Re: [xsl] XSLamenT

["Mukul Gandhi" <gandhi.mukul@xxxxxxxxx>]

I think, FXSL is a kind of design pattern (i.e. functional programming
pattern) approach to XSLT programming.

It's interesting to read this paper by John Vlissides
http://www.research.ibm.com/designpatterns/pubs/top10misc.pdf

Which states below points as misconceptions about patterns
1) A pattern is a solution to a problem in a context
2) Patterns guarantee reusable software, higher productivity, world peace, etc.

The paper states,
Patterns don't guarantee anything. They merely empower - potentially.

On 7/31/07, Justin Johansson <procode@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> G'day all,
>
> It was not so long ago that one well-known participant of this list lamented:
>
> "There is nothing so powerful in FXSL and it implements some most basic
> concepts.
>
> Concepts like: fold, map, compose, repeat/iterate   -- form the alphabet of
> programming.
>
> Certainly, if someone has arrived at grade 5 in school and still doesn't
> know the alphabet,
> this person will find reading even ordinary text rather "daunting".
>
> To summarize, FXSL provides a big potential to learn, requires learning,
> and this is even
> a bigger value than simply the provided functionality."
>
> This was in response to the remark by another well-known xsl-list participant:
>
> " FXSL, unfortunately, is so powerful that I think many "ordinary" users find
> it (FXSL) rather daunting.  A gentler introduction, using examples from the
> world of
> commercial IT systems rather than computer science, would help to sell it to
> the general public."
>
> Going by the last few days messages, it seems to this, yet another humble
> lowercase, xslter,
> that the "general public" cannot even get their heads around
> xsl:apply-templates, let
> around the fold, map, compose, repeat/iterate alphabet of FXSL.
>
> Now that is not the fault of the W3C or the various Drs. and other learned
> participants
> of the xsl-list, but, it does seem to me that somehow the XSLT meme* is not
> replicating
> as we would all hope for in the minds of the wider I.T. community.
>
> Is the XSLT community somehow just wanting to keep this good oil to itself,
> or is it
> failing to articulate the paradigm in common language?
>
> * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme
>
>
> >This is exactly what apply-templates is for. Whenever you see code along the
> >lines
> >
> ><xsl:choose>
> >  <xsl:when test="name()='foo'">
> >
> >you should replace it by a call on apply-templates and a set of template
> >rules for the different branches, in a special mode if necessary.
> >
> >Michael Kay
> >http://www.saxonica.com/
>
>
> Justin J


-- 
Regards,
Mukul Gandhi