Implementations of XSLT
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4/8/2010
One of the main benefits of XML is that it separates data from its presentation. By combining XML data with an XSLT style sheet, you have a powerful way to dynamically transform and present information. XSLT style sheets extend the value of XML data. With XSLT, you can transform raw data into device-aware or customer-aware information. XSLT provides a mechanism for packaging, exchanging, and presenting XML data. With XSLT, you can perform the following tasks:
- Transform data so it can be exchanged between businesses using different schemas.
XSLT allows you to map one XML-based representation into another. For example, a book retailer may represent a customer order based on one schema while a book supplier may represent it with another schema. XSLT can transform the customer order taken by the book retailer into an XML-based format that matches the book supplier's schema. Once transformed, the order can be sent to the book supplier in an XML format the book supplier understands. - Dynamically transform XML documents into HTML documents for a variety of browsers.
XSLT can detect the type of Web client viewing a page and format the data accordingly. This means that the same XML data can be presented in one format for a browser on a TV set-top box, and in a different format for a browser on a mobile phone. XSLT can also display data in different formats for the various versions of the same browser. - Dynamically transform XML data into a variety of media, including HTML documents for the Web and .pdf file format for print.
With XSLT, you can output XML to a variety of media, including HTML for the Web and Package Definition Format (PDF) for print. - Dynamically filter information to present information targeted to a specific user or user group.
For example, for an XML-based catalog, you can use one style sheet to present one set of information to retail customers, while using another style sheet to present information to wholesale customers.
See Also
Tasks
Tutorial: Getting Started with XSLT