Reviews for XML Pocket Reference (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly))

1. It's a Big Subject

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2009

   Well, it is meant to be a reference rather than a tutorial but I'm used to the O'Reilly books delivering more than they promise. Whilst the internet can provide plenty of examples of XSD/XML, I needed something that gave a more comprehensive view that a knowledgable, experienced guy such as myself could dip into to get the information he needed. This book kind of does that (although it includes a section on DTD which should have ceased to bother anyone by now) but isn't as penetrable as I'd have liked - some examples of how each XSD tag would be used would have been helpful, and a chart of how the tags are used to construct the schema would have been a good reference point (I can never remember where to start - oh, wait, yes I can - with XMLSpy).
   
   This book helps clear some of the fog around XSD/XML but I suspect a larger book giving detailed coverage and which lso contains its own reference section is a better buy.

2. Nothing on XSL Templates

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2009

   This book contains absolutely nothing on XSL - XSL does not even occur in the index.
   
   I own about 20 O'Reilly pocket references and this is the only one that collects dust.
   
   This book could be so much better.
   
   I'm guessing if XML schemas are your thing it may be somewhat useful.

3. Beware! This book is mainly about XML-Schema

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2009

   I was disappointed that this 3rd edition had dropped many useful pages from the earlier edition. Of the 160 pages in this book:
   70 are about XML-Schema
   30 about an alternative Schema language called RelaxNG
   10 more about yet another Schema language called Schematron
   that leaves only 50 pages for the rest of XML.
   The book does cover DTDs.
   The section on XSL templates has been dropped. I could not find one example of how to link an XSL template to an XML document.
   My other irritation is that I do not find these authors explanations of concepts like 'namespace' as easy to understand as those in the previous edition.
   If you want a pocket reference book for XML Schema then this will do, but if you were hoping for a wider scope then you may be disappointed.
   XML_Schema Pocket Reference would have been a better title.