Summary

In this chapter you learned about:

• What XSL is

• The roots of XSL and where it is now

• Basic XSL syntax including all elements such as processing instructions, transformations, node creation, data retrieval, and control structures

• XSL processing instruction elements including xsl:processing-instruction , xsl:stylesheet , xsl:comment , and xsl:script

• XSL transformation elements including xsl:template , xsl:apply-templates , and xsl:call-template

• XSL node creation elements including xsl:element , xsl:attribute , xsl:copy-of , and xsl:copy-of

• XSL data retrieval elements including xsl:value-of , xsl:output , and xsl:text

• XSL control structure elements including xsl:if , xsl:for-each , xsl:choose , xsl: sort , xsl:variable , and xsl:param

• The difference between a function and a method

• Some advanced XSL syntax including functions, methods , and pattern matching

• Combining XSL with the XML DOM using ASP

Once again, the intention of this chapter, as with the previous two chapters, is to provide a brief introduction. The primary focus of this book is XML as applied to relational databases. To find out more about using the XML DOM, numerous other texts are available, including Beginning XML, Third Edition , by David Hunter, et al. (Wiley 2004). The next chapter goes off on what is seemingly a little bit of a tangent, discussing SQL (Structured Query Language) database access, and then reverting back to XML. The meaning to this madness is that SQL is generally the primary programmatic tool for relational database access. The first three chapters in this book look at various ways to use XML (and related tools). Using SQL is essential to database access. In subsequent chapters use of XML, XSL, the XML DOM, and SQL will effectively be joined together into a single set of tools and tricks for access to relational databases.