ALEPH XSL
Templates
New Print Concept
• Full data is delivered in XML format.
• XSL is used for format and layout.
• XML data + XSL language creates
an HTML print file.
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• As an aid in the customization
process, you can view the HTML file
in a browser, and print from there.
ALEPH XSL Templates
New Print Concept
• Customization (translation,
formatting and layout) can be an
iterative process, without having to
re-create the raw data. After XSL is
changed, XML data can be re-printed,
using new XSL definitions.
• We have our own tool (a client
application) for creating XSL.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Old System Print Product
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ALEPH XSL Templates
New System Print Product
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Why XML / XSL ?
• Built-in support for UTF-8 (= any
language can be printed).
• Fast growing standard – help and
support readily available.
• Regular text file – regular editor (vi,
notepad) used for maintenance.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Why XML / XSL ?
• XML file contains all the data from
the relevant Z record(s), independent
of what will be printed; therefore,
adding data to print form does not
require programming. Data fields are
easily added.
• XSL is a language which supports
include files – common blocks can be
encapsulated in common functions.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
XML Background
• XML – A standard for representing Data
and its meaning.
– Like HTML – every data element is surrounded
by tags.
– Unlike HTML – the tags are not standard, they
are defined by the author of the XML
document.
– Unlike HTML – the tags have semantic
meaning, no visual meaning, i.e. they say
nothing about how the data should be
presented.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
XML Example
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-stylesheet href="pres.xsl" type="text/xsl" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<emp>
<employee>
<first-name>John</first-name>
<last-name>Smith</last-name>
<birth-date>15/4/1975</birth-date>
</employee>
<employee>
<first-name>George</first-name>
<last-name>Dupont</last-name>
<birth-date>17/6/1985</birth-date>
</employee>
</emp>
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ALEPH XSL Templates
XSL Background
We use another standard / language
– XSL – to convert the XML data to
HTML presentation.
XSL syntax is based on XML – tags
everywhere.
Here is a small XSL program for
converting our XML example to
HTML:
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ALEPH XSL Templates
XSL Example
<xsl:stylesheet
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="1.0">
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:for-each select="//employee">
<b>First Name:</b> <xsl:value-of select="./first-name"/><br/>
<b>Last Name:</b> <xsl:value-of select="./last-name"/><br/>
<b>Birth Date:</b> <xsl:value-of select="./birth-date"/><br/>
</xsl:for-each>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
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ALEPH XSL Templates
XML + XSL = HTML
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ALEPH XSL Templates
A closer look
Let’s look at the following:
<xsl:for-each select=“//employee">
<b>First Name:</b> <xsl:value-of select="./firstname"/><br/>
We tell XSL to go through all the “employee” records, and
for each of them display:
• Literally ‘<b>First Name:</b>’
• The actual value of the current <first-name>
• Literally ‘<br/>
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That is: we combine:
• literal values, including HTML elements,
• Values to be taken from the contents of the XML file.
ALEPH XSL Templates
A Broader View
So, if we can add HTML elements to the
rendering, we can do anything HTML we
want, such as presenting data in grids,
deciding on fonts and sizes etc.
More than that, XSL also contains
functions. So it is possible to encapsulate
report sections that appear more than once
(e.g. Sublibrary address, patron address,
bib-info etc.) in functions and to invoke
them whenever they are needed.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
XSL in ALEPH
The data for reports in ALEPH
(starting 15) are contained in XML
files.
For each report, an XSL file is defined
(=Template). This template
determines:
• What fields of the XML are included
in the formatted report.
• How they should be formatted.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
XSL in ALEPH – cont
In addition, there are several XSL
files which are common to all
reports, and they are referred to by
all the specific XSL templates.
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They contain definitions for the
rendering of common report blocks
such as the standard salutations,
signatures, sublibrary address,
patron address etc.
ALEPH XSL Templates
XSL in ALEPH – cont.
In principle the system librarian
can maintain (=translate,
add/remove fields etc.) without
actually knowing XSL,
and rely on the patterns found in
ALEPH default XSLs.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Report Generation
START
DB
tables
translation
Query
client
server
XML
XSL
Parser
XML
XML + XSL
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HTML
ALEPH XSL Templates
A Report
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Its XML
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Its XSL (Part 1)
<xsl:stylesheet
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="1.0">
<xsl:include href="funcs.xsl"/>
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:call-template name="header"/>
<!--section-01 (FREE)-->
<xsl:for-each select="//section-01">
<xsl:call-template name="section-01"/>
</xsl:for-each>
</xsl:template>
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ALEPH XSL Templates
<!-- START DATA -->
<xsl:template name="header">
<xsl:call-template name="header-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="title" select="'Arrival Slip'"/>
</xsl:call-template>
</xsl:template>
Its XSL (cont.)
<!--SECTION-01 (FREE)-->
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<xsl:template name="section-01">
<xsl:call-template name="sublib-address"/>
<xsl:call-template name="bib-info-hdr">
<xsl:with-param name="line" select="./bib-info"/>
</xsl:call-template>
<xsl:call-template name="table-open"/>
<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="label" select="'Doc Number:'"/>
<xsl:with-param name="value" select="./z68-doc-number"/>
</xsl:call-template>
<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="label" select="'Sequence:'"/>
<xsl:with-param name="value" select="./z68-sequence"/>
</xsl:call-template>
<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="label" select="'Order Type:'"/>
<xsl:with-param name="value" select="./z68-order-type"/>
</xsl:call-template>
<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="label" select="'Order Number:'"/>
<xsl:with-param name="value" select="./z68-order-number"/>
</xsl:call-template>
<xsl:call-template name="table-close"/>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
ALEPH XSL Templates
Comments
•‘header-gen’, ‘sublib-address’, ‘display-gen’
are XSL functions that handle the actual
display
•All of them are implemented in funcs.xsl or
one of the XSL files included in it
•All specific templates contain the line
‘<xsl:include href="funcs.xsl"/>’ so they all
can invoke the common functions.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Now to Customization …
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Customization
There are 2 basic customizations:
• Changing (or translating) labels
• Adding or removing data (=Z table
columns etc.)
In addition, there is advanced
customization - layout change – which will
be explained later.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Changing Labels
Since the XSL file is a regular ASCII
file you just edit it and make the
changes you want.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Removing Fields
Examine the following snippet:
<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="label" select="'Doc Number:'"/>
<xsl:with-param name="value" select="./z68-docnumber"/>
</xsl:call-template>
<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="label" select="'Sequence:'"/>
<xsl:with-param name="value" select="./z68-sequence"/>
</xsl:call-template>
To remove a field, e.g z68-doc-number, simply delete the
lines from ‘<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">’ to
‘</xsl:call-template>’ that contain it (= The blue lines)
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Adding Fields
To add a field, “cut and paste” the same
range of lines, then change “label” and
“value” accordingly. For example:
<xsl:call-template name="display-gen">
<xsl:with-param name="label" select="‘Auto
Claim:'"/>
<xsl:with-param name="value" select="./z68auto-claim"/>
</xsl:call-template>
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Changing Relative
Position
The data will be displayed in the order it
appears in the XSL file. So, to change the
order in print, simply change the order in
the XSL.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Common Functions - 1
<xsl:template name="sublib-address">
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" STYLE="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial">
<tr><td width="70%"></td><td><xsl:value-of select="//sub-library-address-1-occ1"/></td></tr>
<tr><td width="70%"></td><td><xsl:value-of select="//sub-library-address-1-occ2"/></td></tr>
<tr><td width="70%"></td><td><xsl:value-of select="//sub-library-address-1-occ3"/></td></tr>
<tr><td width="70%"></td><td><xsl:value-of select="//sub-library-address-1-occ4"/></td></tr>
<tr><td width="70%"></td><td><xsl:value-of select="//sub-library-address-1-occ5"/></td></tr>
<tr><td width="70%"></td><td><xsl:value-of select="//sub-library-address-1-occ6"/></td></tr>
<tr><td width="70%"></td><td><xsl:value-of select="//sub-library-address-1-occ7"/></td></tr>
</TABLE>
</xsl:template>
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ALEPH XSL Templates
Common Functions:
Comment
The function ‘display-gen’ is responsible for displaying
most of the data in non-grid format.
There are, however several options for displaying:
• Display the label only if there is data attached to it
(default)
• Display the label even without data
• Display the data right justified (numbers)
• Display barcode with special barcode font
• And combinations of the above
In order to implement all options, display-gen can be
invoked using arguments.
Since most of the time the default is used, it is usually
called with just the 2 basic arguments, namely ‘label’ and
‘value’.
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ALEPH XSL Templates
ALEPH Reports
Environment
Server
All XSL templates are stored in the server in
/usm01/form_LNG.
After any change you have to run Util /I/ 6. This
prepares a package to be downloaded when the clients
start running.
To tell ALEPH to use XSL for printing, edit:
aleph/a50_5/usm50/tab/form_print_method
Client
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All XSL templates are downloaded to:
alephcom\files\USM50\Print Templates\LNG
The XSL parser (saxon) is in alephcom\bin
ALEPH XSL Templates