XML Notes

Mini Project: XML + XSD + XPath + XSLT Pipeline

Unit 5â€ĸCLO05

Learning Objectives

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO05

Course Outcomes

CO05
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Introduction

This mini project integrates the full XML toolchain. Model a realistic dataset in XML, validate it with XSD, extract insights using XPath, and transform it into an HTML report using XSLT.

The Basics

Objective

Build a complete pipeline:

  1. Define a dataset and vocabulary
  2. Author XML instances
  3. Validate using XSD
  4. Query with XPath
  5. Transform with XSLT to generate an HTML report

Technical Details

Suggested folder structure

  • data/ (XML instances)
  • schema/ (XSD)
  • transform/ (XSLT)
  • report/ (generated HTML)

Quality checklist

  • well-formed XML
  • meaningful XSD constraints
  • documented XPath queries
  • clean HTML output from XSLT

Examples

Deliverables

  • 1 XML instance
  • 1 XSD schema
  • 5–10 XPath expressions (documented)
  • 1 XSLT file producing an HTML report

Real-World Use

Practical steps

  1. Pick dataset and define element structure.
  2. Create XML instance(s).
  3. Create XSD for validation.
  4. Write XPath expressions.
  5. Write XSLT to generate report.
  6. Document assumptions and tests.

📝 For exams

Viva questions

  • Why elements vs attributes?
  • Which XSD constraints did you add and why?
  • Explain 2 XPath expressions.
  • Explain your XSLT template structure.

✨ Key points

Takeaways

  • Combining validation + querying + transformation is the key value of the XML ecosystem.
  • A good schema catches errors early.
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