1 Day Course

Course Overview:

This course is a follow-up to XML XSL Transformations, Level 1. The XSLT specification is maintained by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and is a core part of the growing family of XML technologies. A related XML technology is the XPath language, which is required for using XSLT stylesheets. Students in this course continue to learn the details of both XSLT and XPath, including the various XSLT elements not covered in Level 1, the XSLT functions, and the unabbreviated XPath syntax. They will also use XSLT in a server-side environment utilizing ASP (Active Server Pages) and ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) technologies. Finally, students will use XSLT with XML data islands and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).

Prerequisites

This course is for anyone already introduced to the basics of XML and its related technologies, and who is interested in XML programming. Students should have a strong background with HTML, and preferably have some knowledge of general programming concepts. This course assumes successful completion of XML: XSL Transformations, Level 1. This course is designed for the student who is familiar with the general concepts involved in XML. It presupposes that the student has successfully taken XML: XSL Transformations, Level 1. Furthermore, prior to taking this course students should have taken the following Element K courses (or have equivalent knowledge): HTML 4.01: Web Authoring, Level 1 (Second Edition) , HTML 4.01: Web Authoring, Level 2 (Second Edition) , Cascading Style Sheets: Web Development (Second Edition) and XML: An Introduction (Second Edition) .

Course Content:

Lesson 1: Advanced XSLT Elements, Part 1

• 1A: The Structure of XSLT Stylesheets Reconsidered
• 1B: Importing and Including Stylesheets
• 1C: Variables and Parameters

Lesson 2: Advanced XSLT Elements, Part 2

• 2A: Output Options
• 2B: Copying XML Directly to the Output Tree
• 2C: Using Other Advanced XSLT Elements

Lesson 3: The Built-in XSLT Functions

• 3A: General Purpose Functions
• 3B: The document() Function

Lesson 4: XPath Axes and Location Paths

• 4A: The Current Context Reconsidered
• 4B: XPath Axes and Unabbreviated XPath Syntax

Lesson 5: Server-Side XSLT Programming with ASP, XMLDOM, and ADO

• 5A: Using XSLT with ASP and the XML DOM
• 5B: Transforming XML Obtained from a Database

Lesson 6: Data Islands and SVG Output

• 6A: Using XML Data Islands with XSLT
• 6B: Converting XML Documents into SVG Graphics