Now that you've seen a little of the functionality of XML, I'd like to pose a question: With content separated into well-formed and valid XML files, what is there that XSL can't do with your content?
As I've shown, the data can be manipulated then dropped into a layout of your choosing. Or the data can be manipulated so that it's more useful to another application. Really, how much more is there?
Again, we're getting to the core of the idea of extensibility. Once the data is defined, we can do whatever we want with it. If we can look forward to a time of XML-enabled word processors and spreadsheets and presentation programs, the same set of data will really be reusable for almost any purpose.
XSLT can be used on either the backend or within the browser.
Microsoft's IE 5 has an XSLT processor built in; it's the same one that's
used within ASP pages. Microsoft provides extensive documentation on the use of this feature. Mozilla will also support XSL, using a processor built by XML-super-programmer James Clark. If you're planning on working with XML, you should be familiar with Mr. Clark's
tools.
Originally XSLT was part of a two-part spec that was known as just XSL.
It included both a transformation language and a set of commands for
layout. This latter portion, now a
spec all its own, is an ambitious language that would allow one stylesheet
to define layout for both the Web and print. It will probably be a while
before you need to add that to your resume.
In the meantime, there's plenty to be done with XSLT.
