XMLQuire

Introduction

XSLT 2.0 processing within the browser is now a reality with the introduction of the open source Saxon-CE from Saxonica. This processor runs as a JavaScript app and supports JavaScript interoperability and user-event handling for the era of HTML5 and the dynamic web.

This Windows product, XMLQuire, is an XSLT edtior specially extended to integrate with Saxon-CE and support the Saxon-CE language extensions that make interactive XSLT possible. Saxon-CE is not included with this product, but is available from Saxonica here.

Getting Started

Web Sever

Assuming you want to develop on your local matchine: If you haven't installed one already, the first step is to install a web server. One option is to configure Windows to use the built-in IIS7 web server. If you've got Window 7 or Windows 8 this is done through the Windows Features part of the control panel. All that's left is to set read/write file permissions on a folder you create within c:/inetpub/wwwroot - this will host Saxon-CE (free download from Saxonica) and your web project files.

Create a Web Project

To create your first Saxon-CE driven web page, click New CE Project, the left-most toolbar item. You will be prompted this first time for the location of the Saxon-CE JavaScript boot file (within the SaxonceDebug folder). You then need to enter a name for your new project and press OK. You will be asked to select the location for the project folder which should be a location within you web server's file system. You should now see 3 files in the Files panel, a .xml, .xsl and .html file.

To view the new web page you need to enter the URL for your project in tXMLQuire's browser address bar shown to the right of the toolbar. This will be something like: http://localhost/myprojects/newproject/ newproject.html

All being well, you should see a very simple web page showing data extracted from the XML source and inserted in the HTML page by Saxon-CE.To get a bit more detail from Saxon-CE we can change the logging level; to do this, just below the browser is the logging console. On the header for this, select the dropdown list marked level and select FINE from the revealed list - you should now some more logging data from the Saxon processor.

That's it you're now ready code.

Documentation

See the Saxon-CE documentation for details on developing XSLT 2.0 for the browser. There's full documentation on the XMLQuire editor here

Main Features

• Integrated Browser To give instant feedback when XML/XSLT is updated in the editor (with cache control).
• Real-time output monitoring All error and diagnostics output from Saxon-CE is shown in XMLQuire in an interactive list.
• IXSL Auto-Completion Support for Saxon-CE's Interactive XSL (IXSL) extensions.
• Saxon-CE project templates Creates the core files for new Saxon-CE web projects
• Compile Errors Highlighted Select a compile time warning and its location is highlighted in the editor.
• XSLT/HTML Validation: XSLT and contained HTML Literal Result Elements are validated as you type.
• Logging Control Sets the logging threshold for Saxon-CE
• XDM view of the DOM Hover the mouse over the rendered output HTML to show XPath locations for all elements
• Whitespace Minimization XSLT formatting is virtual and re-flows as you type - no leading whitepace reduces file-size by 20% or more

This product is an extension to the core XMLQuire product - mainly known for its unique XPath debugger and Virtual Formatting technology.

This variant - whilst intended to provide a helpful introduction to Saxon-CE development - also serves as a study into ways in which editors can provide a productive development environment for Saxon-CE.

It's hoped (and expected) that both new and existing editors for many platforms will soon become available that are extended specifically for browser-based XSLT 2.0 development.

Download Here

xmlquire-we.zip (960KB)

XMLQuire-WE is free of cost, there's no registration.

Dependencies

This version requires Window 7 or Windows 8 with .NET 4.0 or later. The software will not run on Windows XP, it should run on Vista but this has not been tested.

Saxon-CE is not included with this product, you will need to either purchase or register for a free version - available from Saxonica

Installation

Theres no automated setup. Simply download the zip file and expand it to your chosen install path, adding any shortcuts you need. To uninstall, just remove the copied zip files and the Qutoric/XMLQuire appdata windows folder for your user account.

Setting the browser version

This product hosts whichever version of Internet Explorer you have installed. However, this would normally default to IE7 mode (because it's hosted) without a registry setting change specifically for xmlquire.exe. To make this registry setting change you need to run XMLQuire once with elevated admin privileges - the IE7 label in the logging console toolbar will then show IE9 or IE10 to reflect the update.

License

XMLQuire is Freeware. By downloading this software you agree to the following license conditions:

You may:

• Use this software on any number of machines
• Redistribute free copies of this software

You may not:

• Modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble (except to the extent applicable laws specifically prohibit such restriction), this application
• Create derivative works based on this software
• Rent, lease, transfer or otherwise transfer rights to the Software
• Remove any proprietary notices or labels on the Software.

Disclaimer

QUTORIC LIMITED IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY CHARACTER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, OR ANY AND ALL OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES OR LOSSES.