RE: XSLT Editor? Help Please (from a newbie)

I've heard of very few positive experiences with tools that try to write the
XSLT code for you, as distinct from tools that help you write it. They just
double your debugging problem: instead of "why does my XSLT code produce
this output" you now have to ask "why does my mapping tool produce XSLT that
produces this output"? If you don't understand the XSLT code then you're
never going to do anything complex, and if you're never going to do anything
complex then it's not worth buying the tool.

Michael Kay 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jarrell R. Dunson, III 
> [mailto:jarrell_dunson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 11 May 2004 15:16
> To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:  XSLT Editor? Help Please (from a newbie)
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
> - I'm a newbie to XSLT ...and am trying to learn. Can you help?
> 
> 
>   *** What do you use as an editor for your XSLT documents. ***
> 
> 
> - I'm trying to find a software tool...where a user can generate a
> prelimnary, generic XSLT file based on
> the format of an XSD file (or XML file)...that's fairly cheap 
> in price.
> 
> - I recently bought XMLSpy Home Edition...and was impressed 
> by its ability
> to help a user create an
> XML Schema (XSD) file, and the XML file itself....but was sorely
> dissappointed when it came to
> creating an XSLT output file.  The answer from the helpdesk 
> was that users
> of XMLSpy Home must
> manually code their XSLT documents - and that there's more 
> available in the
> Professional
> Version (The jump to XMLSpy Professional is about $450).
> 
> - XMLSpy also has Stylevision that will help form (or map) XSLT
> documents...but the  purchase price is just under $400.
> 
> 
> However, not wanting to go with a $400 jump ....I've been 
> looking elsewhere:
> 
> - I've looked at:
> 	-- XSLMaker ($349),
> 	-- Contivo ($199),
> 	-- EZxslt ($129),
> 	-- Stylus Studio ($395),
> 	-- Saxon (Unk price for professional version),
> 	-- Treebeard,
> 	-- Cocoon,
> 	-- Komodo and Visual XSLT have cheaper end, educational 
> version...
> 	...and others.
> 
> - I've tried GNU, Oreilly XML, Surgeforge.net...
> 
> - The best tool I've found is Notetab (see www.notetab.com) , 
> with the free
> XSLT clip library...but it
> is still a highly, manual process..
> 
> - Do you have any recommendations? ...on good, cheaper-end software
> tool....?
> 
> Thanks ahead of time,
> 
> Jarrell
> 
> 
> 
> Jarrell R. Dunson, III
> Asbury Theological Seminary
> Administrative Computing Coordinator
> Jarrell_Dunson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> (859) 858-2379 (direct)
> (859) 858-2330 (fax)