Confused

[CodyKarch]

I was looking at the class example versus our homework instructions, and I noticed that the class example held much information in elements, but our homework information was in the attributes; how are we supposed to pick out the information from there? And also, I don't understand this (which I think has to do with my question): In this case, then, your <xsl:apply-template> elements inside the template rule for the document node will tell the system that you want to process the <string> elements of the <f name="question"> and all of the corresponding responses (<f name="response">) and the corresponding <string> insides of the <f name="note"> element all sitting inside of the same <fs> element. In order to specify that you only want specific Yes or No Questions then the <xsl:apply-template> elements inside the template rule for the document node will tell the system that you want to process the following elements only when one of the <f name="response"> has an @select="Yes", at which point the template rule for the document node will call out what portions of the document need to be processed at this particular point. That work actually gets done by other <xsl:template> rules, the ones that you’ve written that match the <f name="response"> with @select="Yes". @ebeshero

[RJP43]

To select on anything using XSLT <xsl:apply-templates select="..."/> you are going to need to write an XPath function and you know how to get to attributes using XPath. So there should be no real problem for you to grab attributes. The question is asking you to make a match and initial selection on the elements that are bound together with similar responses (the yes and no questions). Check out the last issue Nicole posted and maybe this will give you some insight.

[CodyKarch]

I understood what you referenced, but I still can't comprehend what is told in the instructions mentioned above (and additionally, now, number 3: In the <xsl:template> rules for <string> elements of the <f name="question"> you’ll need to output something for each one, that is, each question that has a “Yes” answer (held inside the same <fs> element as the <f name="response"> with @select="Yes").). I feel like if I understood those, I could continue along.

[RJP43]

The assignment is having you take note of what is bound together and how you make selections on information while keeping what is bound together... together.

Ok let's walk through this then ... what do you need to select to get only the questions and answers that contain a possible yes/no response?

[CodyKarch]

Well, I was able to collect the questions with: <tr> <td><xsl:apply-templates select="f[@name='question']/string"/></td> </tr> and I know that if I want to collect more info, I need to put another apply-template in another set of elements; right?

[RJP43]

Ok so what is really great about our <fs> structure is that all the information for one <tr> are in the same <fs> so if you do a match that grabs a <fs> that contains a possible response of yes or you could choose no or any other response that is specific to yes or no questions then all of your selections <apply-templates select=".."/> can be made inside of that one match and for each selection you would open a new <td> inside of that same <tr> inside of that one match... looks like you get it with your selection for grabbing the questions. It is hard for me to judge what you have with your matches and understand where you are getting confused without your file. Consider pushing to the troubleshooting folder if I am not being helpful enough and perhaps I can be of more help.

[nlottig94]

You need to fix something in your firstxsl:apply-templates select="....." You're being way too greedy just grabbing the <fs> elements....try digging down deeper!

[CodyKarch]

Into the attributes?

[RJP43]

exactly so in both your first select and your first match you are saying give me all the <fs> you only want the <fs> that have certain responses ... this is a predicate issue

[nlottig94]

Yes and no. You first want to go down into <f> elements and then you want to select different attributes to make your search more specific..

[nlottig94]

I was telling the XSLT to give me all of the elements in the <div> element. I was using a greedy selection because it was too much.
I needed to find the more specific XPath of grabbing all of the <fs> elements that have <f> elements which have @name="response" and @select="no". This will grab all of the yes and no questions because the yes is bound to the no.

[CodyKarch]

Okay, I'm really trying here. I need to change the apply-template which is within the

? Or do I need to change the template after my HTML?

[CodyKarch]

Sorry <table?

[RJP43]

both ... but you need to understand your first selection before you start to thinking about what you would select later.

[CodyKarch]

So would <xsl:apply-templates select="//fs/f"> be suitable for the first one?

[CodyKarch]

Or do I need more on that?

[blawrence719]

You need more than that. You need to go deeper into your <fs> and say exactly which <f> you are trying to grab for your table.

[RJP43]

yes! and remember what I hinted to about using a predicate so you don't step down any further but you do specify what <f> you want

[CodyKarch]

So, I keep testing different things, but it keeps popping up "Infinite Loop Detected"; what does this mean?

[RJP43]

show me what you are testing just copy it here into this issue with tics ..

[RJP43]

you were on the right track with going into the <f> of the <fs> <xsl:apply-templates select="//fs/f"> just take it further by specifying what <f> responses your table is specifically looking for using predicates

[CodyKarch]

      ` <table>
                <tr>
                    <th>Number</th>
                    <th>Question</th>
                    <th>Yes</th>
                    <th>Yes, but fined</th>
                    <th>No</th>
                    <th>Blank</th>
                    <th>Total Responses</th>
                </tr>
                <tr>

                </tr>
                <xsl:apply-templates select="//fs/f[@name='response']"></xsl:apply-templates>
            </table>

        </body>

    </html>

</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="//fs/f[@name='response']">

    <tr> 
        <td><xsl:apply-templates select="//fs/f[@select='Yes']"/></td>


    </tr>
</xsl:template>`

[RJP43]

and consider that the / going into the f is saying you only want the <f> s in reality you want the <fs> that has the <f> that has the @select

[RJP43]

where are you Cody? I am still on campus and I feel like this is an issue with how we are explaining it through typing that you aren't catching what we are hinting at ... I am in The Shaw with Brook and Nicole

[RJP43]

You are getting closer ...

[CodyKarch]

I'm in westmoreland. Would select="//fs/f[@select]" be right?

[RJP43]

yes yes yes but @select= to what???? to get yes or no questions specifically and your first select will be almost identical to your first match so then all of your table cells will have info that is bound together in the same <fs>

[CodyKarch]

and for all three spots shown above? or just the first?

[RJP43]

so after you have selected and matched ... the selections you make in the single <td> elements will only have to specify exactly what you want like how you originally had for the question strings

[RJP43]

you need to make the bind first then output each part of what is bound together and needs to be represented in the table cells

[RJP43]

by saying //fs/f you are saying give me all the <f> elements that come after <fs> elements you actually want to say give me all the <fs> elements that have <fs> that have @select=".." and the contents of the select will be a specific value either yes, no, or yes but fined so that you get the <fs> elements that are related to yes or no questions

[RJP43]

pay special attention too that you spell the specific value you choose the same way it is spelled in the xml

[CodyKarch]

Strangely, I have tried this ^mentioned above and every order I try with these doesn't work (in one manner or another)

[RJP43]

predicate inside predicate is specifying the <fs> that has something that has something. From what I see you have the / which is stepping down into the <f>

[CodyKarch]

So I need an fs that contains an f that contains a select attribute with either Yes or No ? Correct?

[RJP43]

right but the contains are written how exactly .. show me in tics

[CodyKarch]

//fs[f(@select='Yes')] ?

[RJP43]

<xsl:apply-templates select="//fs[f thats good ....

[RJP43]

and @select='yes' is good but needs to be in what to say the <f> that have those

[RJP43]

predicate inside predicate is how you specify

[CodyKarch]

So, instead of parenthesis, I would use square brackets?

[RJP43]

yes!!!!! because we are talking predicates :) now read what you have in that selection and tell me how it is different from what you had ... its important you understand where this first match/select is putting you so you can make your other selections

[CodyKarch]

So, would I want to have it like this:
1st: apply-templates select="//f[f[@select='Yes']]"
2nd: templates match="//f[f[@select='Yes']]"
3rd: apply-templates select="//f[f[@select='Yes']]"

Ps: I kind of wish I could have simply grasped the quotation I first posted.

[RJP43]

well think about this once you make your second match you then want to start with outputting a new <tr> and all the <td> in the specific order of your <th> elements from above... this is why I was saying you were on the right track with grabbing your question strings once you have the right initial select and match

[RJP43]

now that you have said I want the <fs> elements of a specific type you can say you want the question number, the question, each of the responses, and the sum of responses all in a single <tr> all inside that match that binds them together

[RJP43]

go back to the assignment and i think u can figure it out from here

[CodyKarch]

So:
1st: apply-templates select="//f[f[@select='Yes']]" *** I don't know what you mean by question number, I don't see any. ***
2nd: templates match="//f[f[@name='question']]"
3rd: apply-templates select="//f[f[@name='response']]"

[ebeshero]

@CodyKarch @RJP43 Careful, folks, with those // marks and where you're using them! Cody, I wonder if that was what was giving you the infinite loop problem. When you say
xsl:template match="something" that is not a literal XPath: it's a pattern. And you step down from that pattern inside the template rule when you do xsl:apply-templates select="something" or xsl:apply-templates select=".//something"
That dot notation is significant--and you may not need it here, but you need to remember how you're stepping from the template match (your context node) down into its children and/or descendants, or wherever you need to walk with XPath in your @select attribute.

[ebeshero]

@CodyKarch @RJP43 When you write
<xsl:apply-templates select="//f[ANYTHING]"/>
you are saying, GO BACK UP TO THE DOCUMENT NODE and run through the ENTIRE XML tree to get all these. Is that what you intended?

[CodyKarch]

Well, isn't that saying descend to the f element and find specifically ANYTHING ?

[ebeshero]

Yes--and it'll probably work here, and might even get you the output you want--but it could get you TOO MUCH of that output, if you only want ANYTHING when it's a piece of a PARTICULAR fs element.

[ebeshero]

What I'm saying is, there's a simpler way to write your path steps here, if you're thinking about how XSLT template matches and apply-templates @select attributes work. Step down, parent to child to attribute.

[CodyKarch]

So you want the most direct path to a specific thing?

[ebeshero]

Yep! 👍

[ebeshero]

Keep it simple so you don't make your processor loop around unnecessarily. Sometimes you may actually want to go back up to the document node, but do you really need to do that here?

[CodyKarch]

No. You're setting a place within the HTML with your apply-template, giving it a governing rule of which is a connecting template, and pulling out your information with another apply-template. And you wouldn't want an indirect path for any of those. Correct?

[ebeshero]

Correct: There is no need of an indirect path.

[CodyKarch]

SO should my XPath in the HTML and my XPath that starts a template be the same?

[ebeshero]

Maybe not exactly the same... but my solution doesn't have //'s in it.