[xsl] converting html table to xml

Subject: [xsl] converting html table to xml
From: "Thomas McDonald" <tomandlis@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 11:03:35 -0500

I have an html table that looks like the one included below. I want to convert it to an xml file that looks like the one shown below. I haven't had much luck, but I have included my xsl attempt below, but it doesn't quite get me what I am looking for.


Here is the sample xml
<table>
<tr>
	<td><a>lateletters</a></td>
	<td>xx</td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td>yy</td>
	<td>zz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td><a>earlyletters</a></td>
	<td>aa</td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td>bb</td>
	<td>cc</td>
</tr>
</table>

Here is what I want the output to look like
<frag>
<letters name="lateletters">
<letter>xx</letter>
<letter>yy</letter>
<letter>zz</letter>
</letters>
<letters name="earlyletters">
<letter>yy</letter>
<letter>yy</letter>
<letter>yy</letter>
</letters>
</frag>

esentially, I want all the contents of a <td> tag that follow an <a> tag to be contained within a <letters> parent element. Once you hit a new <a> tag in the document then you should start a new <letters> parent element.

Here is my shot at it that uses ids and positions, but my position criteria doesn't really work because it only grabs those <td>

<?xml version='1.0'?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform";>
<xsl:output method="xml"/>
<xsl:template match="/TABLE">
<xsl:for-each select="TR/TD/A">
<xsl:variable name="id" select="generate-id()"/>
<letters><xsl:attribute name="name"><xsl:value-of select="."/></xsl:attribute>
<xsl:for-each
select="following-sibling::TD[generate-id(preceding-sibling::TD[1])=$id]">
<letter><xsl:value-of select="."/></letter>
</xsl:for-each>
<xsl:value-of select="."/>
</letters>
</xsl:for-each>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>


the above doesn't work, but I think it is moving in the right direction. I think the real problem happens because my second 'for-each' xpath, i.e., "following-sibling::TD[generate-id(preceding-sibling::TD[1])=$id]" can't select the following <td> siblings because I don't know how to construct so it will get the right nodes.

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