XSLT 2.0: More Power, Less Hassle

In this tutorial, we’ll focus on the new features of XSLT 2.0. We’ll demonstrate how new constructs in the language simplify your stylesheets, often removing the need for recursion and replacing complicated logic with a single function call. We’ll highlight the new grouping instructions in particular.

We’ll look at the new operators in XPath 2.0, and the schema support that greatly improves the validation capabilities of your stylesheets. Iteration and sequence operators are powerful new additions to the language as well.

We’ll discuss migration issues as you move from XSLT 1.0 to XSLT 2.0 (including the question of whether you should migrate at all). Finally, we’ll demonstrate various extension mechanisms for the Java and .Net platforms.

Along the way we’ll look at dozens of examples (source code provided, of course), illustrating how to transform common data formats in a variety of useful ways, generating HTML pages, PDF files, JPEG and SVG graphics and zip files, among others.

You’ll leave the session with a complete overview of XSLT 2.0, how it impacts your existing stylesheets and the environments in which it’s practical to use XSLT 2.0.

XSLT 2.0 is a major advance in XML processing; after this session you’ll understand the best way to take advantage of it.