Скачать или смотреть How to Use XPath Predicates to Limit XML Node Displays in XSLT

Learn how to effectively limit the display of XML nodes using XPath predicates in XSLT transformations. Optimize your XML presentation with this straightforward guide.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/75277614/ asked by the user 'mirexS' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9748438/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/75278031/ provided by the user 'michael.hor257k' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/3016153/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Understanding the Problem: Limiting XML Node Displays

XML data is often used to handle structured information, making it essential to display this data correctly when transforming it into other formats such as HTML. A common challenge faced when working with XML is limiting the visibility of nodes. In this guide, we’ll tackle a specific case involving XML representation of personal data and how to use XPath predicates to control which nodes are displayed when converting the XML to an HTML table format.

The XML Structure

Let's take a look at the XML structure you might be dealing with:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This XML data contains multiple entries under the <prsn> tags, each representing a person with various attributes such as fname, lname, age, addrss, and city. Your goal is to display this information as a clean table, perhaps showing only a subset of these records.

The Desired Output Format

The goal is to convert the XML into a table that displays specific data in a structured manner, like so:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The XSLT Solution: Transforming XML with XPath

To achieve the desired output, leveraging XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) is key. Specifically, we're going to focus on how to employ predicates in XPath to control which prsn nodes are selected in the transformation process.

Step-by-step Guide

Basic Setup: Start by defining the XSLT stylesheet version and output method.

Parameters for Pagination: Use parameters to control how many records appear on a page.

Here's a straightforward example of an XSLT that accomplishes the desired output:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breaking Down the Code

Parameters: We defined two parameters, pag and frme, that help manage pagination (e.g., telling the XSLT how many records to display).

Variables: Inside the match template for /persns, the $start variable determines which records to begin displaying, based on the pag parameter.

Record Selection: The rec variable selects the relevant prsn nodes based on their position, limiting the output to only that subset.

Table Creation: A table is dynamically built with <tr> and <td> elements nested within a loop that goes through each attribute and displays its values.

Conclusion

Using XPath predicates effectively in XSLT can make a big difference in how you present your XML data. By understanding the structure and correctly applying transformations, you can tailor the displays to meet specific requirements, ensuring clean and user-friendly output. With practice, these techniques become integral tools in managing XML data in your projects.

If you have questions or need further assistance with XSLT transformations, feel free to leave a comment below!