XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) is a powerful XML-based language used for transforming XML documents into other formats such as HTML, plain text, or even other XML structures. It allows you to define templates that match parts of an XML document and specify how to convert them into a desired output format.
An XSLT document typically contains:
The match
attribute defines which elements in the source XML will be transformed by the template.
The <xsl:value-of>
element selects the value of an XML element or attribute and inserts it into the output.
Let’s say you have the following XML:
XML Developer's Guide
Author Name
44.95
Learn XSLT
Another Author
39.95
We will transform this into an HTML table using XSLT.
Bookstore
Title
Author
Price
When you run this transformation on the XML file, you’ll get the following HTML output:
Bookstore
Title
Author
Price
XML Developer's Guide
Author Name
44.95
Learn XSLT
Another Author
39.95
You can define variables using <xsl:variable>
to store values and reuse them later in the transformation.
Example:
This creates a variable called discountedPrice
that holds the price with a 10% discount.
You can use the <xsl:if>
and <xsl:choose>
elements for conditional logic.
<xsl:if>
Example:
This book is expensive.
<xsl:choose>
Example:
This book is expensive.
This book is affordable.
Templates allow you to break down the transformation logic into reusable components.
You can invoke this template using <xsl:apply-templates select="book"/>
.
XSLT allows you to sort elements using the <xsl:sort>
element within a for-each
or apply-templates
.
This will sort the books by price in ascending order.
XSLT is a versatile tool for transforming XML documents into various output formats, from HTML to plain text. With its ability to match, filter, and transform data, it serves as a critical tool for developers working with XML.This guide has covered the basics to advanced XSLT concepts, including templates, variables, and sorting mechanisms. By mastering these features, you can efficiently transform and present XML data in any desired format without referring to other sources. Happy coding !❤️