Benefits of Using Stylus Studio

Now that you have an understanding of what a stylesheet can do, you can appreciate the benefits of using Stylus Studio to create them. Stylus Studio is the first integrated environment for creating, managing, and maintaining an XSL-enabled Web presence. By combining the tools needed to create XSLT stylesheets in a visual editing environment, Stylus Studio speeds initial development and eases maintenance. Key elements of Stylus Studio's XSLT features include

Structural Data View

Sophisticated Editing Environment

XSLT and Java Debugging Features

Integrated XML Parser/XSLT Processor

Structural Data View

Stylus Studio graphically displays the structure, or schema, of the XML data to which you want to apply a stylesheet.

Figure 189. Tree View Lets You Easily Edit XSLT

Using this tree view, you can apply formatting to your XML - double-clicking a node in the tree automatically adds an xsl:template match= instruction for that node, for example. Similarly, when you drag a node into the XSLT source, Stylus Studio displays a pop-up menu that allows you to easily insert an XSLT instruction.

Figure 190. Stylus Studio Displays XSLT Instructions for Quick Editing

Finally, you can also use the tree to move quickly among different XSLT templates - clicking a node in the tree places the cursor at the corresponding template in the XSLT source.

Sophisticated Editing Environment

The Stylus Studio editor allows you to edit both the XML source document and the XSLT stylesheet. There is no need to memorize complicated syntax. As you type, Stylus Studio Sense:X technology automatically suggests XSLT or HTML tag and attribute names, and ensures that all XML is well formed.

Figure 191. Sense:X Speeds Coding, Reduces Errors

Sense:X also adapts to your document by suggesting more frequently used tags first. Valid XSLT and HTML tag names are color coded to improve readability.

XSLT and Java Debugging Features

Complex stylesheets require robust debugging features. With Stylus Studio, you can do the following:

Set breakpoints in your stylesheet.

Monitor the value of XSLT variables.

Trace the sequence of XSLT instructions that created HTML output. With a click anywhere in the rendered HTML page, Stylus Studio Visual Backmapping technology displays the XSLT instructions responsible for creating that portion of HTML output.

Figure 192. Click to HTML Output to Backmap to XSLT Source

Also, you can click in the stylesheet and the backmapping feature highlights the text generated by that template.

Use the XSLT Profiling report to review performance metrics to help troubleshoot and tune your XSLT stylesheets.


		XSLT Profiling is available only in Stylus Studio XML Professional Suite.

Integrated XML Parser/XSLT Processor

Stylus Studio integrates an XML parser with an XSLT processor. This allows Stylus Studio to instantly show the output of your stylesheet. Each time you apply a stylesheet to an XML document, Stylus Studio detects and flags any errors in your stylesheet or XML data.

Stylus Studio's default XSLT processor is compliant with the W3C XSLT Recommendation. You can also use custom processors of your own.

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