Re: [xsl] preserve structure of input XML file

[Wendell Piez <wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

On 5/17/2011 11:04 AM, a kusa wrote:
> I need to preserve all the whitespace and structure of an input XML
> file. How do I do that in XSLT? I tried using fixed width fonts like
> monospace but that does not work.

Hm. Unfortunately -- assuming you're talking about whitespace in a 
transformation result, not in how it's displayed -- trying to address 
this issue using fixed width fonts is like trying to ride a bike by 
wearing a red shirt. Riding a bike involves momentum, balance, and 
control of the bike, not color coordination.

As for the answer to your question, that depends on information you 
haven't given us. All other things being equal, an XSLT transformation 
will always preserve whitespace from the input XML, and can preserve 
exactly as much of the structure from it as you like.

But other things are rarely equal. Whitespace can be affected by how 
your input is parsed and processed (for example, if a schema is present 
and how it is being used) and how your output is being serialized (since 
sometimes people want whitespace added then), as well as by details of 
what the XSLT does.

Some basic rules of thumb if you want whitespace preserved:
  * Don't use MSXML or another processor known to discard whitespace
  * Don't use xsl:strip-space (which strips whitespace from the source)
    or xsl:output/@indent='yes' (which adds it in serialization)
  * Don't use a schema for your input, or if you do (in XSLT 2.0) make
    sure your processor is set to leave whitespace alone
  * Don't add whitespace in your templates

(Others might have things to add to this.)

As for the structure of your XML, how much of it is preserved depends 
entirely on which elements in the input you are matching and what you 
are doing with them.

So it's not really a simple question. It is probably best addressed here 
by giving a small demonstration example, with a specification of the 
desired result.

Cheers,
Wendell

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Wendell Piez                            mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mulberry Technologies, Inc.                http://www.mulberrytech.com
17 West Jefferson Street                    Direct Phone: 301/315-9635
Suite 207                                          Phone: 301/315-9631
Rockville, MD  20850                                 Fax: 301/315-8285
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