- Some Thoughts on XSL
- Not Only for Publishing...
- ... but Also for Data
- Where to Now?
- About Pineapplesoft Link
Not Only for Publishing...
Currently, most applications of XSL center on XSLT, the transformation part. And they mainly use XSLT to convert XML documents to HTML for web publishing.
For example, I use XSLT to publish this newsletter (http://www.pineapplesoft.com/newsletter/archive/19990801_xml.html): I write the newsletter in XML and I have two style sheets to automatically generate the email and web page.
I regularly hear from readers on this topic. It seems many are confused and see XSL as a sort of CSS. I often receive emails of the form "XML looks good but I need to use [plug your favorite feature here] and I'm concerned XSL won't support it". The favorite feature can be anything but it tends to be JavaScript, DHTML, CSS, plug-ins and non-breakable spaces.
In fact, there are no built-in limits to what you can do with XSL. Bear in mind the style sheet creates a brand new HTML document. This document can include any HTML tag, including browser-specific tags like <MARQUEE>. And, yes, it can include CSS, scripts, , tables or just about anything else!