*** 1 page book review / 900 words *** Use the Source... *** HTMLBOOK.JPG here *** If you've tried and failed to create HTML pages from our tutorials, you could do with a good book. Frank Charlton looks at a possible contender... Since the sudden explosion of the World Wide Web last year, it seems 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 bookshop groaning under the weight of this instant library, it's not easy 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 assume you're 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. 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. 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. Table handling is one of the most convoluted aspects of HTML and one where this book excels - the sections covering tables are well organised, and with a little practice, you'll soon be producing your own striking table designs! 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 including 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. 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 in between - 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. *** Captions *** *** CABEXT.GIF *** CAB supports almost all of the current enhancements to HTML, so there's nothing to stop you producing 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 ring bound volume Score: 80% *** End of boxout ***