Can I model (reverse engineer) an XSL document?

[Jim]

Well, the subject pretty much says it all. I am a patent attorney and an
inventor handed me an XSL document and went on vacation. Now, I need to
create a flow chart from that file, and thought I could use Visio. Please
let me know if this is possible. Or if there is a recommended alternative.

Best, Jim.

 

[Chris Roth [MVP]]

Are there any programmers sitting near you? If someone has Visual Studio
2005, it makes a pretty nifty diagram from XSD files auto-magically.

Not sure if programmers are allowed in law offices, though! : ) : ) : )

--
Hope this helps,

Chris Roth
Visio MVP

www.wanderkind.com/visio

 

[Jim]

is XSD the same as XSL?

Are there any programmers sitting near you? If someone has Visual Studio
2005, it makes a pretty nifty diagram from XSD files auto-magically.

Not sure if programmers are allowed in law offices, though! : ) : ) : )

--
Hope this helps,

Chris Roth
Visio MVP

www.wanderkind.com/visio

 

[Chris Roth [MVP]]

Whoops, I misread that. No, xsl isn't the same as xsd. Xsl is more of a
filter or style-sheet that gets applied to xml data somewhere and makes
nifty tables, for example, instead of just a bunch of "<>" that you usually
see in xml.

There is probably a section in your xsl file that contains raw xml data. How
and what kind of flowchart should be created from that is not clear to me.

- Chris

 

[wr]

Hi Jim,

you use .xsl in word to streamline your xml document in a certain style
you need xml data to have a use for the .xsl file
see http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/program/word/2003/download/default.aspx

so either the inventor wants you to patent the xsl template or you need more
data.

to be honest don't you mean .xls (excel file) because the link
visio-excel-flowchart is quite common

René