XSLT For Dummies

by Richard Wagner

Overview

Restructuring information in an XML document so that it works in other formats used to be a time-consuming ordeal involving lots of blood, sweat, and tears. Now XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) makes the process nearly instantaneous. Just provide an example of the kind of information you’d like to see, and XSLT does the rest. With XSLT you can effortlessly transform XML documents into virtually any kind of output, including other XML documents and HTML pages. But mastering XSLT can be tricky, especially if you’ve never worked with XML or HTML; and most books on the subject are written for people who have. Here comes XSLT For Dummies to the rescue!

XSLT For Dummies is your ticket to quickly mastering XSLT—no matter what your prior programming experience. Writing in easygoing, plain English, XML pro Richard Wagner provides expert advice, step-by-step guidance, and tons of crystal-clear examples to help you harness the power of XSLT to transform documen ts. In no time you’ll:

• Understand how XSLT works with XSL and XPath
• Experiment with templates, stylesheets, and expressions
• Perform HTML transformations
• Master XPath data types and functions
• Combine XSLT stylesheets
• Explore cool XSLT programming tricks

XSLT For Dummies works from the ground up, starting with a practical introduction of the “X-Team”—XML, XSL, XSLT, and X-Path—and instructions on how to write a XSLT stylesheet. From there it quickly moves onward and upward through the whole range of important XSLT topics, including:

• Transforming with stylesheets
• Understanding and using template rules
• Using XPath to locate nodes in XML documents
• Combining XSLT stylesheets and adding processing instructions
• Debugging XSLT transformations
• Ten XSLT processors available online

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a babe in the woods who can’t tell a “tag” from an element, or you’re an old pro at creating XML documents, XSLT For Dummies offers you a fun, easy way to explore and take full advantage of Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118085394
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/04/2011
Series:	For Dummies Books
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	360
Sales rank:	282,269
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Richard Wagner, the former chief architect of NetObjects ScriptBuilder and the primary author of the ECMAScript Components standard, is currently in charge of development tools at Nombas, Inc.

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Table of Contents

Introduction.

Part I: Getting Started with XSLT.

Chapter 1: Introducing the X-Team.

Chapter 2: Writing Your First XSLT Stylesheet.

Part II: Becoming an XSLT Transformer.

Chapter 3: Transforming with Style (Stylesheets, That Is).

Chapter 4: Templates Rule!

Chapter 5: XPath Espresso.

Chapter 6: We Want Results!

Part III: Prime Time XSLT.

Chapter 7: Adding Programming Logic Isn't Just for Propheads.

Chapter 8: Variables in XSLT: A Breed Apart.

Chapter 9: Tweaking the Results to Get What You Want.

Chapter 10: To HTML and Beyond!

Chapter 11: XPath Data Types and Functions.

Part IV: eXtreme XSLT.

Chapter 12: Combining XSLT Stylesheets.

Chapter 13: "Gimme Some Space" and Other Output Issues.

Chapter 14: Keys and Cross-Referencing.

Chapter 15: Namespaces Revisited.

Chapter 16: Extending XSLT.

Chapter 17: Debugging XSLT Transformations.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 18: Ten Most Confusing Things About XSLT.

Chapter 19: Ten All-Pro XSLT Resources on the Web.

Chapter 20: Ten XSLT Processors Available Online.

Index.

Book Registration Information.