Beginning XHTML. This item is unavailable.Beginning XHTML

A guide for beginners demonstrates the syntax and usage of XHTML--a document markup language that combines the vocabulary and simplicity of HTML with the power and syntax of XML

Today's Web authors need to know about XHTML, which is the current W3C recommendation for Web page authoring. XHTML is an application of XML that remains backwards compatible with HTML 4.0. The advantage is that it brings much-needed discipline and structure to the Web, and enables proper separation of content from presentation. This is becoming more important as devices other than traditional browsers expect to find useful content on the Web.

The Wrox Beginning series aims to teach all you need to know from scratch, although in practice they are more advanced than the title suggests. This book begins with background information about HTML, XML, and the parent of both, SGML. Next, there is a full explanation of the structure of an XHTML document. Further chapters cover links, images, tables and frames. There is an excellent introduction to Cascading Style Sheets.

The second half of the book covers more advanced topics, including XML, Web site design, achieving browser compatibility, and supporting multimedia. Next, there is an explanation of forms, JavaScript scripting, and programming the Document Object Model. At the back of the book, there are several appendices providing a complete reference to the three levels of XHTML (Strict, Transitional and Frameset), a Style Sheet and JavaScript reference, and information on third-party resources such as HTML Tidy, a great free-to-use tool for testing and converting your documents.

Several of the authors work with the W3C, and Beginning XHTML contrives to be both authoritative and enthusiastic about XHTML. Whether you are just starting with Web authoring, or an HTML expert who needs to get up to speed with the new standard, this is an excellent read. --Tim Anderson