XSLT: Mastering XML Transformations (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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).

Product Description

Originally created for page layout, XSLT has grown into one of the core technologies for processing XML. XSLT brings XSLT's many functions together in a concise, comprehensive treatment of the technology. This book covers XSLT and XPath, a critical companion standard, and addresses subjects ranging from basic transformations to complex sorting and linking. It explores extension functions on a variety of different XSLT processors, and methods for combining multiple documents with XSLT. Examples demonstrate each technique. Useful as it is, XSLT can also be extremely daunting. Getting started is difficult, and advanced techniques require a through understanding of how XSLT templates work and interact. Doug Tidwell, a developer with years of XSLT experience, explains XSLT by building from the basics to the more complex and powerful possibilities of XSLT, so that whether you're just starting out or looking for advanced techniques, you'll find the level of information you need.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596000537
• ISBN-13: 978-0596000530
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #823,517 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars must-have for developers working with xml and xslt, September 19, 2001

By	brian donovan (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

Although Tidwell emphasizes a real-world approach to tackling XSLT and includes plenty of practical examples in the book, he doesn't skimp when it comes to delivering the types of conceptual explanations (sections like "How a Stylesheet is processed" in Chpt 2 and "The XPath View of an XML Document" in Chpt. 3) that help readers understand what's going on "under the hood". Including a separate chapter covering the basics of XPath early in the book also makes for much easier reading, since we aren't left scrounging for scraps of information scattered throughout the text when XPath-related questions arise. If not for the fact that some authors have actually taken the opposite approach (introducing XPath concepts as they arise in the context of a discussion of XSLT), this would have
seemed like a no-brainer.

No review of this book would be complete without mentioning the value added by the appendices. Once you've digested all of the material in the body of the text, you'll likely continue to keep Tidwell's book close at hand because of Appendices A and C. Appendix A, the XSLT Reference, features a comprehensive dictionary-style reference for every element in XSLT 1.0 - including an XML source document, an example stylesheet that makes use of the element, and the result of the transformation for each. Appendix C, the XSLT and XPath Function Reference, follows a similar format.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay, but..., May 9, 2002

By	Elizabeth B. "bookmaven" (Fort Worth, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

I don't recommend this for a programmer. This book seemed to be a gloss over of XSLT and didn't probe too deeply into it. For that I recommend Michael Kay's excellent work XSLT.

Basically I zipped through this book and wanted more - I wanted to understand what was going on and not just be able to do it. Kay's book provides that and much, much more.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent advanced tutorial, October 2, 2001

By	Taruvai Subramaniam (Troy, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I approached this book expecting to be disappointed. After all there is no shortage of good introductions to XSLT on the web and in Micheal Kay's book we already have an authoritative reference. Actually this book is that rare breed - an advanced tutorial. The book begins with three chapters of introductory material. Wisely the author does not go into every feature. But the meat of the book is in chapters 5-8. It covers in detail keys() in chapter 6, sorting (chapter 7), document() ( chapter 8) and concludes with an excellent introduction to extension elements and functions. The writing is lucid and the author often evaluates alternative strategies. The appendix lists all the XSLT elements and functions with examples which alone is worth the admission. I have already read it twice and I recommend it strongly.