CSS Pocket Reference (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly))

Book Description

More proof that good things come in small--and sometimes even inexpensive--packages: the CSS Pocket Reference has been completely revised and updated to reflect the latest Cascading Style Sheet specifications, CSS2 and CSS2.1. An indispensable reference for web designers and developers, this slim little book covers the essential information needed to effectively implement CSS, with an introduction to the key concepts of CSS and a complete alphabetical reference to the CSS2 and CSS 2.1 properties. And since browser incompatibility is the biggest CSS headache for most developers, it also includes an invaluable chart displaying detailed information about CSS support for every style element across all browsers. For anyone who wants to correctly implement CSS, this book condenses all the details in its companion volume, Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide, into one easy-to-use cheat-sheet. The CSS Pocket Reference delivers just the CSS details that you need to complete the task at hand. When you're stuck and want an answer quickly, the tiny CSS Pocket Reference is the book you'll want by your keyboard or in your back pocket. (Yes, it really does fit in a back pocket, but it's too useful to stay there long.)

Download Description

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is the W3C-approved method for enriching the visual presentation of web pages. CSS allows web pages to become more structural, and at the same time promises that they can have a more sophisticated look than ever before. With good implementations in Internet Explorer 5.0 and Opera 3.6, and 100% CSS1 support expected in Netscapes's Mozilla browser, signs are that CSS is rapidly becoming a useful, reliable, and powerful tool for web authors.

The CSS Pocket Reference briefly introduces CSS and then lists all CSS1 properties, plus the CSS1 pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes. Since browser incompatibility is the biggest obstacle to CSS adoption, we've also included a comprehensive guide to how the browsers have implemented support for CSS1. For anyone who wants to correctly implement CSS, this is a handy condensed reference to all the details in the larger volume, Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide.

Customer Reviews:

Indispensable Reference.......2006-09-11

Large books, by their very nature, can have good points and bad points. After all, if you have a couple or several hundred pages worth of material, you are bound to get some things right and some things wrong.
But these pocket reference books from O'Reilly are great. They aren't for learning, rather they are what they say they are: a pocket reference. (Nice to see some truth in advertising for a change.)
If you buy this book you will use it. A lot. Period.

Exactly what it is supposed to be .........2006-08-30

Great little reference book. It is not intended to be a learning tool. If you want that, try the Head First book on HTML/XHTML/CSS that O'Reilly also publishes.

It's a super little time-saver, and also makes for a quick read when designing a new page or project, to see if something you haven't used previously could benefit your work.

Works like expected........2006-06-06

I've used this pocket reference for a long time now and I love it. It's a great way to refresh your memory when you can't seem to remember a property and/or its value.

Although I must say that I refer to it much less now than I did when I first got it. Mostly because I know most of the properties and values by heart at this point and so I can use IDEs "IntelliSense" features.

Consequently, I must add that this is not a teaching aid. You will not learn how to style with CSS from this book! There are much better books on the topic! (For example: "Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design")

Fits in your pocket - 2nd Edition.......2006-03-20

This small, handy book is packed with CSS references perfect for grabbing and flipping through when looking for that one piece of code to add to your site. It is not a book about learning CSS. This reference book is a alphabetical listing of CSS selectors and properties. As I was learning CSS I found this book very helpful in locating quickly the code I was looking for.

CSS Pocket Reference 2nd Ed. Does the job very well for me.......2005-10-04

As a Perl and PHP programmer who does a lot of web-based pages, I use this pocket reference very often when designing page styles. It helps immensely that I have syntax and samples in front of me for each of the items I expect to be able to use in today's modern browser. As the title indicates, it is a pocket reference and is not designed to teach people how to get started using CSS. There are plenty of good books out there to help users do that. My favorite is Elizabeth Castro's HTML For The World Wide Web (5th Ed.). Once users have a basic understanding of the rules for creating CSS, this book is an invaluable tool to jog the memory and sits next to my desk anytime I'm doing HTML or XML page layout. Because nearly all the properties covered in this book are supported by Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Firefox, I chose not to ding the book for failing to cover what features were not supported by the major browsers.

Target audience: Web site developers, HTML, XHTML, XML authors with a basic understanding of CSS

Hits: Excellent property reference, good examples, explanations. Well organized.
Misses: Could have done a better job explaining which items are supported in which (of the most popular) browsers.

HTML and XHTML Pocket Reference (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly))

Average customer rating:

Easy to Use
No index?
DSM IV Made Easy
No index?
Great Book!

HTML and XHTML Pocket Reference (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly))
Jennifer Niederst Robbins
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Pocket | Series | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Web Programming | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Web Authoring & Design | Web Development | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0596527276

Book Description

After years of using spacer GIFs, layers of nested tables, and other improvised solutions for building your web sites, getting used to the more stringent "standards-compliant" design that is de rigueur among professionals today can be intimidating.

With standards-driven design, keeping style separate from content is not just a possibility but a reality. You no longer use HTML and XHTML as design tools, but strictly as ways to define the meaning and structure of web content. And Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are no longer just something interesting to tinker with, but a reliable method for handling all matters of presentation, from fonts and colors to page layout. When you follow the standards, both the site's design and underlying code are much cleaner. But how do you keep all those HTML and XHTML tags and CSS values straight?

Jennifer Niederst-Robbins, the author of our definitive guide on standards-compliant design, Web Design in a Nutshell, offers you the perfect little guide when you need answers immediately: HTML and XHTML Pocket Reference. This revised and updated new edition takes the top 20% of vital reference information from her Nutshell book, augments it judiciously, cross-references everything, and organizes it according to the most common needs of web developers. The result is a handy book that offers the bare essentials on web standards in a small, concise format that you can use carry anywhere for quick reference. This guide will literally fit into your back pocket.

Inside HTML and XHTML Pocket Reference, you'll find instantly accessible alphabetical listings of every element and attribute in the HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 Recommendations, as well as every property and value in Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2.1. This is an indispensable reference for any serious web designer, author, or programmer who needs a fast on-the-job resource when working with established web standards.

Customer Reviews:

Easy to Use.......2007-09-05

After I figured out there structure of displaying information, this tool has become a valuable asset. Definately recommend.

No index?.......2007-03-31

What kind of a reference book doesn't have an index? Sure, the tag reference is in alphabetical order, but that only helps if you remember what the tag is. Also, I had a brain fart this morning and couldn't remember the exact syntax for a comment (I work with way too many languages)- couldn't find it. That's what a pocket reference is supposed to be for, the little things you can't remember!

DSM IV Made Easy.......2007-01-09

This is an excellent text and well illustrated. I am sure an updated edition will come out soon.

No index?.......2006-11-07

I'm a big fan of the O'Reilly Pocket Reference series, but this one was a bit disappointing. While the basic content is there, the book is less than 100 pages and seems to only be a wrapper for three tables defining the common elements, character entities, and colors. Only the first five pages attempt to provide any foundation for the tables. Missing are more general references on forms, tables, scripting or even techniques for relative/absolute addressing. Probably most surprising was the lack of an index. For a pocket reference, that seems a pretty major oversight.

Great Book!.......2006-10-01

Hi there,

This is really a great book!

I needed a reference for HTML to help me work on my "invention" which is an HTML parser...It goes to web-sites, parses each page and finds the URLs embedded inside the HTML tags.

The main part of this book, HTML Elements, which covers 70 pages, is extra-ordinarily well made. It gives you all the information those monster +500 pages do but it is only pocket-sized and easy to carry.

I will use this book so that my "invention" knows the HTML syntax; and any other HTML projects I begin.

Big thanks to Jennifer Niederst Robbins and O'Reilly Media, Inc.!

'til next time,
Charles Darakdjian

Average customer rating:

Out of date & needing improvement
Don't buy this book
not really worth it
Short Review of "PHP Pocket Reference", 2nd Edition
What a disappointment

PHP Pocket Reference, 2nd Edition
Rasmus Lerdorf
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Pocket | Series | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Perl | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Web Programming | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Web Authoring & Design | Web Development | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Computers & Internet | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Web Development | Computers & Internet | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0596004028

Book Description

Simple, to the point, and compact--in fact, exactly what you've come to expect in an O'Reilly Pocket Reference--the second edition of PHP Pocket Reference is thoroughly updated to include the specifics of PHP 4. Written by the founder of the PHP Project, Rasmus Lerdorf, PHP Pocket Reference is both a handy introduction to PHP syntax and structure, and a quick reference to the vast array of functions provided by PHP. The quick reference section organizes all the core functions of PHP alphabetically so you can find what you need easily; the slim size means you can keep it handy beside your keyboard for those times when you want to look up a function quickly without closing what you're doing. This valuable little book provides an authoritative overview of PHP packed into a pocket-sized guide that's easy to take anywhere. It is also the ideal companion for O'Reilly's comprehensive book on PHP, Programming PHP. The PHP Pocket Reference an indispensable (and inexpensive) tool for any serious PHP coder.

Download Description

PHP is an open-source, HTML-embedded scripting language that allows you to handle tasks such as processing form input and working with databases directly in your HTML pages, rather than through CGI scripts.

The PHP Pocket Reference is both a handy introduction to PHP syntax and structure and a quick reference to the vast array of functions provided by PHP. This small book acts as a perfect tutorial for learning the basics of developing Web applications with PHP.

Customer Reviews:

Out of date & needing improvement.......2007-05-07

O'Reilly must sell a ton of these. Why not get a new author willing to do a good job of updating and improving. We all owe Lerdorf a lot for starting PHP in the first place. Having said that, O'Reilly needs to get an author who can update this and make it a useful reference. PHP is now on version 5.2 and this book is on version 4. It is nearly useless. I try to use this book from time to time, but never seem to find the information I need. Ie: Each function in the reference section needs at least two sentences of explanation, not a half sentence.

PHP needs a couple of good current reference books. Where are they?

Don't buy this book.......2006-10-14

What went wrong? I have many of the O'Reilly pocket references and I bought this one on the assumption it would measure up to the others. It doesn't.

Starts out promising but once it reaches page 34 the remainder is unorganize junk with no examples, no hint of what you would use it for.

Shame on O'Reilly for putting this out under their name; they have done their faithful customers who buy on their name's reputation a disservice.

You need a no stars category for this book!

not really worth it.......2006-08-06

it seems like a handy thing and all but if you have an internet connection open when you code (presumably, since you're doing web development), the php.net documentation is much more helpful... not sure why anybody would use this. not even sure why i really bought this. i guess it looks good with all of the other little o'reilly guides that i own but it really was a waste of 5 dollars...

Short Review of "PHP Pocket Reference", 2nd Edition.......2005-07-16

This is a very good small concise reference to PHP 4. Most of the book consists of a summary of the basics of the PHP language plus a function reference to about 1400 PHP functions. If you are in need of a handy reference to PHP 4, this pocket reference would be an excellent companion for "Programming PHP" (which is a fuller reference to PHP and is also published by O'Reilly).

I would not get this pocket reference unless you are already somewhat familiar with PHP and already own "Programming PHP" (or rough equivalent). This book, though well written, is not designed as an introduction to PHP. Oh, and you need to be OK with it not covering PHP 5.

If you want more detail, you could take a look at my somewhat longer review on the Oakland Perl Mongers site.

George Woolley of Oakland.pm and Camelot.pm

What a disappointment.......2004-07-07

Don't buy this book; you won't use it. The function explanations are rarely more than a sentence, and worst of all they are many times self-referential.

"string urlencode(string str) - URL-ecodes a string." The function name makes that clear, but what does that mean, if you don't already know? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of referring to a book for clarification?

"array pathinfo(string path) - Returns information about a certain string." Does that description clarify anything beyond the function name?

Book Description

Here's the eminently practical, pocket-sized reference for Web developers and IT professionals working with XML, XSL, and XSLT. This portable guide delivers a brisk overview of XML, and quickly proceeds to such topics as DTD components, document modeling, document formatting, and XML standards-including XSL, XLink, and XPath.

Customer Reviews:

Not good.......2007-08-28

Presentation is pretty bad. Lots of errors. Inconsistent terminology used which confuses the reader significantly.

Money's worth.......2007-07-22

Pretty much what I was looking for. Relatively thin book packed with 'to the point' info, with mostly unambigious explanation. Have not found any printing mistakes yet.
Money's worth.

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This.......2005-02-18

If you are a knowledgable IT professional and need to either learn XML or increase your knowledge quickly, this book is for you. Complete, fast-paced, no dead wood, and designed with the busy IT professional in mind. It reminds me of the Wrox "Handbook" series.

It's 370 pages but half-size, so equivalent to a normal-size 185-page book. Best book purchase I've made all year. Weird for an MSPress book to be so good :-)

Take the hint, MS Press... make all of your books like this!

Buy this book!.......2005-01-14

I seldom award five stars but this book deserves it. If you can only buy one XML reference book, buy this one; if you have XML books that you're not satisfied with, buy this one: The XML Pocket Consultant is *the* XML "sleeper" title.

In my mind, I've retitled the XML Pocket Consultant "The XML Comprehensive Quick Reference." The book presents every aspect of XML and related technologies in a clear, crisp, understandable style. The book's excellent content is augmented by a professionally crafted visual style (page layout, whitespace, typeface, headings, list construction, examples) that facilitates information access and transfer; I mention this because too many books of this type look like they were designed and produced using consumer-level desktop publishing software.

I'm not normally this enthusiastic about a book, but The XML Pocket Consultant is truly a treasure: It's the single most useful, helpful, 5.5" x 8" x 1.2" compendium of XML information I've so far found.

Fantastic.......2004-03-30

"XML Pocket Consultant" is the best XML book on the market. It is really worth every penny. This book is packed with useful information. My biggest disappointment is that I had such a hard time find the book. For anyone wanting to learn XML, XSL, XPath this is the book I recommend.

Average customer rating:

perfect, complete
Relax, IMG is only missing from the first printing
so-so (buggy)
Must Have Pocket Reference
Great compact reference!

HTML Pocket Reference (2nd Edition)
Jennifer Niederst Robbins
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Pocket | Series | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Web Programming | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Computers & Internet | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

Web Development | Computers & Internet | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0596002963

Book Description

In this completely revised and updated pocket reference, Jennifer Niederst, the author of the best-selling Web Design in a Nutshell, delivers a complete guide to every HTML tag. As with O'Reilly's other pocket references, this handy book offers the bare essentials in a small, concise format that you can carry anywhere for quick reference. This guide will literally fit into your back pocket. Each entry in the book is devoted to the description of a single HTML tag, its standard usage, information on the tag's attributes, browser support (for Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Opera), and support for WebTV. Niederst puts the tags in context, indicating which ones are grouped together. She also offers bare-bones examples of how standard web page elements are constructed. All the tag-by-tag descriptions in this new edition have been brought up to date with the current HTML specification (4.01), and the book includes useful charts of character entities and decimal-to-hexadecimal conversions. The HTML Pocket Reference, second edition is an indispensable reference for any serious web designer, author, or programmer.

Customer Reviews:

perfect, complete.......2006-02-23

This is what other O'Reilly Pocket References should be. It contains everything and should replace all non-design-oriented HTML books

Relax, IMG is only missing from the first printing.......2006-01-18

FYI: the IMG tag is only missing from the first printing. (I asked O'Reilly.) Indeed, a recent copy of the book is not missing it anymore. (Back of the title page, bottom right corner has a date: [11/04]. My other copy, which is missing IMG, has [6/02] in this spot.) A quick check shows that they have fixed some, but not all, of the errata (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/htmlpr2/errata/).

But this book is still totally worth having. It's small enough to leave lying around the desktop, where its big brother (Definitive Guide) would get in the way (not to mention distort gravity from its sheer mass). If you're reading this review, you obviously feel you could use a quick reference to HTML. This is it.

They lowered the price, too: These things used to cost 12.95. Now, 9.95. "Buy It Now!"

so-so (buggy).......2004-10-08

I am generally a fan of Pocket References. But this one seems poorly debugged. One example is claiming "align" is deprecated for <td>. Turns out, this bug has made it onto the Errata page for the book

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/htmlpr2/errata/ ,

but only under "Unconfirmed error reports and comments from readers." If you write a buggy book, at least do the work to confirm bugs and fix them in new printings!

Must Have Pocket Reference.......2004-04-20

If you are designing web pages, you must have this book. That is all there is to it.

This is a small compact reference book (hence the title) which lists the HTML tags in alphabetical order, shows if they are supported by the three major browsers (IE,NN,Opera) and if they are part of the w3c spec HTML 4.01. Information is given for the applicable attributes for each tag.

Once you know it (especially if you follow w3c standards) HTML is a simple and easy language to use.. however, having a easy to use reference comes in handy quite frequently, especially when starting up a new site.

This will not be the only reference you need.. no book can claim that. Though everybody who designs websites should have this book, those new to HTML may find it the most helpful most frequently. However, this book will NOT teach you HTML. It is a reference.. nothing more.

as mentioned in other reviews.. the IMG tag is missing, which is a major flaw, but not major enough to take away from the greatness of this book.

In short.. get it.

Great compact reference!.......2002-11-26

This is the best compact reference for HTML there is. There is only one minor error in it. As another reviewer mentioned, it does not include documentation for the IMG tag. However, for the audience this book appeals to (people who know the language well, but can't remember every tag and all their exact handlers and attributes, etc.), it does not need support for it as any person who knows much about HTML knows most everything about .
Overall, it gets 5 stars!

Michael Pipolo

Book Description

XSLT is an essential tool for converting XML into other kinds of documents: HTML, PDF file, and many others. It's a critical technology for XML-based platforms such as Microsoft .NET, Sun Microsystems' Sun One, as well as for most web browsers and authoring tools. As useful as XSLT is, however, most people have a difficult time getting used to its peculiar characteristics. The ability to use advanced techniques depends on a clear and exact understanding of how XSLT templates work and interact.

The XSLT 1.0 Pocket Reference from O'Reilly wants to make sure you achieve that level of understanding. With its concise approach, this handy pocket guide quickly gets you up to speed on XSLT 1.0 so you can covert XML like a seasoned pro. In addition to covering the basics of stylesheet structure, it also explains how to:

use template rules
create a result tree
apply conditional processing
transform multiple source documents
employ number formatting

Thanks to their convenient, quick-reference format, O'Reilly's Pocket References spare you from having to hunt through larger books for answers. They deliver just what you need to get the job done in a timely fashion. And the XSLT 1.0 Pocket Reference is no different--it's the ideal companion to have at your desk when you need an answer fast.

Customer Reviews:

A perfect distillation of XPath and XSL into a pocket-size book.......2006-03-17

This book represents an amazing feat of distilling all you really need
to know about XSL into 170 pocket-sized pages. What's more amazing
is that an experienced developer with little prior XML/XSL experience
can actually learn enough from this little gem to write competent XSL.

A reference manual AND quality tutorial in 1/20th the space (and dead
trees) of most tech books these days. I've recommended this to several
of my colleagues who had to get up to speed on XSL for a new project,
and the reaction from them is the same as mine.... This was EXACTLY
what I needed.

If you need a quick reference, this one works well..........2005-10-09

XSLT is one of those technologies that takes awhile to get the hang of. Once you've learned the basics, you'll end up needing to refer back to reference material often. One way to make that process a bit quicker would be to have a copy of Even Lenz's XSLT 1.0 Pocket Reference on hand...

Contents: Data Model; The XPath Language; How XSLT Works; Elements; Functions; Extending XSLT; XPath 1.0 Grammar; XSLT Pattern Grammar; Index

Looking at the back cover, the impression is such that you could use this book to get "up to speed quickly" on XSLT. Perhaps you could, but if this was your first and only exposure to XSLT and it works out that way, you're a far better IT professional than I am. The information is concise and correct, to be sure. But it's not going to walk you through the subject in a tutorial fashion. Conversely, if you understand the basics and need a quick visual reference on how to use a feature, say like , this book shines. You don't have to wade through a dozen pages of conversation to find out the format and syntax. Two pages total in this book, and you have all the details. And that's what an O'Reilly's Pocket Reference title is for...

If you're working with XSLT already and need that "cheat sheet" material, I'd recommend this book. You'll get a lot of value from it. If you're looking to learn XSLT, you'll probably want to start with something more tutorial in nature first. Once you've got that down, head over here for ongoing reference...

Handy for XSLT, not great on XPath.......2005-08-27

This is a handy little pocket book that covers the essentials of XSLT. It's far better than the stuff you will find on the W3C site, and it won't break your back like Michael Kay's excellent, but hefty, work. I have to ding it a little for lack of a complete reference on XPath. There is certainly information about the functions, but I would have like to have seen more depth on it. And the XPath appendix wasn't helpful. A language definition is definitely not what I was looking for there. Some common examples of XPath usage would be great.

Hip Pocket Guide to HTML 4.01: An A-Z Quick Reference to HTML Tags

Average customer rating:

A wonderful reference
i love this book
A must have
most useful reference I have

Hip Pocket Guide to HTML 4.01: An A-Z Quick Reference to HTML Tags
Ed Tittel , Natanya Pitts , and Chelsea Valentine
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0764547194

Book Description

Complete coverage of the 4.01 changes Hip Pocket Guide to HTML 4.01 Fast answers to your HTML questions With topics arranged alphabetically for easy reference, this handy guide gives you definitions, attributes, context, usage, and examples for every HTML 4.01 tag. It's your one indispensable reference for accurate, efficient HTML tagging and great-looking Web pages.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful reference.......2004-03-23

I use this book quite a bit. In fact, I'm on my second copy (my first having fallen apart). My brother, who is also an HTML programmer, is on his fifth copy. This book never fails to teach me something new just by browsing through it. I love the fact that it is just a straight reference, and not a how-to book.

i love this book.......2003-10-12

Honestly ... out of all the computer books I've purchased (and I've purchased a lot) this is by far the most useful ... I know my way around HTML pretty well and I still use it constantly. This book is great for those starting out and advanced users as well. Excellent!

A must have.......2002-01-29

Outstanding reference guide. Everything in one place, and easy to find.

most useful reference I have.......2000-06-16

I use this book constantly while I'm working on HTML. I recommend it for all HTML users from beginners to experts. I'm a self-taught HTML author and I've learned as much from this reference as from actual tutorials. I particularly like that it has an "index" of HTML tags printed on the inside covers, because usually I just need to check the syntax for a specific tag and this list makes it very convenient to find what I'm looking for. For each tag, the book provides a definition of how it's used, a list of the attributes with brief descriptions, context (other tags within which the tag can be used), suggested usage, and -- best of all -- examples.

Average customer rating:

Useful, But Better Option Exists
Good book but no coverage for XML schemas
Merely an introduction to XML...
This is a beginners book...
Half part useful, another half part not

XML Pocket Reference (2nd Edition)
Robert Eckstein
Manufacturer: O'Reilly
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Pocket | Series | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Web Programming | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Computers & Internet | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0596001339

Amazon.com

Even hot dog Web coders proficient in XML need a little refresher once and a while. Although some portions of XML are still very fluid, the handy XML Pocket Reference offers quick access to the syntax and usage rules of this next-generation language.

At the front of the book, a crash course in XML quickly spells out the important terminology, along with extremely short examples of XML, Document Type Definition (DTD), and Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) documents. The book also includes a nice bulleted list of cautions and rules to follow if you want to create valid XML documents. A tip section entitled, "Unlearning Bad Habits" offers handy warnings that are especially useful for those of us who occasionally slip into sloppy HTML coding behaviors that XML won't tolerate.

The remainder of the title comprises reference sections devoted to XML, DTDs, XSL, XLink, and XPointer. These sections offer a balanced mix of both straight syntax references and brief general explanations of key topics. Short examples are in abundance to illustrate usage with accompanying explanatory text. The authors are very up-front about the changing nature of the XSL, XLink, and XPointer and point out that even their freshly published material on these subjects may soon be out of date.

You won't find any big-picture look at the importance or implementation of XML in the real world. However, if you're already sold on the technology and working with it, this little guide will be a handy companion. --Stephen W Plain

Topics covered: XML overview, well-formed XML rules, using elements and attributes, syntax and usage reference to XML, DTD, XSL, XLink, XPointer.

Book Description

XML, the Extensible Markup Language, is the next-generation markup language for the Web. It provides a more structured (and therefore more powerful) medium than HTML, allowing you to define new document types and stylesheets as needed. Although the generic tags of HTML are sufficient for everyday text, XML gives you a way to add rich, well-defined markup to electronic documents.

The XML Pocket Reference is both a handy introduction to XML terminology and syntax, and a quick reference to XML instructions, attributes, entities, and datatypes. Although XML itself is complex, its basic concepts are simple. This small book combines a perfect tutorial for learning the basics of XML with a reference to the XML and XSL specifications. The new edition introduces information on XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) and Xpath.

Customer Reviews:

Useful, But Better Option Exists.......2004-02-11

This book is small and travels well. It does not have an index, which seems odd for a reference text, but it does have a table of contents. I find Essential XML Quick Reference (ISBN 0-201-74095-8) to be well worth the additional investment.

Good book but no coverage for XML schemas.......2003-06-18

I guess it's my fault for not checking closely enough, but this book is somewhat dated now (more than two years old as of this writing). It was somewhat of an impulse buy at the book store when it looked useful after a quick scan. It had a little "2nd Edition" banner across the front cover corner and I just assumed it included coverage of schemas. The coverage of XSLT and XML in a small format is quite useful. I'll probably buy the 3rd edition when it comes out--I would have given the book 4 or 5 stars two years ago when it was first published.

Merely an introduction to XML..........2003-02-24

This book provides a useful overview into the basics of XML while doubling up as a quick reference to the XML specification. Handy for those that want to dabble in XML without buying a more detailed book, but then XML has so many related technologies anyone serious about XML will need more.

The O'Reilly pocket references are so concise that they are not really meant for someone who is totally new to the subject. They can however be the ideal way to provide an overview to anyone who wants to know the basics of the topic.

This is a beginners book..........2002-09-30

I can't possibly imagine that this book will be of any value to someone working with XML on a daily basis. It should be renamed to "a terse introduction to xml", as it is in no way a reference. This is based on the fact that I bought it to learn XML from, and it was quite good at teaching someone with no experience in XML whatsoever the basic concepts.

If you are looking for a reference, look elsewhere. If you are just like me, and don't want to wade through hundreds of pages to get an idea of what it is all about, then you can perhaps consider it. Since it is so wrongly named, I give it three stars. But as an introduction it really deserves five.

Half part useful, another half part not.......2001-11-15

This book is ok, the first half part is pretty good.
It covers XML basic and DTD very well, but it does not
cover schema; it covers XSLT/XSLFO also, although there are something inaccurate inside; its part for XLink and XPointer is
useless and wrong; and there is nothing for XML database or
XSP. This book may be helpful, but you need another book as < > or < > to really learn XML basic.

Book Description

This handy little book offers programmers a complete overview of the syntax and semantics of regular expressions that are at the heart of every text-processing application. Ideal as a quick reference, Regular Expression Pocket Reference covers the regular expression APIs for Perl 5.8, Ruby (including some upcoming 1.9 features), Java, PHP, .NET and C#, Python, vi, JavaScript, and the PCRE regular expression libraries.

This concise and easy-to-use reference puts a very powerful tool for manipulating text and data right at your fingertips. Composed of a mixture of symbols and text, regular expressions can be an outlet for creativity, for brilliant programming, and for the elegant solution. Regular Expression Pocket Reference offers an introduction to regular expressions, pattern matching, metacharacters, modes and constructs, and then provides separate sections for each of the language APIs, with complete regex listings including:

Supported metacharacters for each language API
Regular expression classes and interfaces for Ruby, Java, .NET, and C#
Regular expression operators for Perl 5.8
Regular expression module objects and functions for Python
Pattern-matching functions for PHP and the vi editor
Pattern-matching methods and objects for JavaScript
Unicode Support for each of the languages

With plenty of examples and other resources, Regular Expression Pocket Reference summarizes the complex rules for performing this critical text-processing function, and presents this often-confusing topic in a friendly and well-organized format. This guide makes an ideal on-the-job companion.

Customer Reviews:

if you know reg exps and switch languages a lot..........2007-08-20

"Regular Expression - Pocket Reference" is just as high in quality as it's big brother ("Mastering Regular Expressions.")

The book begins with a very brief review of regular expression concepts and patterns. For each language/tool, the book includes tables to reference the metacharacters, a reference for the API/syntax/library and four examples. A few of the languages have additional examples tailored specifically to that language.

The languages/tools included are: Perl, Java, .NET, PHP, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, PCRE, Apache Web Server, vi and awk/sed/egrep. If you use a number of these, the book is a concise reference. If you only use one, you would be better served by printing out the relevant reference charts from the website of your language of choice.

If you are learning about regular expressions or only going to buy one regular expressions book, I recommend the "Mastering Regular Expressions." If you are knowledgeable about regular expressions and just need a review or reference, this book does the job nicely.

Easy to use due to excellent organiztion.......2007-07-30

This book is the best reference for regular expressions. The second edition came out in July 2007 and has several updates over the previous version. The reason for the books ease-of-use lies in the organization. The chapters represent one language each. For each language, listings of the meta-characters and examples are shown. Depending on the language being displayed, there are other subjects covered such as unicode support, object orientation, and different topics unique to the language. The primary parsing engine is listed at the beggining of the chapters with the examples arranged at the ends of the chapters. I generally need to look up expression for JavaScript and [...]. Both of these are covered plus perl, java, php, python, ruby, pcre, apache, vi and shells. I just bookmark the 2 areas I need and I can lookup the expression listing in a few seconds.

Excellent concise reference for regular expressions.......2007-07-27

This is a handy little guide for common regular expression fundamentals and odds and ends. The intro chapter does a nice job of giving you the regex elevator speech and hits all the important fundamentals: different engines, metacharacters, and general pattern rules. There's also a regex "Cookbook" section; however, that bit is only two pages and the "recipes" there are so rudimentary that they're nearly useless and would have been better left to a different book.

The remaining chapters hit regex support in major languages, Apache, shells, and Vi and Vim editors. These sections are very well done and give you great guidance to regex implementations on that platform, plus give you guidance on the APIs you'll need for working with regexes. Languages covered include Perl 5.8, Java 1.5/1.6, .NET framework with examples in C#, PHP, Python, Ruby, Python and JavaScript. The Perl Compatible Regular Expression library (PCRE) is also covered.

Each chapter is concise, well-written and hits the major things you'll need to refresh your memory on from time to time.

Overall it's a very well done book.

Second Edition Arrives.......2007-07-26

§
Gawd, I hate doing regular expressions. Don't you? As far as I am concerning, any help is good help.

The new edition adds sections on Ruby and Apache web server and a few updates on previous existing language content.

One of the best things about this book is that the author synchs the content with the authoritative reference Mastering Regular Expressions. In a welcome convenience, the author provides page references to that book to point to elaboration.

One section of the book I really liked (but wished was much more extensive) contained 2 pages of cookbook examples. Learning by example is easier for most of us. It would have been nice to have many more practical examples, esp. regarding Web applications.
§

Handy compilation of regex.......2007-06-06

This reference book is very handy for anyone doing text manipulation.

With this book you don't need to be constant user of regular expressions to take advantage to their robust abilities.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books