XSL

Abstract: A technique, system, and computer program for using servlets to isolate the retrieval of data from the rendering of the data into a presentation format. Data retrieval logic is isolated to a data servlet, and presentation formatting is isolated to a rendering servlet. Servlet chaining is used to send the output of the data servlet to the rendering servlet. The data servlet formats its output data stream for transfer to a downstream servlet. This data stream may be formatted using a language such as the Extensible Markup Language (XML), according to a specific Document Type Definition (DTD). The rendering servlet parses this XML data stream, using a style sheet that may be written using the Extensible Style Language (XSL), and creates a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) data stream as output.

Abstract: A method and system for allowing clients to retrieve data from data sources that do not necessarily support the same protocols and formats as the clients. The clients issue service requests. A pre-processor responds to the requests by generating XML-structured request objects with unresolved links to the data sources that have information required by the clients. An XML processor resolves the links by issuing requests through one or more gateways. The gateways convert the responses received from the data sources into XML, which the XML processor uses to create XML composite response documents. A post-processor filters the XML response documents, and applies XSL stylesheets to transform the XML composite response documents into client-specific responses that conform to the format required by the clients. The clients-specific responses are then sent to the clients.

Abstract: Techniques for simplifying the aggregation of data stored in a number of objects in a database system. A user-defined type and an object view are associated with a kind of data to be aggregated. The object view specifies the locations of the data in the objects and maps the data to be aggregated into the user-defined type. An application program interface includes a fetch interface that causes the database system to make a query over the object view associated with the kind of data and return the aggregated data in a set of objects of the user-defined type. The returned data is converted to XML and may be further transformed using XSL stylesheets. The application program interface further includes a filter interface that specifies a restriction for the query, a count interface that specifies the number of objects to be returned at once by the application program interface, a transform interface that specifies an XSL style sheet, and a transform parameter interface for providing parameters to the XSL style sheet. The techniques may be used to aggregate metadata for various classes of objects from a data dictionary in a database system. In this application, each class of object has a name and a user-defined type and object view are associated with the class name. The fetch interface specifies a class name and the user-defined type and object view associated with the name are used to aggregate the metadata. One of the transforms performed in this application is the transformation of the metadata for an object into creation DDL for the object.

Abstract: Techniques for extensible stylesheet designs using meta-tag and/or associated meta-tag Information are described. To generate a proper stylesheet (e.g., an XSL or XSLT file) from a source file (e.g., an XML file), all meta-tag and/or associated meta-tag Information are differentiated by attaching respectively unique identifiers to those that are otherwise identical. To facilitate user required operations on certain data in the source file, a document source path for the data is identified and inserted with one or more operators thus to form document source path information. The differentiated meta-tag and/or associated meta-tag Information and source path information are relied upon to generate one or more stylesheets. In addition, a user graphic interface environment is provided to facilitate the designes of the stylesheets.