XML and ASP.NET Authors: Kirk Allen Evans, Ashwin Kamanna and Joel Mueller Publisher: Pearson Education, Price: Rs 395

The book XML and ASP.NET is a very good resource to learn XML as a markup language and understand the areas where it can be used. Although the first section purports to cover “XML and ASP.NET” and “XML Schemas in .NET”, the actual content covers more of XML and less of .NET.

It would have been better if the author had targeted Visual Basic.NET more as the language for code snippets instead of C#.NET. A large number of developers prefer VB.NET for .NET development compared to C#.NET.

The book does cover XML thoroughly with enough code samples of good quality. Detailed case studies explaining the actual implementation of XML in the ASP.NET world would have helped. The book has limited coverage of the WAP protocol. Although WAP is not really popular right now, there is a possibility of WAP becoming more widespread over time.

The examples provided are pretty good; one of my favourites is Sample Application: Developing an XML-Based Dynamic Web Page Builder tool. I liked the concept of the ‘Code Walk-through’—it provides a very good explanation of the code presented in the book.

Some prior experience with XML and ASP is recommended before reading this book, as the discussions do not commence from absolute basics. Programmers already using XML and ASP will get the maximum benefit from this book as they learn how to transfer their knowledge to .NET applications.

The authors discuss the advantages and drawbacks of different approaches, while offering best practices and solutions to common real-world problems and explaining advanced concepts clearly and concisely.

Overall, the book is a very good resource for .NET developers requiring a good understanding of XML.

Parag Paithankar is a consultant with Maestros Mediline Systems