The XSL Companion (2nd Edition)

-- All features explained clearly with plenty of examples and illustrations. -- Previous edition garnered great reviews. -- XSL use growing, as use of XML continues to grow. This guide explains the practical ways in which XSL can be used for formatting and manipulating information held in XML. The XSL standard has developed into three specific standards, all examined in detail - XSL, XSLT, and XPath. Together these form a powerful array of tools that allow you to control and optimize the formatting of your XML documents, and thus deliver content and information in a dynamic and flexible way. This book has been completely updated for the new XSLT standard, and has about 50% more coverage than the previous edition. It concludes with a reference to other formatting and stylesheet languages. If you are a current or potential XML user looking for just one reference to get you up to speed on styling and manipulating your XML documents with clarity, comprehensive coverage, and precision, then this book will be your essential and constant companion.

One of the most important technologies on the XML bandwagon is XSL, which really comprises separate XSL, XSLT, and Xpath standards. The XSL Companion provides in-depth coverage of XSL and XSLT--the core technologies behind the formatting of XML data.

This book focuses on the details of how XSLT in particular can be used to mold information on the fly. The author breaks the standard apart into digestible chapters that cover, say, "contextual formatting" and "sorting." The content is fast moving and demands a technical reader who is comfortable with complexity. Those who are new to XML technologies should pick up a general tutorial prior to tackling this book.

Along with text explanations of all of the magic that XSLT and XSL can do, the author uses code snippets and numerous graphical diagrams to illustrate information processing, layout, and tree navigation. These visual elements add much to the explanation of what otherwise would be abstract concepts indeed.

The author addresses head-on the fact that much of XSLT's job today is to turn XML data into HTML-formatted documents that are compatible with the current batch of browsers. There is plenty of focus in this book on how that is done, but the chief purpose remains the exploration of the powerful transformation and formatting features that the XSL standards provide. --Stephen W. Plain