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Introduction to XSLT

Transform XML data from one format to another with Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT)

Nicholas Chase (ibmquestions@nicholaschase.com), Freelance writer, Backstop Media

Nicholas Chase has been involved in Web site development for companies such as Lucent Technologies, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nick has been a high school physics teacher, a low-level radioactive waste facility manager, an online science fiction magazine editor, a multimedia engineer, an Oracle instructor, and the Chief Technology Officer of an interactive communications company. He is the author of several books, including XML Primer Plus (Sams).

Summary: The need to transform XML is so common that Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) is considered one of the basic XML specifications. This tutorial explains how to create XSLT stylesheets. It also covers the basics of XPath, which enables you to select specific parts of an XML document. Finally, it gives you a look at some of the more advanced capabilities that XSLT offers.

Date: 23 Jan 2007
Level: Introductory
PDF: A4 and Letter (1615 KB | 42 pages)Get Adobe® Reader®

Activity: 70848 views
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Before you start

This tutorial is for developers who want to use Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) to transform the XML data into other forms without the need for to program in Java™ or other languages.

This tutorial assumes that you're familiar with XML, but does not get into any of the esoteric aspects of the language, so a basic understanding is sufficient. Except for small section on extensions, you will not need to have any particular programming language under your belt. Even then, the concepts are straightforward and apply to any programming language, as long as it is supported by the processor.

What is this tutorial about?

This tutorial is about Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT). XSLT is one of the fundamental XML-related specifications, enabling you to easily transform your XML data from one form to another.

In this tutorial, you'll learn the following: