Product Description

This compact, relevant, updated version reflects recent changes in the XSLT specification and developments in XSLT parsers. The material on tools and implementations has been revised; so too have all the examples. It also includes a new chapter on writing extension functions.

XML has firmly established itself as the universal standard for managing data for the web and is now being implemented on a wide scale.

XSL (eXtensible Stylesheet Language), a vital companion to XML, is used for two main purposes: to format or style XML data so that it can be displayed in a browser and to transform XML data (XSLT). When you transform an XML document, you manipulate the data into a new structure, for example, re-ordering the data. This enables the same data store to be used in an unlimited number of ways. XSLT is a flexible, customizable, and cross-platform language.

XSLT is a notoriously difficult language to understand, but this book, while being a complete reference to the recommendation, will also give code examples showing how it all ties together and can be effectively employed in a real-world development scenario.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #493186 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 800 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Author Michael Kay exudes enthusiasm in this guide, XSLT Programmer's Reference, by taking every opportunity to illustrate the power and flexibility of XSLT. As XML begins to take hold, the eXtensible Stylesheet Language: Transformation (XSLT) standard will be playing a major role in making all those XML predictions a reality.

Kay calls XSLT the "SQL of the Web"--a phrase that is sure to perk up the ears of many readers expecting a simple documentation of just another Web-language standard. Like other Wrox Programmer's Reference series titles, this book starts off with chapters that rapidly introduce the concepts and set the context for the core of the book, which is a complete documentation of the XSLT standard. The book uses this space well to explore the transformation process and the tree structure that is used for both input and output of style sheet documents. By the time the reader gets to the reference section of the book, he or she will be convinced of the power of XSLT.

Each element of XSLT is covered with concise examples that include both the source XML code and style sheet code. XSLT style sheets can be used in a variety of ways and across a wide spectrum of complexity. The book helps the reader grasp this concept by presenting four style sheet design patterns that comprise the vast majority of implementations. The text looks at each, demonstrating how to identify the design pattern by its content and apply it to appropriate circumstances.

XSLT is the true muscle behind XML and is integral to putting XML to work in the real world. This title is simply a must-have for any developer utilising XML. --Stephen W Plain

Amazon.co.uk Review
XML enables you to create documents that describe their data. XSLT, eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations, is yet another--declarative--language designed to transform an XML document into another XML (or other format) document. XSLT grew out of work on XLS. Before XSLT, each XML transformation required a bespoke program. XSLT provides general transformation solutions. It acts on the nodes of the tree structure created by SAX or DOM, not directly on the original document.

In XSLT Programmer's Reference, Kay covers the processing model, stylesheet structure, XSLT elements and expressions complete with explanations and example usage, patterns (for node matching) and provides a number of worked XSLT examples. XSLT is fairly new, which accounts for the academic feel of the text. It helps to know Kay wrote one of the first XLST applications. The book is bedevilled by uncertainties. For example, XSLT is part of XSL, which defines XML document formatting--and is still under development. Similarly, XPath, now a sub-language within XSLT used in stylesheets and capable of performing calculations and string manipulation is derived from XPointers, which defined links between parts of documents. Their late marriage has left some confusion in usage. Despite the inevitable confusion, the book succeeds in explaining what XLST is, how it works and how stylesheets are constructed and used. Check out the XSLT stylesheet, which calculates a knight's tour of the chessboard and outputs it as HTML.

It's unlikely programmers will work with raw XSLT for long, any more than they write raw HTML. Applications will handle much of the drudgery--a good thing because XSLT is verbose. Still, this is an important book for anyone working at the sharp end with XML. You'll need to know how this stuff is supposed to work despite ambiguities in the specifications. --Steve Patient

From the Publisher
This book is for programmers already using XML to organize their data in applications and for those who want to use the power and compatibility of XSLT to improve the display of their data. The book is in three parts: a detailed introduction to the concepts of the language, a reference section giving comprehensive specifications and working examples of every feature, and an exploitation guide giving advice and case studies for the advanced user.

Customer Reviews

A complex subject made simple. A superb reference book.
Despite our slightly over-critical friend's view of it being far too early to write a book on the subject (which beggars the question of when is it the right time?), XSLT Programmer's Reference is still the most comprehensive reference on the latest recommendation from W3C.

The book is clear and concise, though presented in such a manner as to welcome the novice into the 'dark, mysterious world' that is XSLT.

Read this book and learn how to write the correct XSLT file for your application... the book covers simple stylesheets, navigational stylesheets, rule-based stylesheets, and computational stylesheets. It introduces the notion of Functional Programming, discusses the XSLT processing model, and has whole chapters dedicated to core xsl:elements and xslFunctions().

Included in the appendices is a chapter discussing the various XSL/XML parsers currently available (and yes, EVEN AFTER A YEAR the book is still UP TO DATE!)

Having read the book cover to cover I am far more confident in my XSL programming than I ever was before.

If you need to learn XSLT or even if you know it and you need a great, handy reference book for your shelf, don't be a fool BUY THIS NOW.

Exactly the book I was looking for
I am involved in a project that needs some fairly deep XSLT, and whilst things were going OK, I felt sure that the knowledge I had gained from the web and a couple of XML books was not complete. You know, when you get something to work, but you are not quite sure how that one little bit actually does the right thing...?

Michael Kay really presents everything in such a complete way that those subtly incorrect mental models that one might be using are corrected. The result is a clear vision of what's happening in ALL your XSLT. He also knows how programmers' minds work and he points out all the potential pitfalls and also the common mistakes we are all likely to make.

I cannot believe you would need another book on the subject. It's even pleasantly readable...

Ignore the reviews of the 1st edition book!
Ignore the reviews of the 1st edition of this book (2000). Now in 2001, The XSLT 1.0 standard has effectively been ratified and is now stable; 1.1 is in the works and the XSLT processors all achieve good levels of compliance. This is currently the most up to date and comprehensive book on XSLT. Not only covers XSLT in depth but also has chapters on the main XSL processors. Excellent examples throughout and a nice, readable style of writing.