Chapter 3. HTML/XHTML

Chapter 3. HTML/XHTML If you've made it this far, you're now in the "road warrior" section of the book, where all the reference materials and bizarre ideas dwell. The origin of this section goes all the way back to the trunk of my carunless you're British, in which case, the origin of this section goes all the way back to the boot of my automobile. Until relatively recently, as I previously stated, I was a consultant, a hired gun, a one-man medicine show, or a resident visitor. No matter which term you prefer, a permanent office with bookshelves was not an option. So I was forced to carry books in and out with me each day. This was a real educational experience. I've learned things from computer books that you wouldn't believe. First, regardless of the subject and the type, hardcover or paperback, computer books are heavy. Also, there is a little-known law of computer bookslet's call it Ed's Law of Computer Books. It goes something like this: "Regardless of the subject, whatever you need to know is in another book." It is true; I've lost count of the number of times that the information needed was in a book that was still in my car. So if the car was parked somewhere nearby, I'd trek downstairs and out to my car, grab the book, and then go back upstairs, only to find that I needed yet another book. This is the purpose of this section: so that I can plant my tush and not have to travel out to my car. If, unlike myself, you're not too lazy to carry more than one book, consider this chapter something of a refresher on a few of the basic building blocks of Ajax. Well, maybe it's technically not a refresher because XHTML is still considered by some to be a little mysterious. That is probably due to the X. This chapter covers some of the background material that is necessary to develop an Ajax application, specifically HTML and XHTML. Odds are, you're familiar with much, if not all, of the material covered here. But because I'm in Pennsylvania writing this and you're wherever you are reading this, it is kind of hard to tailor this specifically to your needs.