RE: CSS and XSL

Frank Boumphrey wrote:

>
>
> As far as I see it CSS and XSL serve two different clientels. Those who
> merely want to decorate a parse tree and those who want to transform it.
>
>
>  XSL and CSS use two different methods to decorate the parse tree.
>
> I
>
>
>
> why not put CSS in XML syntax. Well to retain all the information it would
> not only be more verbose, it would also be more difficult to parse.

	Perhaps more verbose, but I will use my XML parser so it is quite easy to
parse.
>
>  CSS is a compact, easy to understand, and easy to program style language.
> As written CSS syntax is sparing of resources. Even when one uses
> a built in
> xml parser
>
>
>
>
> body{
> 	background-color:red;
> 	color:green;
> 	}
>
> .emphasis{
> 	font-weight:bold;
> 	font-style:italic;
> 	}
>
> Is  not only  terser, but technically easier to parse than:

	How can this be parsed using an XML parser?
>
> <css-style>
> 	<css-rule>
> 		<css-selector type="element">body</css-selector>
> 			<css-declaration>
>
> <css-property>background-color</css-property>
> 				<css-value>red</css-value>
> 			<css-declaration>
>
> 			<css-declaration>
> 				<css-property>color</css-property>
> 				<css-value>green</css-value>
> 			<css-declaration>
> 	<css-rule>
>
> 	<css-rule>
> 		<css-selector type="class">emphasis</css-selector>
> 			<css-declaration>
> 				<css-property>font-weight</css-property>
> 				<css-value>bold</css-value>
> 			<css-declaration>
>
> 			<css-declaration>
> 				<css-property>font-style</css-property>
> 				<css-value>italic</css-value>
> 			<css-declaration>
> 	<css-rule>
> </css-style>

	The verbosity is an artifact of the syntax you define.

	why not:

	<css:style>
		<css:rule select="body" type="element">
			<css:property name="background-color" value="red" />
			<css:property name="color" value="green" />
		</css:rule>
		<css:rule select="emphasis" type="class">
			<css:property name="font-weight value="bold" />
			<css:property name="font-style" value="italic" />
		</css:rule>
	</css:style>

	This is hardly more verbose than CSS itself but is XML, and can be built
via XSL. Same number of lines as your example (assuming you include the
<style> </style> wrapper). I'll race you to parse the two :-)

Jonathan Borden
http://jabr.ne.mediaone.net


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