Re: [xsl] xslfo process

["G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 2009-07-20 08:40 -0700, Ming Yu wrote:
> I'm new to xslfo but I have been using xslt for a while. My question 
> is, what is the best practice to output xml to pdf?

Wouldn't "best" be relative to your requirements?  What are your 
requirements?  You don't say.

> As far as I understand, those are the step involved:
>
> 1. xml -> xslfo through xslt
> 2. xslfo -> pdf through FOP

Yes, that is very typical.  Your information is expressed in XML and 
the layout of that information is expressed in XSL-FO.

> But when writing xsl for step 1, I have to put all the fo coding 
> inside xsl for the formatting. It seems to be very distracting.

But you say you've been using XSLT for a while.  If you have been 
using XSLT to create HTML then you have to put all of the HTML coding 
inside XSLT for the rendering.  How is that different?

XSLT is a templating language used to assemble an output structure 
from examples of that structure found in your stylesheet.  If you 
need an output structure of XSL-FO then you need to use examples in 
XSL-FO.  If you need an output structure of HTML then you need to use 
examples in HTML.  What XSLT work have you been doing that is different?

> If I know what data I want from the xml file and what design I want 
> for the pdf output, is it possible to build the fo file first and 
> add the xsl piece later on?

This is atypical but not impossible.  I needed this for my UBL 
stylesheet work.  I have published two environments where you create 
the XSL-FO first and then annotate it with information about your XML 
... you then press a button and out comes a synthesized 
stylesheet.  These two environments are available for free download:

    http://www.CraneSoftwrights.com/resources/#literatexslt
    http://www.CraneSoftwrights.com/resources/#resultxslt

But it is not at all typical and the only reason it was "best" for my 
UBL stylesheet work is that I needed an environment to create dozens 
of XSLT stylesheets based on the United Nations Layout Key.  I 
described the layout using XSL-FO as a standalone instance, annotated 
it with UBL information, and the output from my processes is an XSLT 
stylesheet:

    http://www.CraneSoftwrights.com/resources/ublss/

It is certainly not "best" for 99.44% of my stylesheet work.

I hope this helps.

. . . . . . . . . Ken

--
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