Re: alternating tags in a list?

Guy,

   I'm not saying what a developer can and cannot do in scripting. I'm
just saying that it doesn't really make sense (to me) to use XSL for my
second example. I am also not suggesting that W3 control what you do in
scripting. I would like to see scripting added to the XSL spec, but I
would like some simple guidlines for compatability across XSL Processor
implementations. I do have ECMAScript support in my processor, I use the
FESI interpreter for this. FESI supports Java classes and therefor you
can access a database. I agree with you that it's up to the "developer"
to choose the best environment to do their development in. As a
developer I can appreciate the freedom that I have in design and
implementation of a system. For almost any task there can be many
possible implementations. 

--Keith


Guy_Murphy@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> Hi.
> 
> To address your first point, whether you're using ASP, LiveWire, PHP, or
> servlets is irrelevant, my main oncern is that XSL should provide the
> functionality on the server that these give.
> 
> At the moment I'm looking to utilise hybrid ASP/XML documents, formatted
> with XSL, but this is not effecient.
> 
> As far as my initial concern, if XSL cannot replace ASP and LiveWire, then
> on the server-side we'll probably be using proprietry XSL parsers. As
> somebody developing with ASP if a standard is introduced that addresses my
> needs I'll take whatever MS has to offer.
> 
> And I really can't see the point of this type of scripting, but not that
> type of scripting, is this another suggestion that XSL should somehow
> school good practice in dvelopers? I really do wish people would get off
> that one. Let developers worry about their own coding practices please.
> Beside, one could argue that the only safe way to introduce scripting into
> XSL would be to drop ECMAScript into it, in such a case is a particular
> environment expsoses DB object to it ::shrug:: how would you suggest
> prohibiting this?
> 
> I grant that you might not like your second example.... don't code in that
> manner then. If I find it expedient, then that's my choice.
> 
> And that is the crux of the situation... choice.
> 
> Can we have a shout here from other people invloved in web applications...
> E-Commerce, News Feeds, and Information Management etc. What are your
> percieved needs from XSL? I ask because I identify immediately with
> Didier's comments, and I know from taking a walk around the UK Online Show
> that there are alot of NT boxes out there delivering via ASP, or similar
> platforms, with alot of developers getting ready to move to XML/XSL.
> 
> Cheers
>      Guy.
> 
> xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on 12/18/98 09:00:14 PM
> 
> To:   xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> cc:    (bcc: Guy Murphy/UK/MAID)
> Subject:  Re: alternating tags in a list?
> 
> ASP is not the only web-based server development environment out there.
> Netscape uses LiveWire (Server-Side JavaScript)...and almost any server
> can support Java Servlets.
> Write your LiveWire or Servlet or ASP application to access your
> relational database. If you wish to leverage XSL you can turn your query
> results (tables) into an XML document and then run the XML through an
> XSL processor using a specified stylesheet.
> I don't see XSL as a threat to ASP or as competition to ASP. XSL is
> meant for "styling" an XML document. Its not meant to be a web-based
> programming environment. I do feel that scripting should be allowed in
> an xsl stylesheet, but only to access the relevant objects. Relevant
> objects would include the source tree or result tree. Scripting should
> also provide some additional computing power such as mathematical
> expressions which gets back to how this thread ("alternating tags in a
> list?") started.
> I feel that the following should be allowed (the "this" keyword
> references the current "source" element that is being processed,
> "number" would return the position of the given element):
> ...
> <xsl:template match="employee">
>  <TD>
>  <xsl:process select="name"/>
>  </TD>
> <xsl:script>
>  if ((number(this) % 2) == 1)
>    return "<![CDATA[</TR><TR>]]>";
>  else
>    return "";
> </xsl:script>
> </xsl:template>
> ...
> I don't think the next example should be allowed, it really has nothing
> to do with XML or XSL other than using XML elements for specifying my
> actions, and I think this is what you two are suggesting:
> ...
> <xsl:template match="/*">
> <xsl:script>
>    var connection =        Database.getConnection("ORACLE",
> "beq-local","myuser","mypass");
>    var query = "SELECT * FROM exmployees";
>    var cursor = connection.cursor(query);
>    while (cursor.next()) {
>       write(cursor.name);
>    }
> </xsl:script>
> </xsl:template>
> ...
> --Keith
> Didier PH Martin wrote:
> >
> > Hi Guy,
> >
> > You said:
> > XSL is a direct threat to ASP, you can garantee that MS will be all over
> > it, and if they can manage another "embrace and extend" flanking
> maneuver,
> > they will. The W3C are fools if they ignore this. Denying the reality of
> it
> > will just see them loosing control of main-stream XSL to MS.
> >
> > Personaly I hope the W3C can avoid making this mistake.
> >
> > Reply:
> > Right on!!
> >
> > So, if we can use scripts in rules, we'll be able to access data bases
> (XSL
> > in its current state cannot do that). So, if XSL has the right stuff, we
> may
> > have it on Appache, Netscape, etc... and be able to do what is more and
> more
> > needed: accessing relational databases.
> >
> > For W3 people:
> > Have you heard of Internet computing?? Have you heard recently of
> > e-commerce??? How can we do that without accessing databases? If at least
> we
> > have something more standard than ASP that could be easily transported on
> > different HTTP servers, XSL for instance (with the right tools embedded
> in
> > the language).
> >
> > Then, if people are asking for scripting features it is that XSL in its
> > current form do not have any mechanism to access data bases. My question
> is
> > then: How could we do that with XSL? Without a good answer to this
> question,
> > I'll say like Guy. Microsoft is a monopoly _because_ some let them be so
> and
> > it seems that W3 is among these. I know daddy government is there to
> resolve
> > the issue :-)))
> >
> > Didier PH Martin
> > mailto:martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > http://www.netfolder.com
> >
> >  XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
> 
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> 
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