Push Button Paradise

On the verge of writing up my thoughts on XSLT 2.0, Eliot Kimber beats me to it.

After a period of serious doubt about XSLT 2 and it's advantages over XSLT 1.0, driven largely by concerns about the implications of schema-aware processing and datatypes, I must say that I am now firmly convinced of the value of XSLT 2.

I have no need for the Schema stuff myself, though I realize that some might. The Schema-specific sections are fairly easy to just skip over, and the damage to the type system is minimal except in rare cases. I find sheer bulk (and separation over so many documents) the main impediment toward reading the spec.

XSLT 2.0 is a power tool. I don't think it will displace XSLT 1.0, which is remarkable for its power in a small package. (For example, it has been independently implemented several times in JavaScript.) In particular, I don't see XForms ever adopting it. Still, I'm happy to have it in my toolbox. -m

posted at: 20:24 | under: 2005-05 | 1 comment(s)