Who Should Attend

Database users, application developers, web designers, system architects, and content providers and authors responsible for web documents.

Prerequisites

Web Page Development (ES0590) or equivalent knowledge.
Introduction to XML (ES0790)  or equivalent knowledge.
XML for Developers Using Microsoft Tools (ES0890) or equivalent knowledge.
Familiarity with HTML and some procedural programming experience (e.g. Visual Basic, C++, VBA).

What you will learn

• Create both simple "blueprint" style sheets to provide quick transformations of your XML data and complex XSLT-based applications that use multiple XML data sources and multiple stylesheets
• Generate HTML from XML documents using Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSLT)
• Use XPath to navigate an XML tree and get values from text nodes and attributes
• Create rule-based stylesheets that are easy to maintain and extend
• Use variables to build attribute values and store default values
• Design named templates that act as subroutines in XSLT stylesheet
• Use XSLT to calculate results and do totaling based on XML data
• Decide if and when to use processor-specific extensions in your XSLT applications

Course Outline

1. Introducing XSLT
   • What is XSLT?
   • Are You Sure This is a Language?
   • Transformation Types
   • Processing XSL
2. Simplified Stylesheets
   • The Essential Stylesheet
   • Using an XSL Blueprint to Create HTML
   • What Can't a Simplified Stylesheet Do?
3. Using XPath to Get Around
   • What is XPath?
   • Figuring Out Location Steps
   • Introducing XPath Functions
4. Adding Template Rules
   • What are Temples?
   • Unsimplifying the Stylesheet
   • Using the Template Element
   • Other Top-Level Elements
5. Traditional Programming Concepts and XSLT
   • Programming Concepts You Can Use
   • Working with Variables
   • Calling Named Templates
   • Using Functions
   • Creating Modular Stylesheet Solutions
6. Creating an XML Result Tree
   • XML-Structured Variables
   • XML Node Creation Elements
7. Doing Calculations in XSLT
   • Programming with No Side Effects
   • Applying recursive Programming Techniques
8. Common XSLT Challenges
   • Applying XSLT
   • How Do I Group Data?
   • Grouping Data: Another Solution
   • How Do I Copy HTML Tags from the Data?
   • How Do I Add or Remove Whitespace?
9. Using Processor-Specific Extensions
   • The Mechanics of Extensions
   • Should You Use Extensions?
   • Recovering from Missing Extensions

Course Duration

Two (2) days

Course Schedule

Go to Epcom Course Schedule

Course Materials

• Comprehensive course workbook/summary
• Courseware on CD-ROM
• Course certificate of completion