Re: Using XSL-T to convert XForm to HTML: Impossible?

On Mon, 25 Sep 2000, Schulze, Matthias wrote:
> > I've just been studying the XForm data model with a view to writing a
<SNIP>
>
> I've also spent some thoughts about XForms -> HTML transformation. Basicly
> I believe that the mere transformation _can_ be done by XSLT. But if you
> want
> the resulting HTML to validate the user-input against the model (e.g. the
> min/max constraints), you'll have to use scripts and event handlers to do
> so.

Neither do I, and, to be honest, that wasn't what I was trying to achieve. 
Obviously if you have some clients which can validate client-side and some 
clients which can't you are going to have to duplicate the validation 
server-side -- but in a network of heterogenous agents you have to do this in 
any case, because you cannot depend on the agent at the other end behaving in 
the way you expect it to.

All I was trying to achieve was to have one form generator which generated 
the structure of the form for all clients, and then use XSL-T to transform 
this for (e.g.) HTML and WML clients which don't support the full XForm 
functionality. My current belief, having spent a couple of days poring over 
the problem, is that this can't be done efficiently with XForm, and I'd be 
better off writing my own custom forms DTD which can be translated 
efficiently to XForm, to HTML to WML, and to other as-yet-unknown formats.

-- 
Simon Brooke, Technical Director, Weft Technology Ltd -- 
http://www.weft.co.uk/

	the weft is not just what binds the web: it is what makes it a web

Received on Tuesday, 26 September 2000 04:25:14 UTC