XOM API for Processing XML with Java

["Jacobs, Robert A." <ra.jacobs AT ngc.com>]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll track them down
and take a look.

Like I said, I'm new to this so suggestions on
style changes are very helpful.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Kay [mailto:mike AT saxonica.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 10:59 AM
To: Jacobs, Robert A.; 'XOM (E-mail)'
Subject: RE: [XOM-interest] XSLTransform


The task element is in a namespace, so declare

xmlns:jtt="http://mil.jcsj2t.jtt30";

at the start of your stylesheet, and replace all references to task (in
XPath expressions and XSLT patterns) with jtt:task. The same applies to any
other references to elements that are in a namespace.

There are quite a few other stylistic things you could improve here. The
place for this is really the xsl-list at mulberrytech.com.

Most notably,

(a) this kind of logic:

<xsl:for-each select="node()">
    <xsl:choose>
         <xsl:when test="local-name() = 'option'"> 

is crying out to be replaced by xsl:apply-templates, with a template rule
for each of the possible elements you might encounter.

(b) avoid //task unless you aren't able to supply a more specific path (e.g.
/*/task)

(c) this kind of thing:

<a><xsl:attribute name="href">
>                         
> <xsl:text>javascript:get_explanation('</xsl:text>
>                         <xsl:value-of select='@id' />
>                         <xsl:text>');</xsl:text>
>                    </xsl:attribute>
>                    <xsl:value-of select="title"/>
>                 </a>

gives XSLT its reputation for verbosity. It can be written:

<a href="javascript:get_explanation('{@id}');">
  <xsl:value-of select="title"/>
</a>


Michael Kay
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jacobs, Robert A. [mailto:ra.jacobs AT ngc.com] 
> Sent: 31 March 2005 17:01
> To: Michael Kay; XOM (E-mail)
> Subject: RE: [XOM-interest] XSLTransform
> 
> 
> >> I thought I followed the guidance in "XML in a Nutshell" 
> >> fairly well, but 
> >> perhaps I didn't.  Here are some fragments from my 
> XMLSchema-instance 
> >> document and my XMLSchema document.  Anything stand out as 
> erroneous?
> 
> > No, but you haven't shown us any stylesheet code.
> 
> Here you go:
> 
> --------------------- code -----------------------
> 
> <?xml version="1.0" ?>
> <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" 
>                 xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform";>
> 
>     <!-- CONFIGURATION -->
>     <xsl:output method="html" />
>     
>     <!-- GLOBAL VARIABLES --> 
>     <xsl:key name="task.id" match="task" use="@id" />
>     <xsl:param name="selected.task.id"> </xsl:param>
>     <xsl:param name="selected.mode"> </xsl:param>
> 
>     <!-- TEMPLATES -->
> 
>     <!-- The "driver".  Based upon the submitted parameters, 
> the driver 
>          directs the Transformer to the appropriate 
> processing template -->
>     <xsl:template match="/">
>         <xsl:choose>
>             <xsl:when test="$selected.mode = 'task_list'">
>                 <xsl:apply-templates select="//task[@id = 
> $selected.task.id]" mode="task_list" />
>             </xsl:when>
>             <xsl:when test="$selected.mode = 'task_desc'">
>                 <xsl:apply-templates select="//task[@id = 
> $selected.task.id]" mode="task_desc" />
>             </xsl:when>
>         </xsl:choose>
>     </xsl:template>
> 
>     <!-- This template is used to build a list of task titles 
> based upon the ID
>         of a discrete- or meta-task selected either from the 
> search results or from
>         an existing list of tasks. 
>     -->
>     <xsl:template match="task" mode="task_list">
>         <xsl:choose>
>             
>             <xsl:when test="@task_type='meta'">
>                 <xsl:value-of select="title"/><br/>
>                 <ol>
>                 <xsl:for-each select="node()">
>                     <!-- DEBUG: Looking at: <xsl:value-of 
> select="local-name()" /> -->
>                     <xsl:choose>
> 
>                         <xsl:when test="local-name() = 'option'">
>                             <li>Select one of the following:<br/>
>                             <ul>
>                             <xsl:for-each select="current()/step">
>                                 <xsl:variable 
> name="step_idref" select="current()" />
>                                 <li>
>                                     <a><xsl:attribute name="href">
>                                             
> <xsl:text>javascript:get_explanation('</xsl:text>
>                                             <xsl:value-of 
> select="$step_idref" />
>                                             <xsl:text>');</xsl:text>
>                                       </xsl:attribute>
>                                       <xsl:value-of 
> select="//task[@id=$step_idref]/title"/>
>                                     </a>
>                                 </li>
>                             </xsl:for-each>
>                             </ul>
>                             </li>
>                         </xsl:when>
>                         
>                         <xsl:when test="local-name() = 'step'">
>                             <xsl:variable name="step_idref" 
> select="current()" />
>                             <li>
>                                 <a><xsl:attribute name="href">
>                                         
> <xsl:text>javascript:get_explanation('</xsl:text>
>                                         <xsl:value-of 
> select="$step_idref" />
>                                         <xsl:text>');</xsl:text>
>                                   </xsl:attribute>
>                                   <xsl:value-of 
> select="//task[@id=$step_idref]/title"/>
>                                 </a>
>                             </li>
>                         </xsl:when>
>                     </xsl:choose>
>                 </xsl:for-each>
>                 </ol>
>             </xsl:when>
> 
>             <xsl:when test="@task_type='discrete'">
>                 <a><xsl:attribute name="href">
>                         
> <xsl:text>javascript:get_explanation('</xsl:text>
>                         <xsl:value-of select='@id' />
>                         <xsl:text>');</xsl:text>
>                    </xsl:attribute>
>                    <xsl:value-of select="title"/>
>                 </a>
>             </xsl:when>
> 
>         </xsl:choose>
>     </xsl:template>
> 
> 
>     <!-- This template is used to retrieve the contents of 
> the <task_text> 
>          element of the <task> with the @id that matches the 
> value provided in
>          the $selected.task.id param. The contents of a 
> single <task_text> 
>          element should be returned.
>     -->
>     <xsl:template match="task" mode="task_desc">
>         <xsl:value-of select="task_text" />
>     </xsl:template>
> 
> </xsl:stylesheet>
>