Re: xml->xsl->pdf

On Wed, 23 May 2001, jon wrote:
> hi,
> 
> i tried searching for this on the mulberry site but it looks like the search
> engine is down. i'd like to know if there is a way to convert xml to pdf
> format using xslt. anybody have experience doing this type of thing and if
> so, can you show some examples or point me to a web site that has some?

I do this when I need better quality formatting or a higher
level or automation than current FO applications provide. I
transform XML to LaTeX using a text-mode XSLT file, and then run
pdfLaTeX on the output. Works perfectly, except you need to take
care in the XSLT file to exclude some of the extra spacing, even
with white-space squished. But you do need to know LaTeX to do
this. It's not hard but learning an extra language is sometimes
one layer too much for some circumstances. Personally I think
the results justify it.

What I'd _like_ is a latex-mode for XSLT, which would accept 
literal-result templates in XML syntax and emit LaTeX source, eg

<xsl:template match="div2/head">
  <subsection/>
    <xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="ill">
  <figure>
    <xsl:apply-templates/>
  </figure>
</xsl:template>

would generate

\subsection{foo}
\begin{figure}
more foo
\end{figure}

I've been meaning to learn Java properly: maybe someone can point
me at the existing modules I need to dissect to see how html
and text modes work, this would keep me quiet for the summer
:-)

///Peter
  


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