About SAXON

version 5.3.2

Please note: the documentation on this site is also included in the download file. However, the on-line version may be more up-to-date.

The SAXON package is a collection of tools for processing XML documents. The main components are:

• An XSLT processor, which implements the Version 1.0 XSLT and XPath Recommendations from the World Wide Web Consortium, found at http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-xslt-19991116 and http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-xpath-19991116 with a number of powerful extensions
• A Java library, which supports a similar processing model to XSL, but allows full programming capability, which you need if you want to perform complex processing of the data or to access external services such as a relational database
• A slightly improved version of the Ælfred parser from Microstar. (But you can use SAXON with any SAX-compliant XML parser if you prefer).

So you can use SAXON by writing XSL stylesheets, by writing Java applications, or by any combination of the two.

If you are only interested in running the XSLT interpreter, on a Windows platform, try Instant SAXON. At 250 Kb, this is a much smaller download; it excludes source code and API documentation.

SAXON provides a set of services that are particularly useful when converting XML data into other formats. The output format may be XML, or HTML, or some other format such as comma separated values, EDI messages, or data in a relational database.

SAXON implements the XSLT 1.0 recommendation, including XPath 1.0, in its entirety. SAXON also does things that are beyond the scope of the XSL standard: for example:

• It allows XSL processing and Java processing to be freely mixed, so you can always escape into procedural code to do something non-standard (such as accessing a database)
• It allows multiple output files. SAXON is particularly useful for splitting a large document into page-sized chunks. You can do this without writing any Java code.
• It allows multi-pass processing, by means of an extension function that converts a result tree fragment to a nodeset, or by chaining stylesheets together
• It allows variables to be updated.

As a class library, SAXON gives you the ability to use the XSL rule-based approach to document processing, but with the flexibility of the full Java language. You can declare handler classes to match particular patterns in the document, and can process arbitrary sets of nodes selected using XSL expressions. This provides a high-level query capability which you can mix with purely navigational access.

Historical Note

I originally wrote SAXON to support an internal project in ICL. It has since been used for a number of external projects, but there is no intent to make it into a fully-fledged ICL product.

The name SAXON was chosen because originally it was a layer on top of SAX. Also, it uses the Ælfred parser (among others); Ælfred of course was a Saxon king...

I have been asked to point out that the product has no connection with a company called SAXON Software.

Please read the Conditions of Use.

There is no guarantee of technical support, though I am usually able to answer enquiries within a few days. Please register with the mailing list available at http://saxon.xsl.listbot.com and raise any enquiries there. Also check the list archives: I post lists of known errors there from time to time.

Existing users please see the file changes.html for details of any incompatible changes.

The full SAXON distribution includes source and object code, documentation, and sample applications.

Object code is issued as a JAR file, saxon.jar, which you must include on your class path.

The file ParserManager.properties must be copied into a directory that is listed on your CLASSPATH. You should edit this file to identify the SAX-compliant parser that you intend to use.

User documentation, covering both the XSLT and Java interfaces, is included in the download in the form of extensive javadoc specifications. Be sure to read the package summaries, which give an overview in the form of a user guide. In addition there is an introductory overview.

Prerequisites:

The following software must be installed separately, it is not included with the SAXON download.

• a Java development environment. SAXON has been tested with both SUN's and Microsoft's Java compilers and VMs. The latest version was compiled using Java 2. It will run under JDK 1.1; however, the source will no longer compile under JDK 1.1.
• SAXON has an option to pass the result tree to James Tauber's FOP processor, which is capable of generating output in PDF.

SAXON now comes with a bundled XML parser, a modified copy of the AElfred parser, adapted to notify comments to the application. It can be used with other SAX-compliant parsers by modifying the ParserManager.properties file. SAXON has been tested successfully in the past with Lark, MSXML, SUN Project X, Oracle XML, xerces, xml4j, and xp. Use of a SAX2-compliant parser is preferred, as SAX1 does not allow XML comments to be passed to the application. However, SAXON works with either.

Version 1.0.3 of Xerces (Java) is built using a beta version of SAX2 which is incompatible with the final SAX2 distribution. You shouldn't use Saxon with this version of Xerces - in fact, you shouldn't even have this version of Xerces on your CLASSPATH when you run Saxon

All the relevant classes must be installed on your Java CLASSPATH.

Because the product is run from the command line, you might find it useful to have a text editor with better command-line support than the standard DOS window. I use Programmer's File Editor (PFE), a free product available from a number of download sites, for example softseek.com.

The SAXON download (2.2 Mb) is at http://users.iclway.co.uk/mhkay/saxon/saxon.zip

Michael H. Kay
12 May 2000

Personal home page: http://users.iclway.co.uk/mhkay