Printing XML Components

[mastermindg]

I'd like to execute a command in shell that would take this:

<row>
<Category>Pop</Category>
<Name>SIRIUS XM Hits 1</Name>
<Number>2</Number>
<Description>Top 40 Hits</Description>
</row>
<row>
<Category>Pop</Category>
<Name>40s on 4</Name>
<Number>4</Number>
<Description>Forties Pop Hits/Big Band</Description>
</row>

and convert it to this:

Group Name Number Description
Pop Sirius XM Hits 1 2 Top 40 Hits
Pop 40s on 4 4 Forties Pop Hits/Big Band

[mastermindg]

I'm using the following stylesheet:


<?xml version="1.0"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
<xsl:output method="text" />

<xsl:template match="/rows/row">
<xsl:value-of select="Group"/>
<xsl:value-of select="Name"/>
<xsl:value-of select="Number"/>
<xsl:value-of select="Description"/>
</xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

to work with:


<rows>
<row>
<Group>Pop</Group>
<Name>SIRIUS XM Hits 1</Name>
<Number>2</Number>
<Description>Top 40 Hits</Description>
</row>
<row>
<Group>Pop</Group>
<Name>40s on 4</Name>
<Number>4</Number>
<Description>Forties Pop Hits/Big Band</Description>
</row>
</rows>

How can I add a column header to the top of the output?

[mastermindg]

Figured out how to get a header. My problem is now that the spacing is off because different fields are different widths. How can I align the rows?


<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
version="1.0">
<xsl:output method="text" indent="yes" />

<xsl:strip-space elements="*"/>

<xsl:template match="rows">
Group Name Number Description
----- ----- ------ ----------
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="row">
<xsl:apply-templates select="Group"/>
<xsl:text> </xsl:text>
<xsl:apply-templates select="Name"/>
<xsl:text> </xsl:text>
<xsl:apply-templates select="Number"/>
<xsl:text> </xsl:text>
<xsl:apply-templates select="Description"/><xsl:text>
</xsl:text>
</xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

[myrtle1908]

So are you wanting to print the formatted output to the shell/console or display in a web browser? I assume the latter as you are using XSLT. If so, then use a HTML table.

If you want to dump the output to the shell or a text file then I would use an XML parser (dom4j is my fav for Java), a fixed width font and a bit of right-padding (printf/sprintf/rightPad etc.) depending on your language of choice.