XMLSpy, StyleVision, and MapForce Training Overview
This course teaches attendees how to do full lifecycle XML development using the key components of Altova MissionKit: XMLSpy, StyleVision, and MapForce.
Location and Pricing
Accelebrate offers instructor-led enterprise training for groups of 3 or more online or at your site. Most Accelebrate classes can be flexibly scheduled for your group, including delivery in half-day segments across a week or set of weeks. To receive a customized proposal and price quote for private corporate training on-site or online, please contact us.
In addition, some Programming courses are available as live, online classes for individuals.
Objectives
- To master using XMLSpy to create, validate, and deploy XML, XSLT, DTD, XML Schema, SOAP, and WSDL documents
- To discover how to use StyleVision to create XSLT and XSL-FO stylesheets for generating HTML and PDF documents
- To learn how to use MapForce to transform XML documents between types, or to perform transformations between database data and specific XML document types
Prerequisites
Prior knowledge of relational databases, SQL, and HTML is strongly recommended. No prior knowledge of XML is presumed.
Outline
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Introducing XMLSpy
- Review of XML technologies and how they are used in modern applications
- Overview of how XMLSpy facilitates development of the XML-related features of these applications
- Overview of the XMLSpy environment
- Customizing the XMLSpy environment
Editing XML documents with XMLSpy
- Creating an xml document
- Adhering to syntax guidelines
- Specifying an XML processing instruction
- Creating elements and attributes
- Checking a document for well-formedness
- Specifying an applicable DTD (Document Type Definition) or schema
- Validating a document against the DTD or schema
- Embedding comments, entities, and character data
- Using XMLSpy's Grid view as a more visual way to edit XML documents
Creating XML documents based on DTDs
- Deciding on the structure of your document type or types
- Deciding whether to specify document types via DTDs or Schemas
- Building a DTD in XMLSpy
- Defining elements and attributes
- Defining entities
- Controlling element frequency
- Controlling acceptable attribute values
- Controlling whether an attribute is optional or required
- Applying the DTD
- Specifying the DOCTYPE of an XML document
- Creating new documents based on the DTD
- Applying a DTD to an existing document and bringing it into conformance with the DTD
- Validating a document against the DTD
Creating XML documents based on XML Schemas
- Why use a schema instead of a DTD?
- Building an XML schema visually in XMLSpy's Schema Design View
- Creating simple types
- Deriving simple types
- Creating complex types
- Controlling element and attribute data types
- Controlling element frequency and sequence
- Controlling value ranges for numeric element and attribute values
- Controlling regular expression patterns for string element and attribute values
- Applying XML schemas to existing documents
- Building new documents based on XML schemas
Advanced XML Schemas
- Why use namespaces in schemas?
- Using namespaces in schemas
- Modeling a schema
- OO schema design
Importing data into XMLSpy
- Importing plain text files
- Importing data from a relational database
- Importing data
- Generating schemas based on relational database data
- Generating database structures based on existing XML schemas
- Importing data from Word documents
Projects and tools
- Creating XMLSpy projects
- Building an appropriate directory hierarchy for the project
- Adding and deleting files in the projects
- Using source control with XMLSpy
- Spell checking
- Customizing the editing environment
XSLT
- Overview of XSL, XSLT, and XSL-FO
- Transforming XML with XSLT
- Creating, applying, and calling templates
- Generating output in multiple document types (XML, HTML, WML, etc.)
- Extracting single values from XML documents and outputting them
- Iterating through multiple elements and displaying their data as lists, tables, etc.
- XSLT conditionals with xsl:if, xsl:choose, xsl:when, and xsl:otherwise
- Sorting output
- Working with XSL text, variables, and data
- Using XSLT modes
- Using XSLT functions
Web service development with XMLSpy
- Overview of Web services and Web service architecture
- The roles of SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI
- Creating SOAP documents via XMLSpy
- Examining SOAP documents returned by Web services
- Creating WSDL documents via XMLSpy
- Obtaining WSDL documents from Web services
- Building SOAP documents that conform to a Web service's requirements, as set forth in its WSDL file
Introducing StyleVision
- The role of STLYEVISION within MissionKit
- The uses of SPS (StyleVision Power Stylesheets)
- The relationship between StyleVision and Authentic view
- Databases and StyleVision
- Key concepts and terminology
- Features overview
Understanding Namespaces and their role in StyleVision
- How Schemas support namespaces
- Schemas with a single namespace
- Schemas with multiple namespaces
Global templates
Building forms with StyleVision
- Designing the form
- Input fields
- Combo boxes
- Check boxes
- Buttons
Displaying lists with StyleVision
Generating tables with StyleVision
- Creating static tables
- Creating dynamic tables
- Formatting static and dynamic tables
- XML tables
Auto-calculations
Conditional templates
Date picker
Input formatting
Parameters
PDF processing and page layout
- Understanding XSL-FO syntax
- PDF page definition
- PDF cover page
- PDF headers and footers
- PDF fonts
Creating SPS stylesheets from database data using StyleVision
- Connecting to a database and setting up the SPS
- Creating and applying DB filters
Saving generated files from StyleVision
- RTF
- XSLT
- HTML
- XSL-FO
- FO
- PDF
- DB Schema
- DB XML Data
Understanding Authentic and Authentic view
- The Authentic view interface
- GUI overview
- Using the Authentic toolbars
- Working in the Authentic main window
- Making use of Authentic context menus
- Using Authentic
- Opening an SPS stylesheet
- Adding and editing records
- Saving changes
- Using the Date Picker
- Defining entities
- Adding images
- Adding tables
Introducing MapForce and its applications
- The roles of MapForce
- Schema-to-Schema mapping
- Database-to-Schema/XML mapping
- XML Schema-to-Database mapping
- Database-to-Database mapping
- On-the-fly transformation and preview of database and UN/EDIFACT data, without code generation, or compilation
- Definition of custom XSLT libraries
- Advanced search and replace functions in transformation preview data
- Key terminology
- Functions and libraries
MapForce Basics
- Setting up the mapping environment
- Mapping schema items
- Using functions to map data
- Filtering data
- Generating XSLT stylesheets
- Working with multiple target schemas or documents
- Mapping multiple source items to single target items
- Creating the mappings
- Duplicating input items
Using MapForce with Database Data
- Setting up database drivers
- Setting up code generators for generating Java, C#, or C++ code
- Mapping XML data to databases
- Components and table relationships
- Database relationships and how to preserve or discard them
- Insert, Update, and Delete actions
- Database key settings
- Database table actions
- Generating output values
- Creating and enforcing database relationships
- Database filters and queries
- Review of MapForce database platform support
Adding custom function libraries (time permitting)
- Configuring the mff file
- Defining the component user interface
- Function implementation details
- Writing your own libraries
Conclusion
Training Materials
All XML training students receive comprehensive courseware.
Software Requirements
- A recent version of Altova MissionKit. Since Accelebrate is an Altova Training Partner, we can provide 30-day licenses for use in class upon request.
