Re: [xsl] [XSL] extracting a verse

Subject: Re: [xsl] [XSL] extracting a verse
From: Wendell Piez <wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 17:44:53 -0500
Jim,

This problem is a classic.

The answer is, in the general case, "no, not (reasonably) possible with XSLT". The general case presumes that the <verse> and corresponding <verseEnd> could go anywhere.

(A general solution, if it were clean and simple, would no doubt earn its innovator high honors in the lists and considerable fame, at least in this little world.)

If you can articulate some constraints on <verse> and <verseEnd>, such as where they may appear and (hence) which element boundaries they may overlap ... it may be more thinkable. Though even then, not pretty.

Much sooner, I'd use a stream-based process such as a SAX filter, to turn it into the verse-centric model first.

But this kind of thing is why some of us are interested in an experiment we are calling LMNL. See LMNL.org for more info (though it won't give you your solution tomorrow either).

Cheers,
Wendell

At 04:42 PM 12/17/2002, you wrote:

   <text>
      <div>
         <chapter id="BCV-GEN-1" to="BCV-GEN-1-END" value="1"/>
         <head>The Story of#Creation</head>
         <p>
            <verse id="BCV-GEN-1.1" to="BCV-GEN-1.1-END" value="1"/>In the
beginning, when God created the universe,
            <verseEnd id="BCV-GEN-1.1-END" from="BCV-GEN-1.1"/>
            <verse id="BCV-GEN-1.2" to="BCV-GEN-1.2-END" value="2"/>the
earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything
was engulfed in total darkness, and the ......         </p>

Starting with this piece of Scripture I would like to extract just the
contents of  verse 1. I have the start of the verse and verseEnd
identified. Is there an easy way of doing the extraction? I know I can
change it all to a verse centric model and do the extraction but in this
paragraph centric model is it possible?


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Wendell Piez                            mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mulberry Technologies, Inc.                http://www.mulberrytech.com
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