Adding GUIDs to XML: XSLT or some other means?

ilyaz · February 15th, 2011, 11:06 AM

I have a collection of hierarchical XML files that looks like this:

Code:

<container type="Box" >
	<property name="BoxName">Name of box</property>
	<container type="Folder">
		<property name="FolderName">Name of folder</property>
		<container type="Document">
			<content type="text" file=".\DocumentTextFile.txt"/>
			<property name="DocName">Name of document</property>

What I need is to add to each "container" element a GUID property. GUID can be generated in .NET by System.Guid.NewGuid() (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...d.newguid.aspx)

So this would turn the sample above into something like this:

Code:

<container type="Box" >
	<property name="GUID">0f8fad5b-d9cb-469f-a165-70867728950e</property>
	<property name="BoxName">Name of box</property>
	<container type="Folder">
		<property name="GUID">7c9e6679-7425-40de-944b-e07fc1f90ae7</property>
		<property name="FolderName">Name of folder</property>
		<container type="Document">
			<content type="text" file=".\DocumentTextFile.txt"/>
			<property name="GUID">7c9e6679-7425-abcd-944b-e07fc1708677</property>
			<property name="DocName">Name of document</property>

What would be the best way to do that? Does XSLT have capabilities to generate a GUID? If not, it seems that the only way to do this is in C#. Or is there another way?

Thanks much!

Martin Honnen · February 15th, 2011, 11:12 AM

Assuming you use an XSLT processor like System.Xml.Xsl.XslCompiledTransform you can access .NET framework functionality in your XSLT stylesheet, either by using an extension function (i.e. with msxsl:script element) or by using an extension object. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6datxzsd.aspx for details.

ilyaz · February 15th, 2011, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Honnen

Assuming you use an XSLT processor like System.Xml.Xsl.XslCompiledTransform you can access .NET framework functionality in your XSLT stylesheet, either by using an extension function (i.e. with msxsl:script element) or by using an extension object. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6datxzsd.aspx for details.

Martin,

Thanks for the link. I have a follow-up question, though. From what I've read, this seems to require calling XSLT from .NET code, which would in turn call a .NET method (public double circumference() in the their example). But what if I want to use a stylesheet with a call to msxml or a tool like Saxon? Can I still insert C# code into XSLT and have it interpreted/compiled correctly?

Thanks!

samjudson · February 15th, 2011, 04:26 PM

No. MSXML allows extension methods to be written in javascript (or JScript to be more correct) or vbscript, which in theory could then create COM objects which could wrap a .Net assembly. Saxon extension methods would need to be written in java, or if you are using Saxon inside .Net you could write then in .Net I think.