Re: More XSL Discussion

[Paul Grosso]
>
>I think there are some theoretical disconnects here.  

>Insofar as XSL specifies the mapping of an XML document into a flow object
tree,
>it clearly makes no sense to talk about "half elements."  The "right hand side"
>of an XSL construction rule specifies an action to perform on the flow object
>tree that is being constructed.  This tree consists of objects.  There is
>no such thing as half an object.  This is where XSL starts from.

So what are you saying? That doing this:

<!-- XSL based report writer written in two seconds. Understandable
in one second, and a lot easier to write, maintain and run than
an equivalent perl, python, omnimark, c++, scheme, tcl, adept program
would ever be -->
<element type = "chapter">
 <element type = "sect1">
  <target-element type = "title">
   println (...) 

is an abuse of XSL?

There are two sides to the XSL biscuit as I see it. 

1) a) Declarative syntax for patterns/actions
   b) Implicit tree walk and pattern triggering via rule arbitration

2) the flow object construction apparatus

You seem to think they are inextricable. I fail to see why this
has to be true. That is my "disconnect". I see value
in a declarative syntax for patterns & actions. I see value
in tree construction via flow object trees. I just don't
see why using the former but not the latter is should be
a "disconnect" with the intent of XSL. Frankly, I think it
would add power to XSL.

>We never talk about creating tags and markup in XSL, we talk about specifying  
>the creation of objects/elements, the attachment of characteristics/attributes,
>and the copying, creating, suppressing of character data.  XSL is not meant to
>specify a character-based transformation process;

As I said, I see this as a two sided biscuit, with choclate on
*both* sides that can be licked independently :-)

> it does not create an "output
>format," it builds a tree; it is inherently object-based.  It makes no
sense in 
>this light to talk of half elements.

I don't see why this must be so. I would like to see some good
arguments as to why this must be so as you seem to be
suggesting.






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