Python & XML

Embedding XSLT Transformations in Python

XML is frequently used to store the “core” version of a document while transformations are used to integrate the data into other systems. For example, you may receive a purchase order as XML over the Web and dispatch it in several different directions (and in different formats) to your other data systems. You may parse the XML inserting the data into Oracle tables, transform it to HTML, add it to an internal web site, transform the purchase order into another flavor of XML, and pass it on to your suppliers.

Regardless of where you’re sending your XML, the ability to perform XSLT transformations at runtime is critical. The 4XSLT package works nicely from inside your Python programs. In this section, we create a Python CGI executable for use within Linux and Apache, or in any web server that is configured to run external CGI programs.

The process involves two stylesheets, one XML document, and one CGI executable. The first stylesheet converts the XML document into HTML for your browser. The second stylesheet converts the XML document into HTML for your browser, but adds additional HTML allowing you to edit the text of the XML document and update it on the server. The Python CGI script exists to run the XML through the appropriate stylesheet based on your actions. The script also takes care of updating the source XML on disk. In order for the script to run correctly, it must be placed in a directory where the web user (user nobody on Apache ...