XSLT for Shadow Desktop

Version 3c ©Alex Fung, April 2007.

Readme also available on my home page.

Shadow Desktop XSLT uses new web technologies. The minimum browser requirement is Internet Explorer 5.0. Please upgrade your browser before using.

If you like this software, consider sending me a donation!

What XSLT does

XSLT is eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations. It perform transformations on XML, in this case, to HTML.

This set of files transforms the XML file generated by the Shadow Destop into pretty HTML. The hierarchical structure can be expanded and collapsed like in Shadow Plan.

The generated HTML also uses JScript to provide dynamic effects. It allows you to hide and show the children of each items. Starting version 3, you can also hide or reveal all child items via a single click. If you print the page, what you see is what you get; that is, hidden child items will not be printed.

Obtaining Shadow Plan XSLT

Get it from the Shadow Discuss Yahoo Group or from my home page.

Installation

1. The package contains several sample XML files. You may use them for testing, but they are not required.
2. Place all other files from this zip archive into the directory where the Shadow Plan conduit stores the XML files (the XML version of your lists and the ShadowTags.XML).

Usage

Invoking SP SXLT

There are three ways to invoke SP XSLT:

1. Open ShadP-xslt-Business_Plan.htm with IE
   This HTM file is hardcoded to open the list named “Business Plan” (one of the sample supplied). The benefit is, open the file and you immediately see the list displayed. You may make copies of this file, and change the hardcoded value to a different list name for each copy. See the comments inside the HTM file for details on customisations.
2. Open ShadP-xslt-link.htm with IE
   Links to several lists are hardcoded in this HTM file. You can modify (and make extra copies) of the links (just normal <a> tags) to refer to all your lists. This way, you get a launch pad to all your favorite lists. You can also directly zoom on an item. See below for zooming, and see the comments inside the HTM file for details on customisations.
3. Open ShadP-xslt.htm with IE
   The HTM file can be used in either of two ways:
   • In Part I (Browse for input XML file), press the “Browse” button to browse for the XML file created by the SP conduit. Then press the “Load XML” button.
   • In Part II (Type name of input XML file), type the name of your list and press the “Load XML” button.

Viewing the output

Each item is displayed on a line in navy blue. Item notes are displayed in black under the item title.

If an item has child items, the item title is displayed with a trailing triangle. By default, child items are hidden. Click the title line to show or hide the children.

Before each title is a square box. It carries a check mark if the item is marked completed in SP.

Priority, Tags and Target Dates are also listed. The information is now rather messy. All the information are listed right after the item heading. For better placement, please modify the XSLT file to suite yourself. Contact me if necessary.

Interacting the output

At the top of the output is a “Show Commands” button. Press it and you get a list of commands:

• The checkbox controls whether you want to hide the checked items (ie items checked in SP). When the box is checked, all SP-checked items will be hidden; when the box is cleared, all items are shown irrespective of the SP-check status.
• The “expand all collapsed items” button expand all items to show their children. All child items are initially hidden (collapsed under their parent). This button reveals all child items. After pressing it, you can proceed to collapse selected parents (by clicking their title) to hide their child items.
• The “collapse all items” button does the reverse. All child items will be hidden. After pressing it, you can proceed to expand selected parents (by clicking their title) to show their child items.
• The “open another SP list” button simply bring you back to ShadP-xslt.htm where you can choose another list to view.

A popup menu may appear when you click item titles with the right mouse button.

• If the item is a parent, you have the option to zoom in that item. Zooming in an item shows only the item and its children (and grandchildren etc). All other items (siblings, uncles, whatever) will go away. You can zoom in even when you are already zoomed in, as long as you have more child levels to drill down.
• If you are in zoomed mode, you have the option to zoom out. Zooming out brings you back to the original list, showing all nodes. No matter how many times you have zoomed in, zooming out always brings you back to the top level.

Package Contents

You do not need to read this section unless you are curious what the files in this package are doing.

The package uses lots of technology I original developed for my Game Guides This includes XSLT, Dynamic HTML, CSS, JScript, and XML DOM. For the basic features, the XSLT transforms the Shadow Plan XML to viewable HTML, and CSS/JScript handles the dynamic behaviours. But some of the things need more processing.

In particular, the XMLDOM allows the HTML to access the XML at run time. This is important for decoding the tags, because the tag names are stored in a separate XML file (ShadowTags.XML).

JScript files in the package:

• Daisy.js a generic tool I developed for handling multiple event hooks. Most of the JScript files in the package need to hook to a few events. Daisy.js makes sure they do not step on one another.
• XMLdom.js is recently written for my Thief 2 guide. It is a general package to process XML.
• Outline.js is one of my the oldest package, do the collapse and expansion of child items.
• IEver.js is a small script to determine the version of the IE installed.
• Breaknote.js handles the line breaks in the item notes (it was a tough job because XML and HTML ignore line breaks). It processes all <PRE> tags in the generated output by converting new lines in the item notes to real line breaks.
• PDAdate.js translates the target dates from the Palm 1904 time format to the JScript UTC dates. It looks up all the target dates (marked up with id=spDate by the xslt) to convert them to US style dates (mm/dd/yyyy).
• Tag.js uses the XML engine to read in the ShadowTags.XML. It is a file created by the conduit, and holds all your tag names. Then the script looks up all the tags used in the list (marked up with id=spTag by the xslt) to convert the internal tag ID into real tag name.
• Zoom.js handles the zooming in and out. All it does is to jump to a location coded with the zoom item ID. The syntax of the target location is “ShadP-xslt.htm#ID#list”. ID (optional) is the (internal) unique ID of the item to zoom on. list is the name of the list.

Other files in the package:

• Readme.htm: you are reading it.
• ShadP-xslt.xsl: contains the XSLT logic.
• ShadP-xslt.css: Cascaded Style Sheet file for the output.
• XML files of the sample lists: “Business Plan”, “Test” and “Test Done”.
• ShadowTags.XML: tags file for the sample list “Test” .
• ShadP-xslt-top.htm: used in ShadP-xslt.htm. The latter actually has two frames. One holds the ShadP-xslt-top.htm, the other the conversion output.

Customising the styles

The display style is controlled by the “ShadP-xslt.css”. Refer to CSS references (eg on MSDN) for details. The stylesheet items are described below:

• “.title” is the class for all titles. You may change all the attributes, but the color should stay navy, because the outline.js always reset them to navy.
• “.title1”, “.title2” etc is the class for each level of titles. If a title is child of nobody, it is level 1 and it uses “.title1” (in addition to “.title”). If a title is child of a level 1 title, it is level 2 and it uses “.title2” (in addition to “.title”). If you have more than 4 levels, just add extra “.titlenn” lines as required.
• “.note” defines the style of the notes you attached to the item. Adjust it to suit your taste.
• “.marker” formats the 4 and 6 after a title with child items. Do not change it.

System Requirement

To use XSLT, you need the followings on your system.

• MSXML 4.0 or above (best with MSXML 6.0)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or above
• Windows 2000 or above.
• Windings and Webdings font installed (nearly always available in Windows).

Most Windows products install MSXML for you, so you probably already have one. However, your existing version may be very old. Go to this page to test your XML installation.

If you do not have MSXML installed, or the installed version is old, either dig it up from Microsoft or go to this page to install a new one.

Special Characters

As of version 2.8.1, the Shadow Plan conduit is not yet capable of handling some special characters. A few characters can safely be used (I haven't exhaustively tested every character): « (/171), » (/187), ¿ (/191), ¡ (/161) and ¢ (/162). Others, like † (/134), ‡ (/135) and … (/133), are translated into invisible characters on Windows. Worse, 4 symbols will end up in an invalid XML file: ‘ (/145), ’ (/146), “ (/147) and ” (/148). When your list has any of these 4 characters, the XML file generated by the conduit has an invalid syntax. In such case, no XSLT will be able to operate on them.

Shadow Plan Desktop can tolerate these characters, but cannot display them. I have not fully tested zDesk, but seems these characters will stop zDesk from opening the list.

Copyright Notice

Shadow Plan is a product from Jeff Mitchell. Head over to Code Jedi for updates, more details, screenshots and support.

The files in this archive are products of Alex Fung (alexfung1980 at hotmail dot com). You are permitted to copy the files to your computers for use with Shadow Desktop, as long as all the files stay together and you do not modify the files except according to the instructions above. For details, refer to the full copyright notice below.

Full Copyright Notice

No part of these files may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system (including but not limited to a human brain), or translated into any other language in any form by any means without the written permission of the author.

If you have not already purchased a license for these pages, you are granted a limited license (see the shareware license agreement below) to use them on a 100-year trial basis for the purpose of determining whether it is suitable for your needs, provided you read the whole of this copyright notice and the accompanied license agreement. The use outside the initial trial period by any person, business, corporation, government agency, or any other entity is strictly prohibited. If during or at the end of that period you decide that you would like to continue using it, please register.

If you decide to continue beyond the trial period, you are obligated to register.

Shareware License Agreement

By browsing any of these pages, you agree to abide by all the terms and conditions of the following contract, as well as the Geneva Convention and the U.N. Charter and the Secret Membership Oath of the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks and such other terms and conditions, real and imaginary, as the Author shall deem necessary and appropriate, including the right to come to the your home and examine your hard drive, as well as the your underwear drawer if the Author feels like it, take it or leave it, till death doeth us part.

The Author does not guarantee that Shadow Desktop XSLT would actually load into your browser, can be parsed and rendered within finite time, or will produce any output. By browsing these pages your browser may hang, your Windows may crash, your PC may explode, or the building you are in may be haunted by shadows. If anything bad happens then you, not the Author, assume the entire cost of damages done and of all necessary remedies.

The files are provided as is, without warranty of any kind. The author makes no representations or warranties of any kind whatsoever for the files and specifically disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, reliability, quality and fitness for any particular purpose. Should the files prove defective or incomplete, you assume the risk of paying the entire cost of all incidental or consequential damages. In no event will the author be liable for errors contained, or for any damages whatsoever arising directly or indirectly out of the use or the inability to use these files.

If you have enhancement requests and have read this far, do contact me at alexfung1980 at hotmail dot com.

Version History

v3c	Apr	2007	Fixes in product versions and URL.
v3b	Feb	2004	New display feature: display Target Date in mm/dd/yyyy. New display feature: name of Tags assigned to the Item. New display feature: Priority assigned to the Item. New display feature: Commands now hidden by default, reveal using “Show Commands” button. New UI feature: zoom in and out using context menu (right mouse click) on item title. New UI feature: command to jump back to List selection.
v3	Jan	2004	New display feature: Item Checked status. New display feature: preserves line break in Item Notes. New UI feature: command to hide/show all Checked Items. New UI feature: command to show all child Items. New UI feature: command to hide all child Items.
v2c	Jul	2003	New UI feature: allow browse file system to select input XML file.
v2b	Jan	2003	New UI feature: allow direct input of XML file name instead of hard-coded in HTML.
v1	Aug	2002	Initial release.

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