Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: RDFStyles: alternative to XSLT for RDF

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Leo Sauermann wrote:
(...)
| But still I think it would be a good approach to "rebuilt" the existing
| XSLT vocabulary and adapt it to the RDF topic. Many developers are used
| to the principles behind XSLT, selection and "apply-templates" etc.
| It would not be very hard to "restructure" the XSLT stuff and bring the
| syntax into a RDF graph model.
|
| So I identify two goals that may be good for RDFSTYLES:
|
| 1. Stick closely to the XSLT syntax, use the same words and similiar
| structure. Make it that developers have a easy step to RDFSTYLES
(...)
| some ideas are very close to XSLT:
|
| style:renderedType => could be <rslt:template
| rslt:match="[rdf:type=rdfs:Literal]">
| style:LiteralOutputAction => <rslt:output rslt:value-of="." />
| stlye:TextAction => <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue>Blabla and also
| <xml></rslt:textvalue></rslt:Text>
Renaming the properties to be more like XSLT is no problem, I'll do
this. I don't like however the idea of having a Literal for type based
selections, is there a disadvantage in having a resource?

| (...)
|
| your architecture is very property-focused and actions, I guess.
I would have said "resource centered"
|
| Perhaps shift it more to the XSLT idea of "writing the output document
| and inserting the dynamic stuff like with placeholders"
This idea contrasts with the type-based template concept which is also
implemented in XSLT. In RDF even more XML the type of a value may not be
determined. A style written with "<vc:name>Leo Sauermann</vc:name>" in
mind, should also reasonably work for
"<vc:name><foaf:person>...</foaf:person></vc:name>".

In this case a property of ObjectAction could give hints which available
Person-Renderer should be chosen to render the foaf:peson (not yet in
schema)

<style:PropertyTypeAction>							<style:renderedPropertyType
rdf:resource="http://purl.org/vc/1.0/name"/>
<style:propertyActions>
<rdf:Seq>
<rdf:li>
<style:ObjectAction>
	<style:styleType rdf:resource="http://...#text_inline>
	<style:styleType rdf:resource="http://...#short>
</style:ObjectAction>
</rdf:li>
</rdf:Seq>
</style:propertyActions>
</style:renderedPropertyType>
</style:PropertyTypeAction>

(ok, I see, the Seq and li could be made facultative for one-action
PropertyActions)

|
| In XSLT the whole stream is parsed and divided into <xsl:text> and
| <xsl:...> things that are all in a stream, so the processor does "ah, a
| text, output; a command, do it".
|
| In RDF / XSLT this may be:
|
| <rslt:template rslt:match="<some resouce>">
|  <rdf:Seq>
I think rdf:Seq should be the value of a property
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue (ignoreXML)><h1></textvalue></rslt:Text>
|   </rdf:li>
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:Value rslt:match="(. rdfs:label ?)" /> <!-- this XPATH/RDF hack
| should return the label, the "?" -->
|   </rdf:li>
should a template be applyed to the label, or should it just be assumed
to be litteral and ouputted?
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue
| (ignoreXML)></h1><TABLE></textvalue></rslt:Text>
|   </rdf:li>
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:ApplyTemplates rslt:select="(. http://purl.org/rss/1.0/items
| ?)" />
... here the optional attribute rslt:style could be added to have the
resources rendered with the templates of another style
|   </rdf:li>
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue
| (ignoreXML)></h1></TABLE></textvalue></rslt:Text>
|   </rdf:li>
|  </rdf:Seq>
| </rslt:template>
|
| <!-- match all things that are called by applytemplates and have a type
| of "rss:item" -->
| <rslt:template rslt:match="(? rdf:type http://purl.org/rss/1.0/item)">
|  <rdf:Seq>
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue
| (ignoreXML)><tr><td></textvalue></rslt:Text>
|   </rdf:li>
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:Value rslt:match="(. rdfs:label ?)" /> <!-- this XPATH/RDF hack
| should return the label, the "?" -->
|   </rdf:li>
|   <rdf:li>
|    <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue
| (ignoreXML)></td></tr></textvalue></rslt:Text>
|   </rdf:li>
|  </rdf:Seq>
| </rslt:template>
|
|
|
| With this "near to XSLT" syntax, more people would see what it is about.
Agreed. Even without the XPATH like expressions the processor could
handle a style much closer to what you outlined, I'll work on it (next
weekend)!


| If we also could get rid of those pesky <rdf:Seq> and <rdf:Li> things
| and instead write:
|
| <rslt:template rslt:match="(? rdf:type http://purl.org/rss/1.0/item)">
|    <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue
| (ignoreXML)><tr><td></textvalue></rslt:Text>
|    <rslt:Value rslt:match="(. rdfs:label ?)" /> <!-- this XPATH/RDF hack
| should return the label, the "?" -->
|    <rslt:Text><rslt:textvalue
| (ignoreXML)></td></tr></textvalue></rslt:Text>
| </rslt:template>
|
| It would be much simpler, but I think that most RDF parser do not
| "garantuee" the correct order of the triples here, but you may write
| your own parser anyway.
I don't think the problem are the parsers, it's my right as rdf user to
shake the triples and have the same as before. So either RDF/XML could
be simplified (not a lot of potential, imo) or the stylesheets are
written in a special syntax and interpreted with an rslt aware
deserialiser, but I'd prefer to focus on the schema first.
|
|
| hope that is some inspiration for you,
inspiration and concreete improvements, thanks!


cheers,
reto
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Received on Tuesday, 21 October 2003 08:15:25 UTC