Synopses & Reviews
XML and PHP is designed to introduce PHP developers to the synergies that become visible when their favorite web-scripting language is combined with one of the most talked about technologies of recent times, XML. XML and PHP teaches PHP developers how to use PHP's XML functions to develop and maintain XML-based web applications and sites, and it demonstrates the power inherent in the XML/PHP combination. This book provides information on all hte major XML technologies supported in PHP, demonstrating how the XML/PHP combination can be used to deliver cutting-edge web applications through practical examples and real-world case studies. XML and PHP serves as both an implementation guide to the topic and a handy desktop reference for quick lookups-combining all the information that developers need into a single, focused package.
Synopsis
"XML and PHP" is a clear, concise guide to the synergies between XML and PHP, many of which are not immediately visible to intermediate developers. "XML and PHP" demonstrates how PHP and XML can be combined to build cutting-edge Web applications. It includes detailed explanations of PHP's XML extensions, together with illustrations of using PHP to parse, validate and transform XML markup, traverse XML data trees, exchange data between Web applications, overlay remote procedure calls over HTTP, and use free open-source tools to add new capabilities to your PHP/XML applications.
Synopsis
XML and PHP is designed to introduce PHP developers to the synergies that become visible when their favorite web-scripting language is combined with one of the most talked about technologies of recent times, XML. XML and PHP teaches PHP developers how to use PHP's XML functions to develop and maintain XML-based web applications and sites, and it demonstrates the power inherent in the XML/PHP combination. This book provides information on all hte major XML technologies supported in PHP, demonstrating how the XML/PHP combination can be used to deliver cutting-edge web applications through practical examples and real-world case studies. XML and PHP serves as both an implementation guide to the topic and a handy desktop reference for quick lookups-combining all the information that developers need into a single, focused package.
About the Author
Vikram Vaswani is the founder and CEO of Melonfire (http://www.melonfire.com), a company specializing in software consultancy, and content creation and syndication services.
Vikram is also the author of numerous well-received articles on open-source technologies (including Perl, Python, XML, and the very popular PHP 101 series), all written with the goal of making complex technologies accessible and understandable to novice users. He has been developing software since 1995, was first introduced to PHP in 1998, and hasn't looked back since. His favorite activities include reading, sleeping, watching movies, playing squash, and fiddling with his PalmPilot.
These reviewers contributed their considerable hands-on expertise to the entire development process for XML and PHP. As the book was being written, these dedicated professionals reviewed all the material for technical content, organization, and flow. Their feedback was critical to ensure that XML and PHP fits our readers' need for the highest-quality technical information.
Zak Greant is lead developer for 51 Degrees North, and is the founder of the Foo & Associates programmer's cooperative. He leads the PHP Quality Assurance Team, and is an active contributor to the PHP documentation, mailing lists, and source code. (See http://www.zend.com/comm_person.php?id=56 for his PHP community profile.)
Mark Nenadov is a bright, young software developer living in Canada (he does not reside in an igloo or speak French, however). Mark specializes in Open Source technology, and has lots of experience with technologies such as PHP, XML, MySQL, and Python. He is currently employed at a growing e-commerce company in Windsor, Ontario. When he isn't hunched over his keyboard, he is usually trying to learn new things, playing ice hockey, writing, reading books, and wishing it were a bit warmer in Canada.
Table of Contents
1. XML and PHP Basics.
XML. PHP. PHP and XML. Summary.
2. PHP and the Simple API for XML (SAX).
SAX. PHP and SAX. Handling SAX Events. Controlling Parser Behavior. Using Native Data Structures. Handling Errors. A Few Examples. Summary.
3. PHP and the Document Object Model (DOM).
Document Object Model (DOM). PHP and the DOM. Traversing the DOM with PHP's DOM Classes. Traversing the DOM with PHP's XPath Classes. Manipulating DOM Trees. DOM or SAX? Summary.
4. PHP and Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT).
XSLT. PHP and XSLT. Handling Errors. Logging Processor Messages. Using Named Buffers. Passing Parameters to an XSLT Stylesheet. A Few Examples. Summary.
5. PHP and Web Distributed Data eXchange (WDDX).
WDDX. PHP and WDDX. A Few Examples. Summary.
6. PHP and XML-Based Remote Procedure Calls (RPC).
RPC. XML-RPC. SOAP. PHP and RPC. A Few Examples. Summary.
7. PHP, XML, and Databases.
XML versus the Database. Exporting Database Records To XML. Importing XML Data into a Database. Summary.
8. Open Source PHP/XML Alternatives.
Alternatives to PHP's Native Functions: What You Should Know. An Alternative PHP/DOM Implementation: eZXML. An Alternative PHP/XPath Implementation: PHP.XPath. An Alternative PHP/XML-RPC Implementation: XML-RPC for PHP. An Alternative PHP/SOAP Implementation: SOAPx4. Summary.
9. Case Studies.
Metabase. patTemplate and patXMLRenderer. Summary.
Appendix A. Recompiling PHP to Add XML Support.
Obtaining the Software. Compiling and Installing the Software. Testing the Software.
Appendix B. Open Source Licenses.
GNU General Public License (GPL). GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). Mozilla Public License. Version 1.1. BSD License.
Appendix C. Glossary.
Index.