Subject: Re: [xsl] Diagramming XSLT From: Torsten Schassan <schassan@xxxxxx> Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:57:19 +0200 |
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 James, coming back to one "older" thread: When I explain XML/XSLT to non-programmers (and sometimes even computer illiterates) quite regularly, I consider three views helpful, especially taking into consideration Wendell's statement: > As for how to approach it, if what you're trying to get across is the > processing model and the basic notion of matching templates and > generating results, diagrams may actually be a hindrance, since the > "flow" of the stylesheet as it matches one node and then another is > going to be quite complex on anything but the most trivial and > unrepresentative cases. People's brains don't recurse well past about > four levels without help (even those of us who like the idea of > recursion). We're much better with iteration. The views are: 1. XML/XSL is organized like a "matrushka" (everything nests; showing an image of a matrushka might be visualization enough!). You can organize both content and processing this way. Processing the xslt means to (virtually) nest the templates (called ex- or implicitely). Thus you only need to show two levels, the rest is up to imagination. 2. Look at the XML/XSLT file like a SAX parser would do: reading a start tag means to open another (matrushkanian) level (XML) or to apply another template (XSL). Reading a closing tag means to get back to the last level. 3. Look at the XML/XSLT file like a DOM parser would do: Traverse the tree applying two rules: a) go left as far as you can; b) if a) is not possible go back until you find a sibling, go right and apply rule a) again. That sometimes things are stored in variables or params and taken with them on the way shouldn't increase the difficulties to understand the paradigm to much. If you find this helpful and a way to visualize it, please let us know. ;-) Best, Torsten - -- Torsten Schassan Herzog August Bibliothek, Postfach 1364, D-38299 Wolfenbuettel Tel.: +49-5331-808-130, schassan {at} hab.de http://www.hab.de; http://www.hab.de/forschung/projekte/weiss64.htm -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (MingW32) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFIBduPq4nZEP2KS4QRAuOHAJ4uHSEd5d1dhML4bwdmwGiWBBp6XgCfdd2r DWCqUomzz3rhv6C0+mNJglw= =BdPy -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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