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Re: CSS for transformation


Subject: Re: CSS for transformation
From: Paul Prescod <papresco@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 07:48:45 -0400

Philippe Le Hégaret wrote:
> 
>   I don't think the XSL formatting model looks much more
> complete than the CSS model. If you look at the CSS specification
> and compare it to the XSL specification, you'll find differences
> but these differences can be removed in CSS3. It's not a really big
> problem. 

I didn't claim it was a big problem. I didn't claim that the CSS model
could never have new functionality added. The truth is that the XSL model
will be largely based on the CSS model. It will essentially be the
formatting part of CSS3.

> And if people wants an X, it's very easy to create the XCSS.

Sure, but why?

>   XSL wants to poorly transform XML documents into another
> XML document and it works (not well, but it works).

I've used more than a dozen transformation languages, and XSL is the most
well thought-out of the bunch. It is an *excellent* transformation
language, and it works beautifully.

>   They define a new matching way, different than the CSS way.

That's right, a much more powerful, flexible way..

>   XSL can't transform an XML document into an unknown format. 

Neither can CSS. Anyhow, I call a transformation into a completely
different format a "conversion" and I think that it is the job of a
different piece of software.

> I know, you
> could add a namespace and do a post-processor, but is it the good solution ?

Yes.

> And, if it's not the goal of XSL, should we work on an another solution ?

Only if you can point out something concrete that is wrong with the
current solution.

>   XSL can't process an XML document very well because it's not
> a powerful language. They add xsl:if or xsl:for-each but who wants
> to write a program with the XML syntax 

Using xsl:if and xsl:for-each is not programming, and XSL is not a
programming language. Conditionals and iteration are not enough to make
something into a programming language.

> ? They said, we'll add a script solution
> after because users can do stupid things with this, but for the moment,
> they don't propose an another solution for this. So we have to write programs
> to do the job.
>
>   So, I'm looking for an another solution, different than XSL. Any idea ?

You're looking for a different solution than XSL because XSL doesn't do
everything you want *yet* (though it is intended to eventually?). What
makes you think that your different solution would be available before XSL
was completed?
 
 Paul Prescod  - http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco

Bart: Dad, do I really have to brush my teeth?
Homer: No, but at least wash your mouth out with soda.



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