XSL - On the Server

Since not all browsers support XML and XSL, one solution is to transform the XML to XHTML on the server.

A Cross Browser Solution

In the previous chapter we explained how XSL can be used to transform a document from XML to XHTML in the browser. We let a JavaScript use an XML parser to do the transformation. This solution will not work with a browser that doesn't support an XML parser.

To make XML data available to all kinds of browsers, we have to transform the XML document on the SERVER and send it as pure XHTML to the BROWSER.

That's another beauty of XSL! One of the design goals for XSL was to make it possible to transform data from one format to another on a server, returning readable data to all kinds of future browsers.

XSL transformation on the server is bound to be a major part of the Internet Information Server work tasks in the future, as we will see a growth in the specialized browser market (Braille, aural browsers, Web printers, handheld devices, etc.)

The XML file and the XSL file

Take a new look at the XML document that you saw in the previous chapters:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<catalog>
  <cd>
    <title>Empire Burlesque</title>
    <artist>Bob Dylan</artist>
    <country>USA</country>
    <company>Columbia</company>
    <price>10.90</price>
    <year>1985</year>
  </cd>
.
.
.
</catalog>

If you have Netscape 6 or IE 5 or higher you can view the XML file.

And the accompanying XSL style sheet:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0"
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">

<xsl:template match="/">
  <html>
  <body>
    <h2>My CD Collection</h2> 
    <table border="1">
      <tr bgcolor="#9acd32">
        <th align="left">Title</th> 
        <th align="left">Artist</th> 
      </tr>
      <xsl:for-each select="catalog/cd">
      <tr>
        <td><xsl:value-of select="title" /></td>
        <td><xsl:value-of select="artist" /></td>
      </tr>
      </xsl:for-each>
  </table>
  </body>
  </html>
</xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

If you have Netscape 6 or IE 5 or higher you can view the XSL file.

Note: Be sure that the XML file does not have a reference to the XSL file.

IMPORTANT: The above sentence indicates that an XML file on the server could be transformed using many different XSL files.

Transforming XML to XHTML on the Server

Here is the source code needed to transform the XML file to XHTML on the server:

<%
'Load XML
set xml = Server.CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")
xml.async = false
xml.load(Server.MapPath("cdcatalog.xml"))

'Load XSL
set xsl = Server.CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")
xsl.async = false
xsl.load(Server.MapPath("cdcatalog.xsl"))

'Transform file
Response.Write(xml.transformNode(xsl))
%>

Tip: If you don't know how to write ASP, you can study our ASP tutorial.

The first block of code creates an instance of the Microsoft XML parser (XMLDOM), and loads the XML file into memory. The second block of code creates another instance of the parser and loads the XSL document into memory. The last line of code transforms the XML document using the XSL document, and returns the result to the browser. Nice!

See how it works.

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