RE: [xsl] Help: Reasons to use XML/XSL ?

["M. David Peterson" <m.david@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Jarrell,

There are so many reasons that can be both Pro and Con based on several
different factors such as what type of development background you have.
There was a debate on this list a few months back that I specifically
stayed out of because I knew (and all on this list can attest :) that
once I get started theres no stopping me for the most part.  If I begin
a thread or join one in its early stages you can bet your milk money I
will in every sense of the word get involved with it.

I am going to save you from being initiated as such and instead point
out two simple things.

First and foremost: Passion.  I am passionate in most all that I do and
because of this I am extremely passionate about XML/XSLT and related
technologies.  Too many reasons to list why this is and I definitely not
enough time but I am sure you feel the same about your Perl/SQL
background.  When something clicks,  it sticks for sure..

With this said let me see if this concept can help you make a decision
as to whether you want to explore this world and get down and dirty or
if you just want to have a look around avoiding any dark alleys or
street corners with no lights.

	- Perl is a fantastic tool for taking non-structured raw data
files and accessing any data any where in a few quick and easy key
strokes.

	- XSLT is a fantastic tool for parsing and transforming
structured data (XML) with little or no concern towards what the data
contained within the elements and attributes actually is.  That's not
completely true in that its fairly easy to test for strings within the
data and as such XSLT can do a very good job of searching the data of an
XML document and returning back any type of data you specify if it finds
it.  However XSLT 1.0 stops short of any type of Regex functionality and
as such (although not impossible) gets beat hands down as far as Perl's
ability to quickly and easily capture data that can contain a multitude
of both similarities and differences that would be almost next to
impossible to do in XSLT 1.0.

But in XSLT 2.0 were talking a totally different situation as regex
makes it way to a place it belonged a long time ago :)  But I shouldn't
confuse the issue here.  The bottom line is really basic... For
transforming structured data/XML it is well worth taking the time to
learn the basics of XSLT as when you do begin to understand the power of
template matching and structured data access using XPath things will
take on a whole new life of there own.

Well, believe it or not this is a short post for me so Id better leave
it that way.  One thing before I go...  Not that I am trying to get
converts to another language, ESPECIALLY XQuery ;)... but if SQL, Perl,
CGI etc are your passion then I would definitely  go with XQuery as it
will make the learning curve much easier for you.  It doenst have quite
the packed up power that XSLT has but itll do the trick.

I wish you the best of luck!

<M:D/>




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jarrell Dunson [mailto:Jarrell_Dunson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 7:16 AM
> To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [xsl] Help: Reasons to use XML/XSL ?
> 
> Hey,
> 
> Thanks ahead of time to each of you for reading this.
> 
> I'm an XSD, XML, XSLT Newbie....and am trying to learn the process.
> However, I really need some input - not from a programming
perspective,
> but from a philosophy and usage perspective.
> 
> 
> For instance, I'm a current user and programmer of Perl...using SQL,
CGI,
> and Perl DBI for pulling information from an Informix Relational
Database.
>  I'm able to pull data out of a database quite easily...via Perl
> DBI/SQL...and format it with Perl into quality HTML pages. ..and the
> process is rather efficient.
> 
> For HTML, I can build the pages via wriing the code myself, or using
Perl
> script, etc,  I can also, at times, use a text editor (or text editor
> assistant / html formatter) to build basic html and modify it as
needed.
> [Instead of coding a table by hand, for example, I'll use an editor
> assistant (such as Dreamweaver, or Notetab) to create all the code for
a
> 3x4 table...and then modify and/or populate the HTML as needed].
> 
> So for this process, I'm going from database ...via Perl script...to
HTML.
> 
> 
> In learning XSD, XML, XSLT, however, I just don't see the advantage of
it?
>  What more does XSD, XML, XSLT give me as a programmer?
> 
> 
> For me to do the same steps....to go from a database to web page, it
seems
> to me that I have to take three [or four] more major steps...each
> involving a more complicated process. From my beginner perspective, I
have
> to build a XSD...and then a matching XML - based upon the XSD
(validating,
> etc.).  For output, I have build the output leg, XSLT (transforming
the
> XML, etc)....to get the same results.  I just don't see the advantage.
> 
> In my current programming, I'm using one scripting process
> 
> 	DATABASE -->  [1] Perl/DBI (using SQL) --> To HTML/Web Page
> 
> 
> In using XML, I need  three (or four) processes:
> 
> 	[1] Build XSD first.  Then:  DATABASE --> [2] Perl/DBI (using
SQL) -
> -> To
> XML.  Then,
> 	[3] Build an XSLT --> [4] Transform the XML via XSLT -->
HTML/Web
> page
> 
> 
> Isn't this far more complicated?
> 
> Granted, I could see advantages if I were outputting my data in
different
> ways...say, one of my outputs was for the Internet, another for a PDA,
> another for an RSS feed....etc.
> 
> OR, I could possibly see  advantages [per the claims I've heard from
big
> corporations] if I were a great business enterprise...and all my data
> needed to be standard...and I needed to use my own mark-up language -
> though I'm not fully convinced of this.
> 
> But for simple processes....from database to web, I just don't get it
It
> seems far more complicated, and [other than buiiding my resume skills]
> raises the question if it's worth...
> 
> So, for an uneducated newbie, can you help?  I've learned XSD...and
> XML...and am working on the XSLT, but I haven't seen enough to "buy
into
> it".  What's the real benefit of learning and using XSD, XML, AND
XSLT?  -
> especially over a simple process like Perl/DBI....and why ?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> THANK YOU ahead of time,
> 
> Jarrell
> 
> 
> 
> Jarrell R. Dunson, III
> Asbury Theological Seminary
> Administrative Computing Coordinator
> Jarrell_Dunson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> (859) 858-2379 (direct)
> (859) 858-2330 (fax)