An XSLT to generate self-generating code: from XML to xattr-annotated FinF

[pjotrek-b]

"An XSLT to generate self-generating code: from XML to xattr-annotated FinF"

meaning:

Write an XSLT that:

• takes (most) XML source as-is input.
• Creates (bash? python?) code as output
• which in fact creates the information stored in the XML as "Files-in-Folders" (FinF) structure.
• XML nodes = folders.
• XML attributes = xattrs
• XML values = xattrs.payload (or "xattrs.p3" for short)

That's it.
I always found XSLT interesting. Anyway, sounds like something that could be well-implemented in any functional language. If XSLT had libs to support xattrs and file/folder creation and naming, the bash/python intermediate step could be omitted.

The XSLT-Transformer environments and tools I've used in the past (mainly browser and linux shell), varied when it came to reliability on the existence and syntax of existing function-libraries to use in XSLT.

Maybe this has improved since then, as possibly the XSLT standard has come to rest. As it works.

I imagine using that xml2aha.xslt to quickly populate catalog "trees" of annotated folders.
Then edit and maintain - and share that "former XML data" with anyone and any tool as "annotated FinFs".
And of course, right-click-edit-metadata as you like.

Anyone got suggestions for a good and portable XSLT interpreter?
Being able to use a web-browser as compiler for this, wouldn't it allow simply download an XML, and then blow it up to handle as a bunch of annotated objects in your file-manager?