XML Processing with Python [With CDROM]

I read somewhere on the cover 'If you're doing XML without Python, you're wasting time'. They were right. I must have 5 books on the shelf for using XML and this one and the O'Reilly XML/JAVA book are the only ones I've found useful. In fact, it was this one that I finally said 'I get it!' and I went back and re-read the O'Reilly one with the lights on. What a language, what a book, What a relief!

I certainly can't go so far as to say this book is for everyone, but I think it does an excellent job of presenting the material to the target audience. You need to have some XML knowledge under our belt and a programmer's desire to learn the strengths of Python.The CD that comes with this book contains all the code examples from the book, Python distributions for Unix/Linux/Win, the major Python XML tools/modules, as well the MySQL DBMS and the required Python modules for accessing this DB. The author goes beyond focusing on the major tools, focusing on some of the small tricks you can use to search and check XML documents via the command line. He also covers the major programming interfaces that have become available, comparing and contrasting them, as well as showing how they can be incorporated into Python programming. If you've not had a chance to become acquainted with the MySQL DBMS, you also learn how to use it, in relationship to XML document processing and how to access it with Python.Some of the Python code/command line examples are extremely simple, but I think he is quick enough in get to the heart of the subject and does a great job at covering a wide breathe of material. The book has left me with a bigger picture of XML, equiped to start processing XML, and excited about doing further research on this growing technology.

When you try to learn a language you often get that "so what do I do next" problem. You know the syntax but dont have a domain within which to apply it. This book gives all the knowledge you need to get up and running with the language (you really dont need another Python book to start) with the EXCELLENT benefit of giving you a understanding of how to use Python for XML processing. Makes a good addition to both the Python and XML book collections.Tom

This book has two audiences. People who need to use XML but haven't decided how to process it, and people who use Python and want or need to know about XML. Both will find this book meets their needs. It lives in the same space as Brett McLaughlin's "Java and XML", and tries to answer an important question: how do I harness the possibilities of XML for my applications? In answering that question, you may find this book a revelation. Java has stolen most of the XML programming hype in the last year. However Python is becoming an increasingly popular choice for programming on the server. And Python crucially has far better text manipulation facilities than Java. The author combines this inherent ability with specialised XML tools (and occasionally UNIX ones!), leaving one in no doubt that Python is a serious (and in many cases superior) option over Java and Perl for building XML applications quickly and easily. This is not a book written by someone who learned their subject matter while writing their tome. He knows his material, in particular XML. Some minor caveats. The author pushes his own tools somewhat, but that's ok, they're free; and the Python community hasn't fully converged on de facto tools as of yet. This is not a neutral book: the author states in no uncertain terms that Python is the best language for processing XML. The book is slow to start: if you know your way around Python and or XML you'll skim the first 60 pages. None of these are showstoppers though.