Product Description
XML and Java(tm): Developing Web Applications is a tutorial that will teach Web developers, programmers, and system engineers how to create robust XML business applications for the Internet using the Java technology. The authors, a team of IBM XML experts, introduce the essentials of XML and Java development, from a review of basic concepts to thorough coverage of advanced techniques. Using a step-by-step approach, this book illustrates real-world implications of XML and Java technologies as they apply to Web applications. Readers should have a basic understanding of XML as well as experience in writing simple Java programs.
XML and Java enables you to:
* Develop Web business applications using XML and Java through real-world examples and code * Quickly obtain XML programming skills * Become familiar with Document Object Models (DOM) and the Simple API for XML (SAX) * Understand the Electronic Document Interchange (EDI) system design using XML and Document Type Definition (DTD), including * coverage on automating business-to-business message exchange * Leverage JavaBean components * Learn a hands-on, practical orientation to XML and Java
XML has strong support from industry giants such as IBM, Sun, Microsoft, and Netscape. Java, with its “write once, run anywhere” capabilities, is a natural companion to XML for building the revolutionary Internet applications described in this book. XML and Java demonstrates how developers can harness the power of these technologies to develop effective Web applications. If you want to learn Java-based solutions for implementing key XML features–including parsing, document generation, object tree manipulation, and document processing–there is no better resource than this book. Amazon.com Review
Ideal for any Java developer or architect facing today’s rich XML-based standards and tools, the second edition of XML and Java: Developing Web Applications delivers a wide and deep tour of the latest in today’s XML standards and Java tools used to work with them. Whether you want to gain an understanding of basic or advanced uses of XML, chances are this practical-minded book will fit the bill, with its far-ranging coverage of tools and programming techniques.
The coverage of today’s Java XML tools is perhaps unmatched by any text. The authors do a great job at presenting the essentials first, in short, fast-moving, understandable chapters, before ranging farther afield. In particular, the coverage of two of the most important XML APIs in today’s Java (SAX and DOM) is a standout here. We also liked the benchmarks that show how SAX can offer faster performance, plus the easy-to-grasp summaries of essential programming APIs for both tools. Beyond the basics, the authors present several advanced techniques, like sending XML over sockets and advanced “tricks” available in Xerces.
After the basics of parsing XML, the book turns to transforming XML using XSLT, again with a no-nonsense, practical tour. Turning toward the server-side, the text presents a quick introduction to JSP and servlets and where XML fits into each. (Readers will appreciate the demonstration of creating XML from an “ordinary” JSP here.) After looking at XML used with databases and messaging, the book focuses in on Web services in a particularly well-wrought chapter that covers all of the relevant standards for today’s Web services, including how SOAP is really just an extension of XML messaging for the enterprise.
After looking at security issues with XML (including the importance of using secure sockets), a section on the various ways of defining XML documents (from standard DTDs to XML Schema, Schematron, and even RDF) shows the advantages and design goals of each. Handy reference sections list resources for all of today’s leading XML-based tools and W3C XML standards.
While today’s landscape of XML standards and tools can indeed be daunting, this text sorts it out with an enthusiastic treatment of the subject filled with practical advice and an expert’s take on what working Java developers and system architects need to know when it comes to XML. –Richard Dragan
