.NET and XML

Summary

If you're seeking ways to build network-based applications or XML-based web services, Microsoft provides most of the tools you'll need. XML is integrated into the .NET Framework and Visual Studio .NET, but if you want to get a grasp on how .NET and XML actually work together, that's a different story. With .NET & XML, you can get under the hood to see how the .NET Framework implements XML, giving you the skills to write understandable XML-based code that interoperates with code written with other tools, and even other languages.

.NET & XML starts by introducing XML and the .NET Framework, and then teaches you how to read and write XML before moving on to complex methods for manipulating, navigating, transforming, and constraining it. To demonstrate the power of XML in .NET, author Niel Bornstein builds a simple hardware store inventory system throughout the book. As you move from chapter to chapter, you'll absorb increasingly complex information until you have enough knowledge to successfully program your own XML-based applications. This tutorial also contains a quick reference to the API, plus appendices present additional .NET assemblies that you can use to work with XML, and how to work with the .NET XML configuration file format.

One study puts the potential market for new software based on XML at or near $100 billion over the next five years. The .NET Framework gives you a way to become a part of it. But to use XML and .NET effectively, you need to understand how these two technologies work together. This book gives you the insight to take full advantage of the power the two provide.

Table of Contents

Preface 


Part I. Processing XML with .NET

1. Introduction to .NET and XML

      The .NET Framework 

      The XML Family of Standards 

      Introduction to XML in .NET 

      Key Concepts 

2. Reading XML

      Reading Data 

      XmlReader 

3. Writing XML

      Writing Data 

      XmlWriter and Its Subclasses 

4. Reading and Writing Non-XML Formats

      Reading Non-XML Documents with XmlReader 

      Writing an XmlPyxWriter 

5. Manipulating XML with DOM

      What Is the DOM? 

      The .NET DOM Implementation 

6. Navigating XML with XPath

      What Is XPath? 

      Using XPath 

7. Transforming XML with XSLT

      The Standards 

      Introducing XSLT 

      Using XSLT 

8. Constraining XML with Schemas

      Introducing W3C XML Schema 

      Using the XSD Tool 

      Working with Schemas 

9. SOAP and XML Serialization

      Defining Serialization 

      Runtime Serialization 

      XML Serialization 

      SOAP Serialization 

10. XML and Web Services

      Defining Web Services 

      Using Web Services 

11. XML and Databases

      Introduction to ADO.NET 

      Manipulating Data Offline 

      Reading XML from a Database 

      Hierarchical XML 


Part II. .NET XML Namespace Reference

12. How to Use These Quick Reference Chapters

      Finding a Quick-Reference Entry 

      Reading a Quick-Reference Entry 

13. The Microsoft.XmlDiffPatch Namespace

      Using the XmlDiffPatch Namespace 

      Using the XmlDiff and XmlPatch Executables 

      Microsoft.XmlDiffPatch Namespace Reference 

14. The Microsoft.XsdInference Namespace

      Using the XsdInference Namespace 

      Using the Infer Executable 

      Microsoft.XsdInference Namespace Reference 

15. The System.Configuration Namespace

      The Configuration Files 

      Adding Your Own Configuration Settings 

      System.Configuration Namespace Reference 

16. The System.Xml Namespace

17. The System.Xml.Schema Namespace

18. The System.Xml.Serialization Namespace

19. The System.Xml.XPath Namespace

20. The System.Xml.Xsl Namespace


Type, Method, Property, and Field Index 

Index