XSLT

The book opens with a concise overview of XML and a guide to installing Apache's Xalan XSLT engine, which is used for the examples throughout. The next chapter puts XSLT to work, showing how to create and apply a simple style sheet. Chapter 3 introduces XPath, with the following chapter covering more advanced topics such as branching, looping, recursion, invoking XSLT templates with parameters and using XSLT variables. The following chapter deals with linking, the next sorting and grouping, and after that the author shows how to use the document function to combine XML documents. There is a detailed look at extending XSLT with Java, Javascript and other languages. To close the tutorial section the author offers a case study centred on a tutorial-building tool he developed, with the engaging name of Toot-O-Matic. The reference section occupies nearly half of the book, and covers XSLT and XPath. It is the best kind of reference, with detailed examples, comments and illustrations. Finally there is a brief guide to common problems and a glossary.

This is a fine book for those who need to get up to speed with XSLT, which must include most XML developers. It is also worth checking out Michael Kay's XSLT Programmer's Reference. Kay's book has a little more detail, while this title is more approachable for XSLT newcomers. --Tim Anderson

Amazon.com
XML is an elegant and straightforward way to define data-centric documents to feed almost any kind of data processing or rendering system. The linchpin of many XML solutions, however, is XSLT. This standard provides a way to transform your XML documents into other XML formats, HTML, and almost any other format you wish. XSLT is an excellent tutorial on this critical technology, a must-have text for developers getting serious with XML.

This book is targeted at busy developers who want to learn standards-compliant skills with XSLT and learn them fast. The author uses the Apache Xalan XSLT engine for demonstration, but the material in the book is equally applicable to the XSLT engine in Microsoft's MSMXL parser, Saxon, and many other equivalent XSLT processors.

The material is presented logically from the transformation of a simple "Hello World!" XML file to an HTML document onto XPath locations, branching, linking, combining XML documents, and extension functions. After laying the groundwork for what XSLT can do, the author presents a fairly sophisticated case study--an online tutorial generator that generates HTML files, PDF files, and Zip files.

Aside from being a subject tutorial, XSLT is also an excellent reference that comes in handy for daily coding. The appendices cover XSLT, XPath, a function reference, and a frequently asked questions section. These reference sections include complete examples that make each concept quite clear. XSLT provides the horsepower behind XML, and this book provides the perfect vehicle to master transformation techniques. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Basic style sheet structure, XPath data model, branching and control elements, links and cross-references, sorting and grouping, combining XML documents, XSLT extension functions, case study, XSLT reference, XPath reference, function reference, XSLT guide (FAQ).

Mein Fazit: Das Buch ist sowohl für den Einsteiger als auch für den schon auf Grundkenntnisse Zugreifenden sehr gut geeignet.

Highlight für mich ist die toot-o-matic-Fallstudie: Ich habe mir die Mühe gemacht - nein, eigentlich war es eine Freude, im Rahmen der Lektüre den kompletten Source-Code zu studieren. Davon habe ich für meine XSLT-Praxis enorm profitiert.