Learn about other deployment options

Learn about other deployment options

In this tutorial, you learned how to create an entire XSLT page to use as part of a client-side transformation. But you can also use entire XSLT pages for server-side transformations. When you use an entire XSLT page for a server-side transformation, you build the page in exactly the same way.

The more common approach to performing server-side transformations, however, is to use XSLT fragments. An XSLT fragment is a piece of code, used by a separate document, that displays formatted XML data.

For a brief overview of entire XSLT pages and XSLT fragments, see Learn about XSLT pages. For a more comprehensive overview of how entire XSLT pages and XSLT fragments work, see About server-side XSL transformations in Using Dreamweaver (Help > Using Dreamweaver).

For tutorials and other resources that teach you about working with XSLT fragments, visit www.macromedia.com/go/dw_xsl.

Following is the workflow for performing server-side transformations with XSLT pages:

  • Set up a Dreamweaver site. See Setting Up a Dreamweaver Site in Using Dreamweaver.
  • Choose a server technology and set up an application server. See Setting up an application server in Using Dreamweaver.
  • Test the application server to make sure it is functioning correctly. For example, create a page that requires processing, and make sure that the application server processes the page. For a tutorial on how to do this, visit www.macromedia.com/go/dw_xsl.
  • Do one of the following:
    • In your Dreamweaver site, create an XSLT fragment or an entire XSLT page. See Creating XSLT pages in Using Dreamweaver.
    • Convert an existing HTML page to an entire XSLT page. See Converting HTML pages to XSLT pages in Using Dreamweaver.
  • If you haven’t already done so, attach an XML data source to the page. See Attaching XML data sources in Using Dreamweaver.
  • Bind your XML data to the XSLT fragment or to the entire XSLT page. See Displaying XML data in XSLT pages in Using Dreamweaver.
  • If appropriate, add a Repeat Region XSLT object to the table or table row that contains the XML data placeholder(s). See Displaying repeating XML elements in Using Dreamweaver.
  • Do one of the following:
    • Use the XSL Transformation server behavior to insert a reference to the XSLT fragment in your dynamic page. See Inserting XSLT fragments in dynamic pages in Using Dreamweaver.
    • Delete all of the HTML code from a dynamic page, and then use the XSL Transformation server behavior to insert a reference to the entire XSLT page in the dynamic page.
  • Post both the dynamic page and the XSLT fragment (or entire XSLT page) to your application server. If you are using a local XML file, you will need to post that as well.
  • View the dynamic page in a browser. When you do so, the application server transforms the XML data, inserts it in the dynamic page, and displays it in the browser.



Getting Started with Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver Basics
Working with Dreamweaver Sites
Laying Out Pages
Adding Content to Pages
Working with Page Code
Preparing to Build Dynamic Sites
Making Pages Dynamic
Developing Applications Rapidly