[kwlug-disc] XML / XSL / XSD/ XSLT 'development' 'environment' / 'gui'?

[unsolicited]

 > You haven't decided to follow that path.
 >
 > Yet.

I don't disagree. Certainly even the programmer now agrees. And it's 
what Khalid first intimated.

But it's ... WIG - What I've Got

UIFSB - Until I Find Something Better

(Been some years of searching. Problem has been moving target, e.g. 
Google / web / android came along, and Google took the world backwards, 
and somehow the world is OK with that. Things that make you go ...)

 > 2) hack the HTML.  use the existing / working xsl and then
 > post-process by hacking the resulting HTML by changing the CSS.  html
 > and css editing tools are fairly mature and not too user-hostile.

This is what I expect to happen. The point of my original post was to 
survey the landscape first. JIC - Just In Case.

Even then, if I'm reading things correctly, in essence the .xml (.xsl?) 
can contain what in essence are SQL queries. (XPATH, given Chris' kind 
note.) And no GUI tool is going to be able to chew on all possible query 
results - its XML, after all. Free structured throw in whatever 
inconsistent bit you're thinking about at the moment. (Never mind the 
later regrets. Full speed ahead!)


But, at the very least, any such discovered tool will help sink into the 
majority of the ecosystem - so when getting down to the code editor 
level, some of the greek will at least have some recognizable letters 
within it.

e.g. If such a tool displays a more friendly data dictionary, then it 
has its place. ALFTM - At Least For The Moment.

Can't help but think that XML was another one of those good ideas that 
didn't quite make it. I do wonder how much for lack of creation 
discipline, or lack of follow on tools, such as report writers. (Never 
mind how difficult on a free form database that concept is.) Was sort of 
hoping by now that SGHSCA - Something Good Has Since Come Along.

Guess not. But still looking / hoping ... for the moment.


Thanks for the post. Appreciate the levity.

- yep ... I've become aware of the w3schools link. Posting here was part 
of trying to narrow down how much of the universe I have to grok at a gulp.

- have had a bit of a deja on all this too ... some time ago I took a 
peek at OpenOffice (at the time) / .pdf forms. Was hoping for fill out 
on web, send the record via e-mail, reassemble at recipient. Only a 
peek. Closed somewhat quickly. Eek!
= problem had more to with delivering surrounding functionality, not so 
much the form itself - that at least, if only, looked to have a finite 
learning curve.

On 13-12-05 04:13 PM, Richard Weait wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 3:56 PM, unsolicited <unsolicited at swiz.ca> wrote:
> ...
>> Asking there too. No solutions / long term problem for that community, too.
>> Not being a Linux community, asked here. Bit of chicken and egg here -
>> learning curve. If I knew what I was looking for, I could try to leverage to
>> the other platform.
>
> Oddly, I've been there.  There was an OpenStreetMap rendering program
> that used xsl style sheets.  OpenStreetMap data is XML.  xslt did the
> rendering.  Even oddly-er, the program allowed distributed rendering
> so that many devices could combine to render an area faster. The end
> solution for the OpenStreetMap community was 1) find that XML is bad
> enough without needlessly subjecting oneself to xsl and xslt.  2)
> Maintainer gives up on the code.  3) it falls from use.
>
> You haven't decided to follow that path.
>
> Yet.
>
> So, I'll present two alternatives that I've used.
>
> 1) regexes to hack the XML.  This is the stupidest idea in the world.
> Regexes are not suited to XML and vice-versa.  Don't do this.  But it
> works, sometimes, FVSO "works".
>
> 2) hack the HTML.  use the existing / working xsl and then
> post-process by hacking the resulting HTML by changing the CSS.  html
> and css editing tools are fairly mature and not too user-hostile.
>
> And obviously, try changing the xsl to get the style you want rather
> than the style they gave you.  Try something other than the default
> fancy style if you are finding it a bit opaque to improve or otherwise
> end to your will. It may be that a simpler / earlier style will be
> simpler to grok.  But I'm sure you've done that already.
>
>
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