Chapter 10. Using XSLT Processor APIs

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As youve seen throughout this book, you dont need to do any programming to use XSLT. However, the XSLT processors weve been using so farXalan, Saxon, XT, Oracle, and MSXMLare all designed so you can work with them via program code if you prefer. Ill take a look at how to use these XSLT processors in code here. Feel free to skip this chapter if youre not a programmer or dont intend to become one. However, if you dont take advantage of the programming interface, youre missing a lot, including supporting XSLT on Web servers. This chapter also shows you how to transform XML into an SQL-based database.

I use Java and JavaScript in this chapter to interface to the various XSLT processor Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). If youre not familiar with these languages, you might take a look at Inside XML it has a chapter introducing Java and another introducing JavaScript, covering all that you need to know here. You can use other languages, such as C++, or Visual Basic, with various XSLT processors, but Java has been the overwhelming choice of programmers so far, and JavaScript is useful for handling transformations in the Internet Explorer. In addition, the XSLT processors youve used are specifically designed to interface with Java, although the MSXML processor can also be used as a COM object for programming. As mentioned, the MSXML processor in the Internet Explorer can be used with JavaScript, and you saw an example of that as early as Chapter 1. And as promised in Chapter 1, Ill take a look at that example in more detail here.

XSLT Software Changes Very Rapidly !

Please note! XSLT software changes very rapidly , often monthly, so by the time you read this, parts of it might not apply. Theres no way around this, and its something you have to be aware of. All the examples in this chapter have been checked exhaustively by at least three peopleme and at least two tech editors, all working independently and all examples work as of this writing. If something is not working for you, check things such as the Java classpath , of course, but then also check your XSLT processors documentation to see what might have changed.