XSLT Development

XML Basics: A Quick Review

• Well Formedness and Well Formedness Checking
• Unicode Implications and Character Encoding
• XML Entity References and XSLT
• Working with Namespaces and Prefixes in XSLT

Introducing XSLT Programming

• The Role of XSLT - Transformations Explained
• XSLT: Stylesheets or Programs?
• Document-centric and Data-centric scenarios
• Typical transformations: RSS, SOAP, XSL-FO, HTML, CSV, TXT
• The XSLT Processor
• Different types of Output: xml, html and text
• Standalone, Browser and Server XSLT Processing
• Creating and Editing XSLT
• The XSLT Root Element, Namespace and Prefix
• Using xsl:output to specify output type, output encoding and indentation
• The Root Template and its Importance
• Some Simple Language Elements (Eg: xsl:value-of, xsl:for-each)
• XML, XSLT and Whitespace
• The need for xsl:text
• Creating and Executing a First XSLT Program (transformation)

XPath Necessities, Flow Control and Sorting

• Trees Not Tables or Recordsets: New Tools Required
• The XML Source Document as an XPath Tree
• The Relationship Between XSLT and XPath
• The Key to XSLT Success: Understanding the XPath Tree
• Using XPath Expressions - The Importance of Context
• Selecting and Extracting Nodes, Elements, Attributes and Text
• Using XPath Predicates to Efficiently Filter Content
• Using XPath Functions
• Understanding and Working with XPath Axes
• Flow Control Using xsl:if and xsl:choose
• Sorting Output

Working with Templates

• About XSLT Templates
• Document-centric and Data-centric Template Scenarios
• xsl:template and Template Positioning
• Named Templates and Matching Templates
• Using Procedural Templates with xsl:call-template
• Using Declarative Templates with xsl:apply-templates
• XPath and Templates: Template Priorities
• Understanding the Default Template Rules
• The Difference and Similarity Between <xsl:value-of select="." /> and <xsl:apply-templates />
• Using the Default Template Rules to Your Advantage

Some Useful Tools

• Excluding Source Prefixes from the Output Document
• Disabling Output Escaping
• Creating Comments in the Output Document
• Excluding the XML Declaration from the Output Document
• Creating Processing Instructions
• Preserving Whitespace: Input and Output
• Working with DOCTYPES

Variables and Parameters

• Introducing XSLT variables: Naming, Populating, Using, Limitations
• Where, and Where Not, to use Variables
• Using More than One Source Document
• Creating and Using Parameters
• Global Parameters and Global Variables
• Passing Parameters to Templates
• Passing External Parameters to the XSLT Processor
• Templates and Recursive Techniques

Some Useful XSLT Recipes

• Clever Uses of xsl:copy and xsl:copy-of
• Programmatically Creating Attributes and Elements from Source Data
• Modularizing your Code with xsl:include and xsl:import
• Formatting Numbers
• Using xsl:message to Debug your Code
• Finding Minimums and Maximums
• Numbering Output
• Using Entity References to Simplify XPath Expressions
• More Efficient Working with Groups and Keys

On Site Requirements

Remember, we provide all equipment and software required to deliver a course at your premises. Aside from this, we need a suitably quiet and equipped room with enough work space for each attendee and a whiteboard or flipchart. Most courses involve the use of a PC projector and we bring our own. But either a projector screen, or usually just a clear wall, would be very helpful.

Other Courses to Consider

• LXS-11: XSLT Foundation
  A focused introduction to transforming XML data with XSLT.
• LXM-02: Introduction to XML
  Introduction to the XML Data Format, Namespaces, Schemas, XML Processors, XPath and XSLT.
• LXM-03: XML Foundation
  This course develops practical skills in XML development: XPath, XSLT, XML Schemas.
• LSC-31: XML Schema Foundation
  A practical and focused introductory training course all about creating and editing XML Schema.

on site training courses available in:  

• London
• , Birmingham
• , Edinburgh
• , Manchester
• , Scotland
• , Glasgow
• , Nottingham
• , Midlands
• , Bristol
• , Wales
• , Cardiff
• , Dublin
• , Belfast
• , Leeds
• , Liverpool
• , Sheffield
• , Reading
• , Oxford
• , Cambridge
• , Southampton
• , Newcastle
• , Durham
• , Warrington.

and across the UK and Ireland