*** Example header: Book/1 page/3 grabs/Frank Charlton ***
*** TYPE : Review ***
*** AUTHOR : Frank Charlton ***
*** CATEGORY : Book ***
*** RATING :  ***
*** MACHINE SPEC : None! ***

*** Article Title : Use the Source... ***

*** Standfirst ***
If you've tried and failed to create HTML pages, you could do with a good book - Frank Charlton
looks at a possible contender...


*** Body Copy Start ***

Since the sudden explosion of the World Wide Web last year, it seems that every computer author
and publisher is producing books on the subject - whether it be tutorials in the HTML language,
site management guides or manuals on general design issues. With the shelves in your local branch
of Waterstones groaning under the weight of this instant library, it's getting harder to choose
something which is useful to any webpage designer, regardless of computer platform.

The HTML Sourcebook : A Complete Guide to HTML 3.0 by Ian S. Graham aims to be such a thing. Most
HTML cookbooks launched in the last six months are either heavily platform-dependent, and rely on
you using the PC version of Netscape - or they're geared towards the current multimedia explosion,
making extensive use of Netscape's plug-in technology or languages like Java. The Sourcebook
doesn't take that route, thankfully. Packed into the mammoth 688 pages is one of the most in-depth 
coverages of the basic HTML language I've yet seen.

*** Crosshead : Standards ***

The use of the term 'HTML 3.0' in the title is a bit misleading, though. HTML itself is a rapidly
evolving language - the last officially ratified standard was 2.0, and 3.0 is still currently being
discussed. HTML 2.0 was a fairly basic language, having no provision for the common elements like
tables or frames which you see across the web every day. Version 3 attempts to update the old
language, adopting some of the third-party 'enhancements' from companies like Netscape, including
tables.

Ignoring the version 3 stuff - stylesheets and the like - which is largely unsupported at the
moment, the Sourcebook is actually an extremely good reference to the HTML language, both in its
basic and 'enhanced' format. The section of the book you're most likely to return to is the
exhaustive HTML command reference. Rather than being a dry list of HTML tags, this section explains
the elements of the language in a logical order, and includes lots of practical examples. The
reference explains each tag clearly, and offers concrete advice on when and where to use each one.
An excellent index means you'll be able to flip straight to the page you need with a minimum of
fuss.

*** Crosshead : Laying the table ***

Beyond the basic HTML features, the Sourcebook goes into detail when explaining additions to the
language from the likes of Netscape. Elements like tables, frames, coloured or image backgrounds
and coloured text are explained well, and you can use all of them within CAB - except frames, which
are being added to CAB even as I write this, and may be fully supported by the time you actually
read this. Without the benefit of WYSIWYG HTML editors for the Atari, you might well have tried
and failed to produce effective HTML tables. If that's the case, you'll find this book highly
useful - the sections covering tables are well organised, and go a large way to helping you get
your head round one of the most convoluted aspects of HTML. With a little practice, you'll soon
be able to produce striking table designs as good as any PC or Mac user.


As well as covering the language itself, Graham offers a section dealing with the planning and
structure of your webpages themselves. This is something worth reading - Graham's advice on
structuring your site is very good, and following a logical plan before you start can often save
a lot of problems when you come to update or add pages later. Too many web authors dive straight
into the nitty gritty of producing pages without much thought to the actual structure of the site,
and it often shows when sites begin to evolve. A few hours planning ahead is a sensible idea, and
the Sourcebook offers some solid advice.

The section dealing with the HTML 3 standard features like stylesheets and additions like the Java
language don't hold much interest for those of us producing pages to be viewed with CAB, though.
Unless you're intent on producing a site for PC, Mac or UNIX users - and have access to one of
these platforms - this portion of the book is largely useless. 

Graham also provides clear sections dealing with writing CGI scripts in languages like Perl - which
is indeed available for the Atari. Unless you're producing pages for online use with an Internet
Provider willing to let you make use of your own - and a lot won't - you won't find much of
interest here. Also covered are hints and tips for including video and audio snippets.

*** Crosshead : Take your pick ***

The HTML Sourcebook is an excellent volume. The explanation of the language itself is both clear
and readable, and easy to dip into when needed. A brief look at the current crop of like-minded
titles shows that they're either slim 'learn HTML in five minutes' pamphlets, or colossal tomes
with PC CD-ROMs attached, and correspondingly frightening price tags. The Sourcebook fits neatly
inbetween - it's a good starting point for raw beginners, and a very useful reference for those
of us who have already begun to explore the language. Well worth looking at.


*** CABEXT.GIF ***
CAB now supports almost all of the current enhancements to HTML, so you can produce colourful pages.

*** CABTABLE.GIF ***
At last, a decent discussion on how to create those twisted pieces of HTML - tables.

*** HTMLBOOK.JPG ***
Behind this gothic cover lies a book which demystifies HTML...


*** Product box ***
Product name: HTML Sourcebook 2nd Edition
Publisher: Wiley Computer Publishing
Contact: http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/
RRP: 24.95
Pros: Easy to read, Well indexed, excellent reference.
Cons: Would be better as a ringbound volume.
Score: 80%
*** End of boxout ***