XSLT 2.0 and XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference, 4th Edition

Chapter 19. Case Study: A Family Tree

This chapter presents our second case study. Whereas the XML in the previous example fell firmly into the category of narrative (or document-oriented) XML, this chapter deals largely with data. However, as with many data-oriented XML applications, it is not rigid tabular data; rather, it is data with a very flexible structure with many complex linkages and with many fields allowed to repeat an arbitrary number of times. The data can also include structured text (document-oriented XML) in some of its elements.

The chosen application is to display a family tree, and the sample data we will use represents a small selection of information about the family of John F. Kennedy, president of the United States.

Because genealogy is for most people a hobby rather than a business, you may feel this example is a little frivolous. I think it would be a mistake to dismiss it that way, for several reasons:

• Genealogy is one of the most popular ways of using the Web for millions of people. Collaborative Internet-based genealogy in particular is rapidly growing, as witness the popularity of software such as PhpGedView (phpgedview.net) and can be seen as a classic example of the phenomenon sometimes called "Web 2.0". Catering to the information needs of consumers is a very serious business indeed, and whether consumers are interested in playing games, watching sport, making travel plans, or researching their family trees, the Web is in the business of helping them ...