Re: [xsl] Rexsel — A simpler way of writing XSLT

["Michael Kay mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Join the club.

There have been a number of attempts to do this over the years, most of which
have disappeared without trace. The most recent contribution was by Fredrik
OLhrstroLm at XML Prague 2024, see page 85 of

https://archive.xmlprague.cz/2024/files/xmlprague-2024-proceedings.pdf

I think the reason none of these attempts has been successful is because
programmers spend much more time debugging than writing code, and once you're
in debugging mode, you quickly find that it's more convenient to work with the
"native" XSLT syntax than with a preprocessor.

The XML-based syntax of XSLT is certainly something that beginners find
off-putting. But once they start to use the language serioiusly, it ceases to
be an obstacle. Other issues, such as the difficulty of working out which
templates matched which nodes, start to assume more importance, and working
with a prettier syntax doesn't actually help you there, in fact it makes it
more difficult, because working out how to get the diagnostics you need
involves extra steps.

Michael Kay
Saxonica

> On 30 Jun 2024, at 12:03, Hugh Field-Richards hsfr@xxxxxxxxxx
<xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> I have been working with XSLT/XML for sometime
> now (>25 years) and have been minded to look at alternative
> ways of generating XSLT scripts. As a result I have produced a
> language REXSEL that provides a simpler means of writing
> XSLT stylesheets.