and the book is cluttered with so many sidenotes and "excursions" that I wasn't sure what piece of code I was actually referring to.

The author states several times "don't worry if you're not familiar with" a technology (VB, ASP, or SQL)... "I'll explain all the important stuff later"... but never does!!

The application requires the existance of a SQL database from Chapter 2 on, but the setup of that database isn't discussed until Chapter 6??? Once I did get the application and database setup and running, I could not get past the first conversion of html to xhtml, because there were errors reported in the VB classes provided by the author.

I think the concept of the book was great, but I wish the author had taken more time to develop a worthwhile and useful manuscript that actually dealt with the process of putting together the entire application FROM SCRATCH, in an understandable and sequential process.

I'm not sure what the other five star reviewers were reading, but I strongly do not recommend this book -- unless you are specifically looking to use his application to create a web based (XML) application from converted word documents. And even then, good luck on getting it to work!!

Great book for learning how to publish documents to the web!
If you've ever had to complete a project that requires you to publish a Word document to the web, you'll fully appreciate the content in this book.Like Jesse states in his own review, most technical books usually give youall of the terms, definitions, and explanations up front and then try tofollow that up with a useful example (in most cases, these are notpractical examples and don't really help you to learn the material).Iparticularly like the way this book dives right into a specific problem andforces you to learn everything as the project progresses.One of ourcurrent projects requires us to publish a fairly lengthy document to theweb.Although our client currently is not requiring us to move thedocument to XML, we have a feeling that this may someday be a requirementand are approaching this project exactly like the one given in this book. Even if you are not currently involved in a similar project, the benefitsof seeing how XML and XSL can be applied in a real-world project are huge!

Scratch This One from Your List!
I bought the book, and can't escape giving it 2 thumbs down. The reasons: First, it was difficult to follow because Liberty didn't give any overview of why he was doing the material in the book, iu.e., the particularsoftware. He just takes advantage of built-in features of ie5 to convertbetween xhtml and xml, etc. There is no larger picture, no understanding,conveyed. All we know is that Jesse Libeerty wants to put this book on theweb and here is the way to do it. Avoid this one and get XML Bible insteadwith your hard-earned money.

XML Web Documents from Scratch
Jesse Liberty and Mike Kraley's XML Web Documents from Scratch(QUE Books) is a high-quality XML book for both beginning and advanceddevelopers.By using a practical web application, Liberty and Kraley describe the ins and outs of XML.I have read many other XML guidebooks/manuals, but none of them compare to XML Web Documents from Scratch. The only flaw I found in the book is that the authors refer to a CD that is supposed to be included, but it did not come with the first printing of the book... ... Read more

Product Description
Web-maven Elizabeth Castro, who has penned Peachpit bookson HTML, Perl and CGI, and Netscape, now tackles XML--an indispensabletool for creating personalized, updated content for each visitor onyour site. Whether you build Web pages for a living or you're takingon a new hobby, XML for the World Wide Web contains everything youneed to create dynamic Web sites by writing XML code, developingcustom XML applications with DTDs and schemas, transforming XML intopersonalized Web content through XSLT-based transformations, andprofessionally formatting XML documents with Cascading Style Sheets.

The real power of XML lies in combining information from various sources and generating personalized content for different visitors. Castro's easy-to-follow graphics show exactly what XML looks like, and her real-world examples explain how to transform and streamline your Web-site creation process by automatically updating content.Amazon.com Review
The Visual QuickStart Guide series from Peachpit Press is known for boiling topics down to the essentials, and presenting them in an engaging and efficient way, to get the reader up to speed quickly. In applying this model to XML, author Elizabeth Castro had her work cut out for her.

Fortunately for her readers, Castro has identified successfully the core components of XML, and presented them in a streamlined way. This book doesn't tackle any of the advanced elements of XML technology, such as SOAP, SAX, or integration with the Document Object Model (DOM). Instead, it focuses on teaching the basic nuts and bolts of creating XML documents, styling them, and defining their structure.

This book moves at a fast pace. Document Type Definitions (DTDs), for instance, get only 30 pages of coverage. This tight format comprises simple examples that illustrate commands and concepts, instead of pages of text. The pages are presented in a two-column format, so that code fragments can be placed (wisely) side by side with the step-by-step explanatory text. Each topic example is supplemented with one or more useful implementation tips.

For a true grasp of XML and all of its potential, you'll need to follow up this introductory tutorial with more reading on the applications of the technology and case studies. But this little book is a great way to learn the basics of XML in a weekend. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• XML documents
• Document Type Definitions (DTDs)
• Schemas
• Namespaces
• XSLT and XPath
• Cascading style sheets (CSS)
• XLink
• XPointer

Customer Reviews (57)

Not a stand-alone book
I've read through 2/3 of the book for an XML class. This book did not provide a good picture of what could be accomplished with XML. Nor did it explain steps well. I found myself getting very confused in many places and wondering why the author did what they did.

While the steps are succinct, you do need other resources to learn XML. I was very frustrated with the book.

Not fair
Well I bought this book when there was already a new edition on amazom which was not yet released but you could buy it and get it when it comes. I did not know that this one was old edition and that the new one with hundred pages more was on the way. It should be written somewhere on your internet pages near the old edition which would be replaced with tho new one...

Good condition, price, and prompt shipping.
The book came fast and was in good condition.The price was really cheap too.

Awesome Beginner's Guide
This book though perhaps has many errors, it is still one of the best concept books out there.This will really get you started with XML smoothly.Some of the XML standards are rather complex, and I find this to be the most palatable material for understanding stuff like XSD and XSLT.

The book covers the basics of XML, how to define your XML schema through DTD, and then several chapters on XSD ("XML Schema and Namespaces") that include simple and complex types.The book follows up with XSML, usage of XPath and text expressions. Later there's coverage of cascading style sheets, XLink and XPointer.

I think there should be a newer version that will make corrections and update the material.I would love a chapter on RELAX-NG, as this is becoming popular to define schema for XML in some circles.

Overall, this is great book to get you started, and I would highly recommend this book as a quick spring board in the world of XML.

Errors, Lots and Lots of Errors
37 errors are listed on the author's site.I think I found some new ones as well.The material moves from the specific to general, so that the reader must skip around quite a bit.The aforementioned errors make learning XML very tedious and frustrating.An edit should have done - it is apparent none was.I have used Castro's books in the past and have never experienced the problems I have with this one.I recommend against purchasing this book and I hope Peachpit will not repeat the problems encountered within. ... Read more

Product Description
Do you know telephony but need to learn about the Web? Do you know the Web but need to learn telecom? Are you a Webmaster who need to telephony-enable your site?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then this book is for you. Bob Edgar explains everything you need to understand and use VoiceXML, the "HTML for telephony" which is revolutionizing the industry.

Not a telephony expert? Not a Web expert? No problem, Bob covers all the background you'll need: how the Web works, how telecom and computer telephony work, XML, voice browsers and more. Once you've understood the background, Bob starts with a "Hello, World" application--a VoiceXML page which answers the phone and speaks to you--then leads you step by step through all the features of VoiceXML, including VoiceXML 2.0.

* Graphical Web Browsing, HTML and HTTP* Telecommunications* Computer Telephony* Voice Recognition and Text-to-Speech* XML* VoiceXML Tutorial* Use Voice Browsers to Create Phone-Enabled Web Sites

Bob Edgar, Ph.D., works for Dialogic Corp., an Intel company and a leading manufacturer of computer telephony hardware and software components. Dr. Edgar started his software career as a theoretical physicist running mainframe calculations to simulate realistic quantum fields. Bob later founded and ran Parity Software Development Corp., a manufacturer of telephony software development tools, which was acquired by Dialogic in September 1999. Bob's previous book, "PC Telephony", has been a best-seller in the industry for many years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

VoiceXML for very beginners
The book is a general overview of telephony application and a thin introduction to VoiceXML. It covers important matters in a very rapid and unprecise way. It contains even errors in the examples.

An indispensable "how to" reference
In The VoiceXML Handbook: Understanding And Building The Phone-Enabled Web, computer telephony expert Bob Edgar takes the reader through a step-by-step introduction through all the features of VoiceXML (including VoiceXML 2.0). Readers will learn about Graphical Web Browsing, HTML, and HTTP; Telecommunications; Computer Telephony; Voice Recognition and Text-to-Speech; and XML. Also provided are a VoiceXML Tutorial and instructions on using Voice Browsers to crated Phone-Enabled Web Sites. The VoiceXML Handbook is an indispensable "how to" reference for anyone who needs to enhance their website with telephony-enabled technology and ability.

Not so informative.
I can find more information on the internet on this subject than reading this book.In fact I turned to the internet while reading this book for answers to the questions this book failed to answer.

An Excellent Overview
I am director of user interface design at Audiopoint in Fairfax, Virginia -- a voice portal/voice technology company.I work mostly in human factors, not programming.This book is exactly what I've been looking for, because it gives, I feel, an excellent overview of the many kinds of systems, software, and hardware that are involved in the work I do.I agree with another reviewer, who said that the author clearly states that not all the examples will work in every case, for various reasons.The great plus for me is that, even though my training is not for the most part in technology, I could still understand the book.The author takes you, usually, from the very beginning, and gives you the big, simple picture, which is crucial to have fixed firmly in your mind.This book is making it much easier for me to understand our IT people and talk with techies, and visualize various products which I'd like to see our company launch.So I give this book top rating....

Not very informative
As a VoiceXML developer, I looked forward to this book. I was disappointed. Too much time was spent speculating on Version 2.0 and not enough time explaining Version 1.0. If you are looking to learn VoiceXML this is not the book. ... Read more

Product Description
As XML becomes an increasingly significant part of the IT mainstream, expert guidance and common-sense strategies are required to avoid the many pitfalls of applying XML incorrectly or allowing it to be used in an uncontrolled manner. This book acts as a knowledge base for issues relating to integration, and provides clear, concise advice on how to best determine the manner and direction XML technology should be positioned and integrated. The book will be one of the first to provide documentation for second-generation Web services technologies (also known as WS-*). The importance of these specifications (which include BPEL, WS-Transaction, WS-Coordination, WS-Security, WS-Policy, and WS-Reliable Messaging) cannot be understated. Major standards organizations and vendors are supporting and developing these standards. ***David Keogh, Program Manager for Enterprise Frameworks and Tools, Microsoft, will provide a front cover quotation for the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

SOA Design Fundementals in multiple levels
It's a practical guide on defining service characteristics and design principles in multiple levels, from component implementation to application design to enterprise architecture. Very digestive material.

Best Web Service Tutorial I have ever seen
This book is really useful specially for a person who want to learn the basic of web service and then go deep for XML and Web Service usage in Service Oriented domain.

Excellent roadmap
Thomas Erl covers SOA perfectly. The ebb and flow of the book is excellent. He does not cover proprietary technologies, and rightfully so. However, he explains the W3 standards of XML, SOAP, Web services and many key service models. He also is aware of corporate culture and thinking realistically as you take on a SOA implementation. This book has made me a better software developer. Keep things autonomous and keep things abstract.

Advertising for Author's Business
I read this book as part of a technical book club at work. The concensus of the group is that there is very little useful information in it. It contains many diagrams and charts that provide little benefit other than to increase the page count.It contains mis-information concerning competing technologies such as CORBA and constantly treats SOA and Web Services as if they are interchangeable terms.Much of the information is superficial.The bright spot in the book was that the large number of nearly identical charts made reading the chapters go very quickly.Finally, the author often seems to be using the book as advertisment for his company. There are much better resources for gaining an understanding of SOA and Web Services.Don't waste you money on this one.

Waste of verbatim
The entire book can be summed up on 3 to 4 pages.Mostly the book regurgitates the same concepts over and over to fill up the pages, using a plethora of technical terminology to abstract it's own meaningless.For the most part the book is intended to give you an overview of verity of technologies encapsulated in SOA architecture, but from a very distant perspective. ... Read more

Product Description
W3C XForms (XML powered web forms) is an overhaul to HTML forms from 1993. On-line forms are critical to electronic commerce on the Internet, and the HTML forms design is now beginning to show its age. The advent of XML on the WWW, and the subsequent move to Web services as a means of connecting disparate information technologies to deliver end-to-end customer solutions has now made XML documents central to the fabric of the WWW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Excellent introduction to XForms
Those of us that have been programming for decades remember the times when a form for data entry was created by writing the code. It was a slow, tedious and error prone process. Our efficiency dramatically increased when development packages containing the GUI objects became available, in most cases you simply selected the object you wanted and pasted it to the form. Once that was done, you assigned the values of the parameters and if necessary attached the appropriate event handler.
XForms is another way in which the GUI objects can be included on a form, specifically a web form. As the name implies, the syntax is that of XML, all of the parameters to be assigned are entries to be filled within the appropriate pre-defined tags. In this book each of the primary GUI objects of XForms are introduced, example code is given and then a small image of how the object will appear is included. If you have any experience with programming GUI objects and understand the fundamental syntax of XML then you will have no trouble understanding the presentation. The author also includes some of the more widely used values of the attributes.
This book is an excellent primer to the topic of XForms, easily understandable to get you comfortable with them as fast as possible.

This is not a cookbook
If you are looking for the reasoning behind why XForms is built the way it is this book may be helpful.

If you are looking for code examples, hints, lessons, or pointers toward how to build an XForms application you should probably look somewhere else.

Excellent Introduction to XForms
This book in an excellent review of the XForms standard.It is part tutorial and part reference book.It starts with about 50 pages of background material (XPath, XML Schema, XML, namespaces etc) and then starts with a conceptual overview with some examples.It then takes us through all the major XForms concepts and elements.

The book is well written in a compact and precise style.It also has several tables that I found to be handy as references although there is no full appendix listing all the XForms elements which would have been very useful.It does have some useful additional information such as how to use CSS with XForms.

T.V. Raman is also a very credible expert on XForms since he was on the w3c XForms standards body.He gives several insights into why the standard is structured to be device independent.This allows XForms to run on web pages and mobile phone applications.

The only reason I did not give this a 5 star is that the examples on the online on the web site have many problems.The book was written using LATEX and many of the examples on-line still have many LATEX codes in them and will not run without much editing.Somewhat sloppy.

My hope is that the author fixes these problems in the future so that all the examples would work with the FireFox XForms plug-in.That would be ideal for using this book in the XForms classes I teach. The book could also have used a bit more editing, I found several grammatical errors but no real conceptual errors.

Good blend of conceptual and reference material...
XForms is one of those technologies that hasn't yet taken off, but could make a substantial impact if it ever does.I got a copy of XForms - XML Powered Web Forms by T. V. Raman in order to understand a bit more about the subject...

Contents:
Part 1 - Welcome to XForms: XML Powered Web Forms; Standard Building Blocks
Part 2 - XForms Components: XForms User Interface Controls; Creating Complex User Interfaces; XForms Model Properties; XForms Functions; XForms Actions; XForms Events
Part 3 - XForms and the Next Generation Web: Connecting the User to Web Services; Multimodal Access; XForms and Accessibility; Colophon; Bibliography; Index

In some ways, XForms is harder than just regular HTML forms in that there's more data architecture that needs to be considered beforehand.Conversely, you are able to achieve a much better separation of data and design than possible under the HTML model.Raman does a pretty good job in explaining the overall conceptual model of XForms, as well as how it hooks into all the other "X" technologies (XPath, XML Schemas, etc.).Once the groundwork is set in Part 1, Part 2 becomes the reference manual on how to use each XForm feature.It's not a huge reference manual, but the core information is laid out in such a way that you'd end up using it on a regular basis as you get up to speed.I found it all pretty easy to follow, and I see how this could become a fundamental part of your personal library if you're using XForms on a regular basis.Of course, the downside is that XForms isn't yet supported on any widely-available basis...:)

If I were asked to recommend a title for XForms information, this would probably be the one I'd point someone to...

Wonderful book to learn XForms
Easy reading and a good explanation of XForms concepts.The book is about 230 pages with a CD.The XForms concepts are very well compressed into these pages, making it easy reading, yet less intimidating.I was able to read most of the book in the car when we went on a trip to Maine. ... Read more

Product Description
XML (Extensible Markup Language) allows Web developers to enhance database connectivity, enrich pages with specialized data elements, and otherwise move beyond the limitations of HTML. This highly visual tutorial demonstrates over 100 different XML operations, from formulating Document Type Definitions (DTDs) to setting up styles with Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL). The CD-ROM contains code examples and an e-version of the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Wow - this book is just awful.
I borrowed this book from my new team lead, since he wants me to do some XML work on his project.I have absolutely zero experience with XML (or HTML), and I saw this book on his shelf so I borrowed it, hoping it would give me a clue as to what I'm supposed to do for the next few weeks.I am shocked at how little I know after completing the first two chapters!Each two pages is a new concept - which I think is a great idea.But, after you follow along with the examples, there is no description/pic of how it should look in your web browser!How do I know if I'm doing it correctly if I don't have anything to verify it with?It's kind of like reading a programming book that never shows you what the execution of the program is supposed to look like - that's ridiculous!Also, the lessons explain the "what" to do, but not the "why," which is really frustrating when you're trying to REALLY learn something - not just fake your way through it.Stay away from this book.I bet there is a free tutorial on the web that is much better.

Horrible book for beginning XML
Horrible book out there for learning XML. Lack of imagination on the part of the authors leads to same, mind-numbing, utterly useless example being used throughout the book.

Can use the book for a quick glance at the XML syntax though, but don't expect to learn anything from the book.

No wonder the book sells for less than $2, and is worth only that much.

Good Reference Book
As with all of the visual blueprint book, this is a good reference for those new to XML. I found it easy to reference with. However if you need more explanation, then pick Microsoft step by step or SAMS 24 hours book.

This Book STINKS!!
I'm new to XML. My knowledge is fairly limited. And yet in the first 70 pages, I found at least 7 errors. (And bear in mind, each two pages presents one concept; therefore that averages out to one error per new idea.) Some were "screen typos," as in, the text would say "Type a question mark," but the little line to the screen image points to an asterisk. Other times, though, the information is flat-out wrong.

I'd hate to think what would have happened if I new nothing at all about XML, and just accepted these mistakes as gospel.

Suffice to say, I'm going to try to get my money back for this book.

The best book on XML for beginners. Worth the money.
This is one of the best books on XML. I bought the book 5 months ago with zero knowledge on XML, now, I'm an XML wizzard, got a raise of 7,000 over the last 3 months for my expertise with XML. This is a all-in-one XML book. It tells you step by step about XML, and it's all XML beginners need. A second best book on XML would be XML Bible, which is 1,300 pages. Would recommend reading the visual book first, then proceed to XML Bible to do some fancy stuff. ... Read more

Product Description
You know how to build Web service applications using XML, SOAP, and WSDL, but can you ensure that those applications are secure? Standards development groups such as OASIS and W3C have released several specifications designed to provide security - but how do you combine them in working applications?

"Securing Web Services with WS-Security" will help you take your Web services securely to production, with insight into the latest security standards including

- WS-Security, a model that defines how to put security specifications into practice
- XML Encryption to ensure confidentiality
- XML Signature to ensure data integrity
- Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) to authenticate and authorize users
- WS-Policy to set policies across trust domains

Jothy Rosenberg and David Remy, both business, technology, and security visionaries, demystify these standards with practical examples including a fully developed case study application showing these tools at work. A pragmatic approach is taken showing which Web Services Security standards are needed when faced with a variety of security challenges. The authors understand that security remains one of the largest remaining impediments to deploying major Web services in business-critical situations. The goal of this book is to begin to remove those impediments by providing a detailed understanding of all the available security technologies and how and when to employ them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Worthless For Programmers
Agree completely with all of the other reviewers in respect to practical working examples and detailed information. This is nothing more than a high-level overview of documentation and specifications you can easily find yourself on the internet. Look elsewhere (and yeah, I'm still looking myself) for solid information about how to design and deploy WS-* applications.

Weak examples.
This book delivers good introduction to WS-* specs beyond that I don't find much help. From a developer perspective, the book does'nt help with good examples, it is missing with coding guidance and also lacks detail about the PKI in Web services. Possibly this book is too early to market before the specs are endorsed by OASIS. It's time for a revision..otherwise I could've added two more stars.

Good Overview of Web Services Security
This book is a good introduction to the application of security to Web Services and SOA. The authors focus on "message level" security versus "transport level" security, and its application to Web Services. The book explains standards: WS-Security, WS-Policy, WS-SecurePolicy and other current standards at the time of publishing (2004).

However these standards are constantly evolving and this book needs to be updated on a regular basis.

Gary E. Smith
SOA Network Architect
SOA Networks

good intro book - need a revision
i am an architect working on large-scale web services on j2ee and .net ddevlopment and deplyment. I bought this book for getting myself introduced to ws-security and saml. if you would like to know the security specifications for web services at a high-level you may find this book useful. If you are looking at the practical aspects of how to implement them in a j2ee or .net web services you wil find limited help. The coverage on ws-* specs are little bit old as new revisions are already out.

Good intro but needs an update
This book would help you if you need an introduction to Web services security standards. If you need to know the strategies for how to implement then this book may not help much. Some of the specifications discussed in the book is not complete and there is lot of confusion in the standards committee moving forward. I bought this book before I bought the Core Security Patterns which details both the standards and patterns-based implementation strategies for Web services security. This book also needs a revision in terms of updating to SAML 2.0, WS-Security 1.1, WS-I Basic Security profile. ... Read more