[XML-SIG] Re: Confused and grasping

[uche.ogbuji@fourthought.com]

> Jeff, what you want to do is get XT from James Clark's web site:
> 
> http://www.jclark.com/xml/xt.html

Since this is the Python/XML list, I won't miss the chance to plug 4XSLT,

http://opentechnology.org/4Suite/4XSLT

It is mostly written in Python.  It doesn't cover as much of XSLT as XT does, 
but it covers more than enough to get started (and full coverage is coming 
RSN).

It also has a Python API, naturally.

> get the XSLT standard from the W3C web site:
> 
> http://www.w3.org 
> 
> and start fooling with XSLT.  XSLT is one way to generate all those document types from a master document.  It has nothing to do with extracting data and creating the original document, but given an XML document, you will be in business.  Soon there will probably be XSL Postscript formatters, and you will need XSLT to use them.

Ouch!  This is a hard path along which to send a newbie.  See below.

> There is very little written about using XSLT, and most of what there is, is out of date and virually worthless. The is because there have been MAJOR changes to the standards since December 1998, but most published work refers to the April or August 1998 versions. Nothing earlier than the Spring 1999 version will do.  

There is one good resource, if you are willing to spend $40.  Crane 
Softwrights sell XSLT training material in PDF that matches the August-99 XSLT 
WD.  I'm not associated with them, but I've seen the material and it's quite 
good.

http://www.CraneSoftwrights.com/training

I should have an article out in LinuxWorld any day now (the editors are a bit 
back-logged) that has a short, but intensive intro to XSLT.  I'll let the list 
know when it comes out.

Also,

http://www.xmlsoftware.com/articles/xsl-by-example.html

Is indeed based on the 1998 XSLT drafts, but besides the namespace, at first 
glance, I don't see too much that is broken by the latest draft.  James Tauber 
also promises to update the tutorial soon, so watch that space.


-- 
Uche Ogbuji
FourThought LLC, IT Consultants
uche.ogbuji@fourthought.com	(970)481-0805
Software engineering, project management, Intranets and Extranets
http://FourThought.com		http://OpenTechnology.org