[Baypiggies] XSLT vs Python for XML manipulation

[Shannon -jj Behrens]

On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 4:41 PM, Stephen McInerney
<spmcinerney at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Can anyone point me to any good articles discussing the merits and
> limitations of XSLT vs Python (or XSLT into Python) for XML manipulation?
>
> (I inherited an existing flow using XSLT->PERL and I'm trying to scope how
> to
> implement some enhances, what to port, what to reuse. It is desirable to
> share
> as much of the existing codebase with other users if possible; however
> clean-coding
> everything in Python would be cleanest and most compact. It's hard to make
> the call.)

Imagine you're an automotive engineer fresh out of college and you go
to work for Mazda which uses a rotary engine.  XSLT is like a rotary
engine in that there's nothing else like it.  It's way out in left
field.

Personally, I like the Genshi templating engine because it's similar
enough to a normal templating engine, but it's got a bunch of
XSLT-like tricks up its sleeve.

However, I digress, and I doubt Genshi will help your situation.
People either like or hate XSLT.  You're just going to have to find
out whether you like or hate it.  Personally, I've turned down every
company so far that wanted me to use XSLT, but I could be unfairly
paranoid.  The only way you're going to get away from it is via
rewriting a lot of code, and that has its own extreme dangers.  If I
were in your shoes, I'd see if I could wrap my head around it and just
make it work.

-jj

-- 
I, for one, welcome our new Facebook overlords!
http://jjinux.blogspot.com/