I have been messing with xslt off and on since I became a sharepoint administrator, it uses xslt alot for displaying list data. I have recently started using it to transform database results that I have converted to xml using an extension method. I am trying to produce clean html.
My first attempt, worked fine. However I used for-each all over the place, I have since read that is a bad thing to do. I read a bunch of stuff about using keys, but I couldn't understand that or get it to work. So I rewrote this style sheet, below to the one that is below it. It uses templates with no for-each.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
<xsl:template match="/">
<html>
<head>
<link rel="Stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../styles/BoxReportStyle.css" />
</head>
<body>
<span class="BoxReport">
<h2>Checked Out Boxes by Department with Transaction History</h2>
Count=<xsl:value-of select="count( /CheckedOutBoxes/row ) "/>
<!-- Get the divisions, since we are groing to group by division-->
<xsl:variable name="DivisionList" select="/CheckedOutBoxes/row[ not( Division = preceding-sibling::row/Division ) ]/Division" />
<xsl:for-each select="$DivisionList">
<xsl:variable name="DivisionName" select="." />
<h3>
<xsl:value-of disable-output-escaping="yes" select="$DivisionName "/>
</h3>
<!-- Get the list of departments, so we can group by department -->
<xsl:variable name="DepartmentList" select="/CheckedOutBoxes/row[ Division = $DivisionName and not( Department = preceding-sibling::row/Department) ]/Department" />
<xsl:for-each select="$DepartmentList">
<xsl:variable name="DepartmentName" select="." />
<h4>
<xsl:value-of disable-output-escaping="yes" select="$DepartmentName"/>
</h4>
<xsl:variable name="Rows" select="/CheckedOutBoxes/row[ Division = $DivisionName and Department = $DepartmentName ]" />
<!-- Start displaying the checked out box information for this division and department -->
<table>
<th>Box Number</th>
<th>Status Name</th>
<th>Entry Date</th>
<th>Description</th>
<xsl:for-each select="$Rows">
<tr>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="BoxNumber"/>
</td>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="StatusName"/>
</td>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="EntryDate"/>
</td>
<td width="200px">
<xsl:value-of disable-output-escaping="yes" select="Description"/>
</td>
</tr>
<!-- Now display the transaction history if there is any-->
<xsl:if test=" count( Transaction ) > 0 ">
<tr>
<td></td> <!-- One blank row to shift things over-->
<td colspan="3">
<!-- Display transaction table-->
<table class="SubTable">
<th>Transaction Date</th>
<th>Requestor</th>
<th>Comments</th>
<xsl:for-each select="Transaction" >
<tr>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="TransactionDate"/>
</td>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="Requestor"/>
</td>
<td width="200px">
<xsl:value-of disable-output-escaping="yes" select="Comments"/>
</td>
</tr>
</xsl:for-each>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</xsl:if>
</xsl:for-each>
</table>
</xsl:for-each>
</xsl:for-each>
</span>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
I have now rewrote that to this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
<xsl:template match="/">
<html>
<head>
<link rel="Stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../styles/BoxReportStyle.css" />
</head>
<body>
<span class="BoxReport">
<h2>Checked Out Boxes by Department with Transaction History</h2>
Count=<xsl:value-of select="count( /CheckedOutBoxes/row ) "/>
<xsl:apply-templates mode="Division" select="/CheckedOutBoxes/row[ not( Division = preceding-sibling::row/Division ) ]"></xsl:apply-templates>
</span>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template mode="Division" match="row">
<h3>
<xsl:value-of select="Division" disable-output-escaping="yes"/>
</h3>
<xsl:variable name="DivisionName" select="Division" />
<xsl:apply-templates mode="Department" select="/CheckedOutBoxes/row[ Division = $DivisionName and not( Department = preceding-sibling::row/Department ) ]"></xsl:apply-templates>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template mode="Department" match="row">
<h4>
<xsl:value-of select="Department" disable-output-escaping="yes"/>
</h4>
<xsl:variable name="DivisionName" select="Division" />
<xsl:variable name="DepartmentName" select="Department" />
<table>
<th>Box Number</th>
<th>Status Name</th>
<th>Entry Date</th>
<th>Description</th>
<xsl:apply-templates mode="row" select="/CheckedOutBoxes/row[ Division = $DivisionName and Department = $DepartmentName ]" ></xsl:apply-templates>
</table>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template mode="row" match="row">
<tr>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="BoxNumber"/>
</td>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="StatusName"/>
</td>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="EntryDate"/>
</td>
<td width="200px">
<xsl:value-of disable-output-escaping="yes" select="Description"/>
</td>
</tr>
<!-- Display Transaction stuff as another row if we have any -->
<xsl:if test=" count( Transaction ) > 0 ">
<tr>
<td></td><!-- Shift the transaction over-->
<td colspan="3">
<!-- Start Transaction Table -->
<table class="SubTable">
<th>Transaction Date</th>
<th>Requestor</th>
<th>Comments</th>
<xsl:apply-templates select="Transaction">
<xsl:sort order="descending" select="TransactionDate"/>
</xsl:apply-templates>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</xsl:if>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match="Transaction">
<tr>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="TransactionDate"/>
</td>
<td>
<xsl:value-of select="Requestor"/>
</td>
<td width="200px">
<xsl:value-of disable-output-escaping="yes" select="Comments"/>
</td>
</tr>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
I did not include sample input and output, as that is all auto generated. If it is needed I can take alot of time, and try to produce something.
My question is, is this a better way to do it? Also if the key way is better could someone explain it, or provide a link to a good explanation?