We're facing a task of conversion of a java method into a state machine. This is like to convert a SAX Parser, pushing data, into an Xml Reader, which pulls data.

The task is formalized as:

• for a given method containing split markers create a class perimitting iteration;
• each iteration performs part of a logic of a method.

We have defined rules converting all statements into a state machine except of the statement synchronied. In fact the logic it rather linear, however the most untrivial conversion is for try statement. Consider an example:

public class Test
{
void method()
throws Exception
{
try
{
A();
B();
}
catch(Exception e)
{
C(e);
}
finally
{
D();
}

E();
}

private void A()
throws Exception
{
// logic A
}

private void B()
throws Exception
{
// logic B
}

privatevoid C(Exception e)
throws Exception
{
// logic C
}

privatevoid D()
throws Exception
{
// logic D
}

privatevoid E()
throws Exception
{
// logic E
}
}

Suppose we want to see method() as a state machine in a way that split markers are after calls to methods A(), B(), C(), D(), E(). This is how it looks as a state machine:

Callable<Boolean> methodAsStateMachine()
throws Exception
{
returnnew Callable<Boolean>()
{
public Boolean call()
throws Exception
{
do
{
try
{
switch(state)
{
case 0:
{
A();
state = 1;

returntrue;
}
case 1:
{
B();
state = 3;

returntrue;
}
case 2:
{
C(ex);
state = 3;

returntrue;
}
case 3:
{
D();

if (currentException != null)
{
throw currentException;
}

state = 4;

returntrue;
}
case 4:
{
E();
state = -1;

returnfalse;
}
}

if (currentException == null)
{
currentException = new IllegalStateException();
}
}
catch(Throwable e)
{
currentException = null;

switch(state)
{
case 0:
case 1:
{
if (e instanceof Exception)
{
ex = (Exception)e;
state = 2;
}
else
{
currentException = e;
state = 3;
}

continue;
}
case 2:
{
currentException = e;
state = 3;

continue;
}
}

currentException = e;
state = -1;
}
}
while(false);

returnthis.<Exception>error();
}

@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
private <T extends Throwable> boolean error()
throws T
{
throw (T)currentException;
}

privateint state = 0;
private Throwable currentException = null;
private Exception ex = null;
};
}

Believe it, or not but this transformation can be done purely in xslt 2.0 with the help of the jxom (Java xml object model). We shall update jxom.zip whenever this module will be implemented and tested.

In the xslt one can express logically the same things in different words like:

  exists($x)
and
  every $y in $x satisfies exists($y)

newbie> Really the same?
expert> Ops... You're right, these are different things!

What's the difference?

I was already writing about tuples and maps in the xslt (see Tuples and maps - Status: CLOSED, WONTFIX, and Tuples and maps in Saxon).

Now, I want to argue on a use case, and on how xslt processor can detect such a use case and implement it as map. This way, for a certain conditions, a sequences could be treated as maps (or as sets).

Use case.

There are two stages:

• a logic collecting nodes/values satisfying some criteria.
• process data, and take a special action whenever a node/value is collected on the previous stage.

Whenever we're talking of nodes than result of the first stage is a sequence $set as node()*. The role of this sequence is a set of nodes (order is not important).

The second stage is usually an xsl:for-each, an xsl:apply-templates, or something of this kind, which repeatedly verifies whether a some $node as node()? belongs to the $set, like a following: $node intersect $set, or $node except $set.

In spite of that we're still using regular xpath 2.0, we have managed to express a set based operation. It's a matter of xslt processor's optimizer to detect such a use case and consider a sequence as a set. In fact the detection rule is rather simple.

Thus what to do? Well, I do not think I'm the smartest child, quite opposite... however it worth to hint this idea to xslt implementers (see Suggest optimization). I still do not know if it was fruitful...

P.S. A very similar use case exists for a function index-of($collection, $item).

I know we're not the first who create a parser in xslt. However I still want to share our implementation, as I think it's beautiful.

In our project, which is conversion from a some legacy language to java, we're dealing with dynamic expressions. For example in the legacy language one can filter a collection using an expression defined by a string: collection.filter("a > 0 and b = 7");

Whenever expression string is calculated there is nothing to do except to parse such string at runtime and perform filtering dynamically. On the other hand we have found that in the majority of cases literal strings are used. Thus we have decided to optimize this route like this:

  collection.filter(
    new Filter<T>()
    {
      boolean filter(T value)
      {
        return (value.getA() > 0) and (value.getB() = 7);
      }
    });

This means that we're converting that expression string into java code on the generation stage.

In the xslt - our generator engine - this means that we have to convert a string into expression tree like this:

(a > 7 or a= 3) and c * d = 2.2

to

<and>
  <or>
    <gt>
      <identifier>a</identifier>
      <integer>7</integer>
    </gt>
    <eq>
      <identifier>a</identifier>
      <integer>3</integer>
    </eq>
  </or>
  <eq>
    <mul>
      <identifier>c</identifier>
      <identifier>d</identifier>
    </mul>
    <decimal>2.2</decimal>
  </eq>
</and>

Our parser fits naturally to the world of parsers: it uses xsl:analyze-string instruction to tokenize input and parses tokens according to an expression grammar. During implementation I've found some new to me things. I think they worth mentioning:

• As tokenizer is defined as a big regular expression, we have rather verbose regex attribute over xsl:analyze-string. It was hard to edit such a big line until I've found there is flag="x" option that solves formatting problems:
  

  The flags attribute may be used to control the interpretation of the regular expression... If it contains the letter x, then whitespace within the regular expression is ignored.

  This means that I can use spaces to format regular expression and /s to specify space as part of expression.
• Saxon 9.1.0.1 has inefficiency in implementation of xsl:analyze-string instruction, whenever regex contains literal value however with '{' character (e.g. "\p{{L}}"), as it considers the value to be an AVT and delays pattern compilation until runtime, which it does every time instruction is executed.

Use following link to see the xslt: expression-parser.xslt.
To see how to generate java from an xml follow this link: Xslt for the jxom (Java xml object model), jxom.zip.

Yesterday, incidentally, I've arrived to a problem of a dynamic error during evaluation of a template's match. This reminded me SFINAE in C++. There the principle is applied at compile time to find a matching template.

I think people underestimate the meaning of this behaviour. The effect of dynamic errors occurring during pattern evaluation is described in the specification:

Any dynamic error or type error that occurs during the evaluation of a pattern against a particular node is treated as a recoverable error even if the error would not be recoverable under other circumstances. The optional recovery action is to treat the pattern as not matching that node.

This has far reaching consequences, like an error recovery. To illustrate what I'm talking about please look at this simple stylesheet that recovers from "Division by zero.":

<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0"
  xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
  xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">

<xsl:template match="/">
  <xsl:variable name="operator" as="element()+">
    <div divident="10" divisor="0"/>
    <div divident="10" divisor="2"/>
  </xsl:variable>

  <xsl:apply-templates select="$operator"/>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:param name="NaN" as="xs:double" select="1.0 div 0"/>

<xsl:template
  match="div[(xs:integer(@divident) div xs:integer(@divisor)) ne $NaN]">
  <xsl:message select="xs:integer(@divident) div xs:integer(@divisor)"/>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="div">
  <xsl:message select="'Division by zero.'"/>
</xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

Here, if there is a division by zero a template is not matched and other template is selected, thus second template serves as an error handler for the first one. Definitely, one may define much more complex construction to be handled this way.

I never was a purist (meaning doing everything in xslt), however this example along with indirect function call, shows that xslt is rather equiped language. One just need to be smart enough to understand how to do a things.

See also: Try/catch block in xslt 2.0 for Saxon 9.

Among other job activities, we're from time to time asked to check technical skills of job applicants.

Several times we were interviewing people who're far below the acceptable professional skills. It's a torment for both sides, I should say.

To ease things we have designed a small questionnaire (specific to our projects) for job applicants. It's sent to an applicant before the meeting. Even partially answered, this questionnaire constitutes a good filter against profanes:

<questionnaire>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please estimate your knowledge in XML Schema (xsd) as lacking, bad, good, or perfect.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please estimate your knowledge in xslt 2.0/xquery 1.0 as lacking, bad, good, or perfect.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please estimate your knowledge in xslt 1.0 as lacking, bad, good, or perfect.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please estimate your knowledge in java as lacking, bad, good, or perfect.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please estimate your knowledge in c# as lacking, bad, good, or perfect.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please estimate your knowledge in sql as lacking, bad, good, or perfect.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      For logical values A, B, please rewrite logical expression "A and B" using operator "or".
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      For logical values A, B, please rewrite logical expression "A = B" using operators "and" and "or".
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      There are eight balls, with only one heavier than some other.
      What is a minimum number of weighings reveals the heavier ball?
      Please be suspicious about the "trivial" solution.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      If A results in B. What one may say about the reason of B?
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      If only A or B result in C. What one may say about the reason of C?
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please define an xml schema for this questionnaire.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Please create a simple stylesheet creating an html table based on this questionnaire.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      For a table A with columns B, C, and D, please create an sql query selecting B groupped by C and ordered by D.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      For a sequence of xml elements A with attribute B, please write a stylesheet excerpt creating a sequence of elements D, grouping elements A with the same string value of attribute B, sorted in the order of ascending of B.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Having a java class A with properties B and C, please sort a collection of A for B in ascending, and C in descending order.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      What does a following line mean in c#?
      int? x;
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      What is a parser?
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      How to issue an error in the xml stylesheet?
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      What is a lazy evaluation?
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      How do you understand a following sentence?
      For each line of code there should be a comment.
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Have you used any supplemental information to answer these questions?
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <question>
      Have you independently answered these questions?
    </question>
    <answer/>
  </item>
</questionnaire>

I've found that proposition to introduce tuples and maps to xslt/xquery type system has not found a support:

At the joint meeting of the XSL and XQuery Working groups 2008-06-23 it was decided that a change of this nature would be too large for the next "point" release of the Recommendations. The request for new functionality will be considered for a future "main" release.

Boor> *****!

Pessimist> Ah, there won't be tuples and maps in xslt/xquery...

Optimist> Wow, chances are good to see this addition by the year 2018!

Today Michael Kay has announced an update for the Saxon processor. The latest version for now is 9.1.

I've checked our saxon.extensions, and has fixed incompatibilities.

The source for the new version of the Saxon can be found at http://saxon.sourceforge.net/.

New features are discussed at: http://www.saxonica.com/documentation/changes/intro.html

Our extensions can be found at saxon.extensions.9.1.zip.

Right now we're inhabiting in the java world, thus all our tasks are (in)directly related to this environment.

We want to store stylesheets as resources of java application, and at the same time to point to these stylesheets without jar qualification. In .NET this idea would not appear at all, as there are well defined boundaries between assemblies, but java uses rather different approach. Whenever you have a resource name, it's up to ClassLoader to find this resource. To exploit this feature we've created an uri resolver for the stylesheet transformation. The protocol we use has a following format: "resource:/resource-path".

For example to store stylesheets in the META-INF/stylesheets folder we use uri "resource:/META-INF/stylesheets/java/main.xslt". Relative path is resolved naturally. A path "../jxom/java-serializer.xslt" in previously mentioned stylesheet is resolved to "resource:/META-INF/stylesheets/jxom/java-serializer.xslt".

We've created a small class ResourceURIResolver. You need to supply an instance of TransformerFactory with this resolver:
  transformerFactory.setURIResolver(new ResourceURIResolver());

The class itself is so small that we qoute it here:

import java.io.InputStream;

import java.net.URI;
import java.net.URISyntaxException;

import javax.xml.transform.Source;
import javax.xml.transform.TransformerException;
import javax.xml.transform.URIResolver;

import javax.xml.transform.stream.StreamSource;

/**
 * This class implements an interface that can be called by the processor
 * to turn a URI used in document(), xsl:import, or xsl:include into a
 * Source object.
 */
public class ResourceURIResolver implements URIResolver
{
  /**
   * Called by the processor when it encounters
   * an xsl:include, xsl:import, or document() function.
   *
   * This resolver supports protocol "resource:".
   * Format of uri is: "resource:/resource-path", where "resource-path" is an
   * argument of a {@link ClassLoader#getResourceAsStream(String)} call.
   * @param href - an href attribute, which may be relative or absolute.
   * @param base - a base URI against which the first argument will be made
   *   absolute if the absolute URI is required.
   * @return a Source object, or null if the href cannot be resolved, and
   *   the processor should try to resolve the URI itself.
   */
  public Source resolve(String href, String base)
    throws TransformerException
  {
    if (href == null)
    {
      return null;
    }

    URI uri;

    try
    {
      if (base == null)
      {
        uri = new URI(href);
      }
      else
      {
        uri = new URI(base).resolve(href);
      }
    }
    catch(URISyntaxException e)
    {
      // Unsupported uri.
      return null;
    }

    if (!"resource".equals(uri.getScheme()))
    {
      return null;
    }

    String resourceName = uri.getPath();

    if ((resourceName == null) || (resourceName.length() == 0))
    {
      return null;
    }

    if (resourceName.charAt(0) == '/')
    {
      resourceName = resourceName.substring(1);
    }

    ClassLoader classLoader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
    InputStream stream = classLoader.getResourceAsStream(resourceName);

    if (stream == null)
    {
      return null;
    }

    return new StreamSource(stream, uri.toString());
  }
}

We've uploaded an update for the jxom.

It has turned out that jxom schema is so powerful that you can do a great number of manipulations over xml representation of java program.

In our case this is an optimization of unreachable code, defined at Sun's spec. We're facing this problem as result of translation from other ancient language, which also has well defined xml schema.

We also have introduced an ability to annotate jxom elements (see meta element), which in practice we use to annotate expressions with their types and perform "compile time" expression evaluation.

You may download jxom version at usual place.

See also: Java Xml Object Model.

The project we're working on requires us to generate a java web application from a some ancient language. The code being converted, we have transformed into java classes (thanks to jxom), the presentation is converted into JSF (facelets) pages.

By the way, long before java (.net) platform has been conceived, there were languages and environments, worked out so good that contemporary client - server paradigms (like JSF, ASP.NET, and so on) are just their isomorphisms.

The problem we were dealing with recently is JSF databinding for a bean properties of types java.sql.Date, java.sql.Time, java.sql.Timestamp.

At some point of design we have decided that these types are most natural representation of data in the original language, as the program's activity is tightly connected to the database. Later on it's became clear that JSF databinding does not like these types at all. We were to decide either to fall back and use java.util.Date as bean property types, or do something with databinding.

It was not clear what's the best way until we have found an elegant solution, namely: to create ELResolver to handle bean properties of these types. The solution works because custom el resolvers are applied before standard resolvers (except implicit one).

The class DateELResolver is rather simple extension of the BeanELResolver. To use it you only need to register it the faces-config.xml:

<faces-config version="1.2"
  xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee
    http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-facesconfig_1_2.xsd">
  <application>
    <el-resolver>com.nesterovskyBros.jsf.DateELResolver</el-resolver>
  </application>
</faces-config>

Recently I've proposed to add two new atomic types tuple and map to the xpath/xslt/xquery type system (see "Tuples an maps"). Later I've implemented tuple and map pure xslt approximation. Now I want to present java implementation for Saxon.

I've created TupleValue and MapValue atomic types, and Collections class exposing extension functions api. It's easy to use this api. I'll repeat an example that I was showing earlier:

<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0"
  xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
  xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
  xmlns:f="http://www.nesterovsky-bros.com/xslt/functions/public"
  xmlns:p="http://www.nesterovsky-bros.com/xslt/functions/private"
  xmlns:c="java:com.nesterovskyBros.saxon.Functions"
  exclude-result-prefixes="xs f p c">

<xsl:template match="/">
   <root>
     <xsl:variable name="tuples" as="item()*" select="
       for $i in 1 to 20
         return c:tuple(1 to $i)"/>

    <total-items>
      <xsl:sequence select="
        sum
        (
          for $tuple in $tuples return
            count(c:tuple-items($tuple))
        )"/>
    </total-items>
    <tuples-size>
      <xsl:sequence select="count($tuples)"/>
    </tuples-size>
    <sums-per-tuples>
      <xsl:for-each select="$tuples">
        <xsl:variable name="index" as="xs:integer" select="position()"/>

        <sum index="{$index}" value="{sum(c:tuple-items(.))}"/>
      </xsl:for-each>
    </sums-per-tuples>

    <xsl:variable name="cities" as="element()*">
      <city name="Jerusalem" country="Israel"/>
      <city name="London" country="Great Britain"/>
      <city name="Paris" country="France"/>
      <city name="New York" country="USA"/>
      <city name="Moscow" country="Russia"/>
      <city name="Tel Aviv" country="Israel"/>
      <city name="St. Petersburg" country="Russia"/>
     </xsl:variable>

    <xsl:variable name="map" as="item()" select="
      c:map
      (
        for $city in $cities return
        (
          $city/string(@country),
          $city
        )
      )"/>

    <xsl:for-each select="c:map-keys($map)">
      <xsl:variable name="key" as="xs:string" select="."/>

      <country name="{$key}">
        <xsl:sequence select="c:map-value($map, $key)"/>
     </country>
    </xsl:for-each>
  </root>
</xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

Download java source.

P.S. I would wish this api be integrated into Saxon, as at present java extension functions are called through reflection.

Many times I was tempted to create my bests books list.

No, I dare not to create it. There are so many brilliant masterpieces; I allow to make such lists to someone, who is wiser than myself. However, I cannot be silent about a book I've read recently. This is Ulysses by James Joyce.

It's hard reading: you need to know all creative work of Joyce, Homer, state of the affairs in the world in the year of 1904, map of city of Dublin in that year, and many many other information. That is the reason why you must read annotated version.

The labour of reading is compensated with intellectual pleasure from it, because it's not a story that is catching you, but narration. Having imagination, you're immersing into a world created by the author.

I can believe that there are people for years living in the world created by Joyce.

Today I've found another new language (working draft in fact). It's an XML Pipeline Language.

An experience shows a process of language invention is an essential part of computer industry from the very beginning, however...

I must confess I must be too reluctant to any new language: I was happy with C++, but then all these new languages like Delphi, Java, C#, and so many others started to appear. It's correct to say that there is no efficient universal language, however I think it's wrong to say that a domain s