[development] XML transformations using XSL

[Farsheed]

Thanks for all the feedback.  It seems that XSLT is
useful in applications where the data is *only*
available through XML, but otherwise working with the
database is much easier.  I'll probably stick with PHP
functions, maybe try to find a way to make XML
generation a generalized process.

One interesting thing I've seen macromedia do is
they'll have an 'import xml schema' feature where you
load in an example xml file and it reads the structure
and then provides that as a structured template.  Then
you bind data from your own application to different
parts of the template and it generates the feed for
you.  This way it would be easy to define new XML. But
again, don't know if this would really be any easier
or faster than a custom php function.  

Another advantage to having this setup is that you
could do the reverse: parse incoming feeds with the
same template and insert fields into the database by
binding the data. 




--- drupal <vlado at dikini.net> wrote:

> > Yup. Using XSLT adds a hell of a lot more 'moving
> parts' than is  
> > strictly necessary, and in general working with a
> database is far far simpler, and more  
> > easily maintainable by a larger group of people.
> Yep, and strictly speaking XSL is an overcomplicated
> beast - too general
> for its own good. It can be useful is some specific
> cases, but within
> drupal it is better to stick to php. It is a XML
> processing instruction
> after all, hence the <?php ?>
> 
> 


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