Publishing Versus Data

Flexible, Generic Tools

This leads me to generic and flexible tools. As a programmer, what makes XML attractive to me is the ample supply of quality tools.

This book covers three important tools with which any XML programmer should be familiar:

• The XSLT processor ” XSLT is a very effective scripting language that you need to master if you are serious about XML programming. As Chapters 5 and 6 demonstrate , XSLT easily can be extended with new elements, functions, or formatters.

• The XML parser ” Chapter 3 uses a DOM parser, but the other chapters rely on a SAX parser. A DOM parser is ideal if the application manipulates XML documents (such as an editor). SAX is the best choice for other applications. In other words, SAX is appropriate when the application has its own object structure.

• The XML editor ” I found that many developers neglect the XML editor. However, a good editor is an ideal starting point for a data-entry application.