[topicmapmail] stupid question?

[alexander.johannesen@bekk.no]

Hello,

I wrote:
| | I'm currently in the works of writing an XSLT-extension for
| | TM-handling, because I do a lot of work in XSLT already.

Lars Marius Garshol wrote:
> Wrong reason, I think. :)

I don't quite understand how. I do understand that we use the right tool
for the job, but in a setup where most - if not all - work is done through
XSLT, I don't really see bringing a new technology and platform into it to
be a *better* solution. In an ideal world you choose whatever suits the
problem, but in a lot in my cases - especially working with people who
can't / refuse to use anything else - I must keep the development
environment as clean as possible. Convincing people to use anything but
their favourite tool is like convincing people that Topic Maps is a better
approach than whatever they're doing now; it takes time.

Having said all that, I'm blessed with the fact that the XSLT-parser is
written in Python, so to add useful tools to *that* environment seems like
the right thing to do. Extensions to XSLT is not bad per se, just less
portable and slightly more complicated to set up.

If you on the other hand have alternative good solutions to TM
implementation into a fully XSLT-environment, then I'd be most happy to
hear them. The only thing that springs to mind is tools that convert XTM
into structural XML for further XSLT processing. Any such tool that comes
to mind, and maybe a standard for (somewhat more) structural representation
of TM's?

> [...] and topic maps are not at all XML-like.

I agree that the flat model of the XTM is not ideal for XSLT
transformations. But "not ideal" is not the same as "can't" or even
"should't" be done, but I do see your point.

I also agree with the problems of XML and identity. One thing that I'd like
to stress, though, is wheter XSLT is used in a dynamic or static fashion,
and as my work is mostly done in static frameworks for building larger
prototypes I find that XSLT gives me what I need to perform this job in a
simple and good fashion. Of course, and this might be *the* main point on
your side, is that I use rather simplistic TM's with only a few scope-rules
and set associations. I guess I wouldn't dare to go full on with TM in
XSLT, so I'll just keep quiet now. :)

> Jonathan Robie tried to
> show how XQuery function libraries might help, but I wasn't
> convinced.

Not that I'm out to convince you, but what does it take to convince you?


Regards,

Alexander

B  |  alexander johannesen, senior consultant
E  |  47 982 19 326, alexander.johannesen@bekk.no
K  |  bekk consulting as, pb 134 sentrum, 0102 oslo, norway
K  |  www.bekk.no