Bonnie B. Ricca – Sun Microsystems, Inc.

JAXP: Beyond XML Processing

Sun's Java API for XML Processing (JAXP) provides a standard platform-independent interface for using Simple API for XML (SAX) and Document Object Model (DOM) parsers, as well as XSL for Transformation (XSLT) processors. JAXP wraps the third-party libraries with its own API and allows you to plug in different processors at runtime. This session focuses not on the XML technologies themselves, but on how JAXP joins them together to create one powerful XML processing tool, decreasing the amount of code necessary to do common tasks.

Among other topics, we'll discuss applying the SAX validation model to a DOM; using a Transformer object to XML-encode a DOM and write it to disk or another output source, even if you're not transforming the data; having SAX parse a file directly to a Transformer; choosing between the two built-in Apache transformation engines, one that interprets and one that compiles XSLT stylesheets; and overriding the built-in parsers and processors at runtime. Familiarity with SAX, DOM, and XSLT is helpful but not necessary, as the presentation begins with a short review of these technologies.

XSLT 2.0: Not Your Mother's XSLT

eXtensible Stylesheet Language for Transformation (XSLT) comprises predefined XML elements that enable the transformation of an XML document from one format into another, or even into HTML or non-marked-up text. As popular as XSLT has become since its spec was finalized in late 1999, it does have its critics, and even those who have embraced it wholeheartedly will admit that it is lacking in certain areas.

The W3C's Working Draft for the much-anticipated XSLT 2.0, however, proposes to blow its predecessor out of the water. It includes some powerful new enhancements to its set of directives and functions, including great improvements to the closely related XPath 2.0, also in the Working Draft stage. This seminar presents some of the most exciting new features proposed by the XSLT and XPath 2.0 Working Drafts, including the incorporation of XSL-Schema datatypes, multiple document output, the use of regular expressions for string manipulation, sequences, greatly simplified syntax, and powerful new XPath capabilities. Of course, because they're not yet finalized, there's no guarantee that all these features will come to fruition – but if they don't, you won't know what you're not missing if you don't come to this seminar!

At least some experience with XSLT is needed, though there will be a little review along the way to compare 1.0 functionality with 2.0 proposals.

Bonnie B. Ricca currently works at Sun Microsystems as a developer and technical support engineer. She specializes in integration and XML technologies and has spent over four years assisting customers with integrating Sun's Unified Development Server (Forte 4GL) and Java enterprise applications. On the development side, she recently updated and enhanced the Forte SOAP server, which allows both Java and non-Java clients to connect to Forte Service Objects. When not working at Sun, she develops and teaches Java and XML classes for a variety of large companies. Bonnie's Kevin Bacon number is 3. Email: Bonnie.Ricca@Sun.COM

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