HTML and XML for Beginners

by Michael Morrison

HTML and XML for Beginners provides Web coding beginners with a concise guide to the world of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), and previews even more powerful alternatives such as Extensible Markup... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0735611890
• ISBN13: 9780735611894
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Microsoft Press
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Ideal book for a novice in web design

I am not new to programming but I was sure new to the field of web design. Looking for a book that would clearly explain the fundamentals of HTML and an introduction to XML was hard to find but I must say that this book was well worth the time invested to look for that kind of book. This book clearly explains the basic html tags and Cascading Style Sheets with examples that are trivial to follow. After going thru more than half the book, I was already feel confident to put these new skills to practice. As I said before, this book is excellent if you would like to get into web design. However, I would not recommend this book for an intermediate or advanced web designer because the material may be too simple for them.

Well explained, quickly assimilated

After designing a seven page read-only web site with Netscape Composer (which generates HTML source code) I found that potential Web hosts tended to become twitchy at the prospect of Composer's "inelegant code". Their concern is that not only would the code not be XHTML compliant (the standard for the future that is being implemented now), but that some of the code simply would not run on some browsers.Swoon... I needed a quick fix book that would explain enough about XML and XHTML for me to go in and manually convert the Composer-generated HTML code for XHTML compliance. I also needed to be able to use a checking tool to verify that the altered/upgraded code would pass the test.Thank goodness for Michael's book. My first bonus was discovering that Netscape 7.1 actually generates HTML 4.1 code, which is basically current. My second bonus was finding that Michael has a very readable style and gets to the point quickly. To be honest, I just speed scanned the vast majority of the book and used it as a reference guide while I dove in almost immediately to perform the XHTML conversion.The way MM explains things, the conversion was a very simple process, and the icing on the cake is that he explains how to use the WC3 Validator online free checking service, which allows you to safely and simply upload your source code for a given web page, and have it checked in real time. One cute bonus from the Validator site is that when your code passes the test, you can download an icon indicating that your code for that page is XHTML 1.0 Transitional compliant.I'm sure there are many good books out there of a similar nature, but for me, this book by Michael Morrison works for people who just want to get in there quickly and do it. Like many busy men and women, I don't have time to read War and Peace, and MM appears to understand that need for speed and clarity.Finally, while there is some breezy humor and a very friendly feel to the book, it does not descend into the infantile 2 cent jokes and puns that some books have been known to contain.Excellent.

This book is exactly what a beginner needs!!

I must admit that when I decided to embark upon my adventures in web programming I was overwhelmed by the shear number of books on the topic of HTML & XML. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the style and approach of this book. Michael Morrison covers HTML, DHTML, XHTML, XML and CSS. But the book isn't limited to simply programming language, it also emphasizes the importance of style, content, appearance and special effects.The author covers material in manageable portions, then displays the code, again in manageable portions, and follows up with easy to understand explanations that review the topic. This brilliant cycle is repeated through out the pages of each chapter. What is significant is that he puts all the code snippets from the chapter together at the end to show the reader what the end result is. And the reader can even follow along with a text editor to see his/her own work! The code is clean, the examples are easy to understand and the author is consistent. Bravo! On the other hand, there were one or two topics that left me wanting for more information but I was readily able to facilitate my hunger by browsing the web. All in all, this book was a huge help and I recommend it supremely.

A great place to start.

If you happen to want to get into the world of web design you need to know HTML, however if you want to progress further you also need to know XML. So if you don't know either you can spend serious money on several starter books or try this one and save time, money and your sanity. What I learned from this book was a great deal of information I had never seen before. The author simple approach, yet abundance of information make this a first rate job. The author takes you on a web journey in a step by step layout without overcomplicating any one topic. Starting off with the HTML essentials like formatting, images, hyperlinks, maps, tables, forms and multimedia you then move on to other topics like CSS, DHTML and special effects to spice up the average web page. XML, XSL and XHTML round out the end of the book with style, allowing the reader to be able to use the information as you follow along. Although eh book should have been in color, this will detract little from the overall value of the book. There are plenty of screen shots and the step by step instruction make learning at your pace easy. One thing that does need to be added is a cd-rom with practice files rather allowing for time to work with the areas.

Fastest way to get started coding a Web page.

This wonderful book provides Web coding with a clear and concise guide to the world of HTML, it also previews even more powerful alternatives such as XML and shows the importance of XML to the WWW. The book is rich in examples and walks the Web beginner through basic HTML techniques such as creating and publishing Web pages, formatting text, adding graphics, and creating hyperlinks. The book shows you how to use tables to organize content, forms to gather input from site visitors, image maps to support point-and-click navigation, and styles, properties, and multimedia to add visual and verbal content. It clearly demonstrates how to energize Web pages with interactive elements by using DHTML. The book concludes with an extensive discussion on XML, and its relevance for data exchange. If you have yet to start coding and are a beginner this book provides the fastest way to get started coding a Web page.FinancialNeeds.com