How to reveal original XML document before XSLT was applied?

[Ted <te...@gs2admin1.e-meet.com>]

Case:

XMLDTD1 --(XSLT) --> XMLDTD2

For example: Chemical Markup Language transformed to HTML

If I used Cocoon, then, based on the calling browser (Netscape, IE), I
could automatically format CML into HTML by applying the appropriate
XSLT automatically (in Cocoon's "media" setting).

Now, what if I wanted to share XMLDTD1 to another group, who would like
to call the original document before before the transformation by
Cocoon. For example, the new (unfamiliar) group would like to
synchronize the chemical data from the more semantically-oriented
XMLDTD1 rather than the formatting-oriented XMLDTD2, but the XMLDTD1
would be coming from my group's server.

(1) Do we have mechanisms to do this, short of revealing the XSLT code?
Do I have to duplicate the XML document, give it a different name and a
text MIME type, and share that with the group?
(2) Is there anything inherently bad in revealing the XSLT code (aside
from the fact that you expended the effort and they can just copy it for
other uses?)
(3) My real concern is over a dynamically generated XMLDTD1 document. I
am not averse to showing the document as it is, before the XSLT is
applied. How can I let them call XMLDTD1 without being transformed by
the XSL (removing the browser autodetection to apply the XSL is out of
the question) ?.

Ted

Re: How to reveal original XML document before XSLT was applied?

[Brett McLaughlin <bm...@algx.net>]

Ted wrote:
> 
> Case:
> 
> XMLDTD1 --(XSLT) --> XMLDTD2
> 
> For example: Chemical Markup Language transformed to HTML
> 
> If I used Cocoon, then, based on the calling browser (Netscape, IE), I
> could automatically format CML into HTML by applying the appropriate
> XSLT automatically (in Cocoon's "media" setting).
> 
> Now, what if I wanted to share XMLDTD1 to another group, who would like
> to call the original document before before the transformation by
> Cocoon. For example, the new (unfamiliar) group would like to
> synchronize the chemical data from the more semantically-oriented
> XMLDTD1 rather than the formatting-oriented XMLDTD2, but the XMLDTD1
> would be coming from my group's server.
> 
> (1) Do we have mechanisms to do this, short of revealing the XSLT code?
> Do I have to duplicate the XML document, give it a different name and a
> text MIME type, and share that with the group?

If I understand your application, you will keep XMLDTD1 as the only
"data" document.  The only change between outputting this directly out
verss transforming it via XSLT is a PI to cocoon:

<?cocoon-process type="xslt"?>

So you could easily write Java to accept a request (or determine the
source of the request) and make a decision as to whether to instruct
Cocoon to transform your XML or to output it directly.  That's what
you're asking, correct?

> (2) Is there anything inherently bad in revealing the XSLT code (aside
> from the fact that you expended the effort and they can just copy it for
> other uses?)

Depends on the data involved.  Typically, revealing XSLT is much safer
than revealing XML data, so probably you are OK.

> (3) My real concern is over a dynamically generated XMLDTD1 document. I
> am not averse to showing the document as it is, before the XSLT is
> applied. How can I let them call XMLDTD1 without being transformed by
> the XSL (removing the browser autodetection to apply the XSL is out of
> the question) ?.

See #1.  Based on the request headers, or maybe where the request comes
from, or possibly a username/password sent in through a form... lots of
ways ;-)  Happily, Cocoon can do what you say, though.

-Brett

> 
> Ted

Re: How to reveal original XML document before XSLT was applied?

[Donald Ball <ba...@webslingerZ.com>]

On Sun, 9 Jan 2000, Ted wrote:

> Case:
> 
> XMLDTD1 --(XSLT) --> XMLDTD2
> 
> For example: Chemical Markup Language transformed to HTML
> 
> If I used Cocoon, then, based on the calling browser (Netscape, IE), I
> could automatically format CML into HTML by applying the appropriate
> XSLT automatically (in Cocoon's "media" setting).
> 
> Now, what if I wanted to share XMLDTD1 to another group, who would like
> to call the original document before before the transformation by
> Cocoon. For example, the new (unfamiliar) group would like to
> synchronize the chemical data from the more semantically-oriented
> XMLDTD1 rather than the formatting-oriented XMLDTD2, but the XMLDTD1
> would be coming from my group's server.

Here's what I do:

ln -s document.xml document.sxml

:)

- donald