Extensible Stylesheet Language

A family of languages called eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) which allows one to describe how files encoded in the XML standard are to be formatted or transformed. There are three languages in the family:

XSL Transformations (XSLT): an XML language for transforming XML documents

XSL Formatting Objects (XSL-FO): an XML language for specifying the visual formatting of an XML document

the XML Path Language (XPath): For addressing the parts of an XML document a non-XML language used by XSLT, and also available for use in non-XSLT contexts.

These all three specifications are available in the form of W3C Recommendations.

The term XSL is sometimes used to refer to a Microsoft variant of XSLT developed as an implementation of an early (1998) W3C draft of the XSLT language, with Microsoft-specific extensions and omissions. Other commentators generally refer to this dialect as WD-xsl. The dialect was later superseded by a conformant implementation of the W3C specification.

History

An attempt to bring the functionality of DSSSL, XSL started. Particularly in the area of print and high-end typesetting to XML. A W3C Working group on XSL was started in December 1997, with Sharon Adler and Steve Zilles as co-chairs, with James Clark acting as editor (and unofficially as chief designer), and Chris Lilley as W3C staff contact. The group released a first public Working Draft on 18 August 1998. On 16 November 1999 XSLT and XPath became W3C Recommendations and XSL reached Recommendation status on 15 October 2001.

Example: XML with XSL

Here fraction of the XML files and the second line links the XML file to the XSL file:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE LANGLIST SYSTEM "langlist.dtd">
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="xmlstyle.xsl"?>
<LANGLIST>
<TITLE>List of Items Important to Markup Languages</TITLE>
<TITLE1>Languages</TITLE1>
<LIST1>
<LANGUAGES>SGML</LANGUAGES>
<LANGUAGES>XML</LANGUAGES>
<LANGUAGES>HTML</LANGUAGES>
</LIST1>
<TITLE2>Other Support</TITLE2>
<LIST2>
<OTHER>DTD</OTHER>
<OTHER>DSSSL</OTHER>
<OTHER>Style Sheets</OTHER>
</LIST2>
</LANGLIST>

The XML Style File

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xsl">

<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:apply-templates select="LANGLIST/TITLE" />
<xsl:apply-templates select="LANGLIST/TITLE1" />
<xsl:apply-templates select="LANGLIST/LIST1" />
<xsl:apply-templates select="LANGLIST/TITLE2" />
<xsl:apply-templates select="LANGLIST/LIST2" />
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="TITLE">

<xsl:value-of />

 
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="TITLE1">

<xsl:value-of />

 
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="LIST1">
<UL style="display: 'list-item'; list-style-image: url('bullet8.gif'); font-family: 'arial'; color: '#000000'; font-weight: '400'; margin-left: '15pt'; margin-top: '12pt'; font-size: '18'">
<xsl:for-each select="LANGUAGES">
<LI style="display: 'list-item'; list-style-type: 'square'; list-style-image: url('bullet8.gif'); font-family: 'arial'; color: '#ff0000'; font-weight: '300'; margin-left: '15pt'; margin-top: '12pt'; font-size: '16'">
<xsl:value-of />
</LI>
</xsl:for-each>
</UL>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="TITLE2">

<xsl:value-of />

 
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="LIST2">
<UL style="display: 'list-item'; list-style-image: url('bullet8.gif'); font-family: 'arial'; color: '#000000'; font-weight: '400'; margin-left: '15pt'; margin-top: '12pt'; font-size: '18'">
<xsl:for-each select="OTHER">
<LI style="display: 'list-item'; list-style-type: 'square'; list-style-image: url('bullet8.gif'); font-family: 'arial'; color: '#0000ff'; font-weight: '200'; margin-left: '15pt'; margin-top: '12pt'; font-size: '14'">
<xsl:value-of "."/>
</LI>
</xsl:for-each>
</UL>
</xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

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