Template Formats are an extremely useful and potentially under-utilized feature of Cascade Server. This presentation will cover the following: 1) A brief recap of basic block/XSLT format functionality, transitioning to an introduction to the use of template formats, describing the similarities and differences with the standard block/format relationship. 2) An in-depth description of how formats can be used to create versatile templates, capable of being easily updated or restructured. Additionally, describing how template formats can be used to solve common template layout issues by enabling movement of page elements during transformation. 3) Finally, a description of how template formats can be used to optimize page creation by streamlining the creation of common page elements, like page title, breadcrumb and page headers by outputting multiple elements using same index block. This presentation is targeted towards attendees with advanced XHTML and XSLT knowledge.

1. Use of XSLT Formats in
Creation, Maintenance and
Optimization of Web Site
Templates
Jay Mercer
IU Communications
Indiana University
mercerjd@iu.edu

2. Template Formats?
 What are template formats?
 Where do I find them?
 When should I use them?
 How do I use them?
 Caveats
 Show me some examples!

3. What are template formats?
 Similarity to standard block templates
• They transform XML compliant source into HTML.

4. What are template formats?
 Similarity to standard block templates
• Use a picker to attach to Format field.

5. What are template formats?
 Difference from standard block templates
• They transform XHTML compliant source into HTML.
• They must be XSLT Formats. (I think)

6. What are template formats?
 Difference from standard block templates
• Use a picker to attach to XSLT Format field of a template.

7. What are template formats?
 Template formats are XSLT Formats that are applied to a
template.
• They transform the entire assembled template content.
• Region blocks are rendered first.
• Are used to manipulate XHTML.
• They transform XHTML into XHTML
• “Post-processing.”

8. Where do I find them?
 Formats can be applied in 3 places.
• Blocks
• Templates
• Page Configurations

9. Where do I find them?
 Block formats

10. Where do I find them?
 Template formats

11. Where do I find them?
 Page Configuration formats

12. When should I use them?
 Always.
 Modify page elements that exist outside the main content area
from within the DEFAULT system region format.
 Move page elements from one position to another.
 Modularize code for reusability.
 Implement “on-demand” javascript.
 Give end-user greater control.
 Generate multiple page elements from single block.
 Quickly create a new website from existing website.

13. How do I use them?
 It all starts with the identity transform.

14. How do I use them?
 Attach identity transform to template XSLT format field.

15. How do I use them?
 Now, just transform the XHTML.
• For fun, let’s turn all h3 tags into h4 tags.

16. How do I use them?
 Note: You can use a template format and a page configuration
format together.

17. How do I use them?
 Note: You can use a template format and a page configuration
format together.

18. How do I use them?
 Another bogus example.
• Let’s axe the body.

19. Caveats
 DOCTYPE
• A template format WILL remove the DOCTYPE from the output.
 Namespacing
• If namespace on the html element is used, special xpath syntax is needed.

20. Caveats
 DOCTYPE “DON’T”
• A template format will strip out the DOCTYPE.

21. Caveats
 DOCTYPE “DO”
• Use the “START-ROOT-CODE” passthrough code section tag.

22. Caveats
 Namespacing on html element
• If a namespace in used on the html element, special xsl syntax is required.

23. Caveats
 Namespacing on html element
• If a namespace in used on the html element, special xsl syntax is required.
Method 1: Use node()[name()=‘body’] syntax

24. Caveats
 Namespacing on html element
• If a namespace in used on the html element, special xsl syntax is required.
Method 2: Add namespacing attributes to stylesheet.

25. Example
 Changing body id based on data definition.

26. Example
 Changing body id based on data definition.

27. Example
Here’s the xml from the DEFAULT system region.

28. Example
Here’s the format from the DEFAULT system region.

29. Example
Here’s the rendered HTML.

30. Examples
 Here’s the template format.

31. Examples
 Final HTML.

32. Resources
• http://www.iu.edu/~pagriet/csuc12/