Brand New Altova Web Site

We are so excited to announce the launch of our new, improved, completely redesigned Web site! The new Altova.com is cleaner, simpler, and more beautiful than ever.





Our goal was to make our site easier to navigate so that you can find exactly what you’re looking for quickly, whether that’s Product information, Support resources, or technical reference materials. Of course, it’s as simple as ever to download a free trial or update your software to the latest version.





At the same time, we hope the new site will help you discover a little something you didn’t know about Altova. For instance, did you know that we have a comprehensive line of Database Tools in addition to the XML Tools and Developer Tools that we’re known for? Did you know that we offer free, online product and technology training? And have you tried our new, cloud-based project collaboration and team management tool?


You can learn all about how Altova products and supported technologies can help your team meet critical business needs in our completely revamped Technology Solutions Center.

Despite all the planning, proposals, testing, and reworking that go in to a new Web site, the true test of success is how the site works for you, our customers. Please share any feedback or suggestions you may have for the new site, either by leaving a comment here on the blog or contacting our Marketing team by email. We look forward to and greatly appreciate your input!

Version 2013 Service Pack 1 Delivers Windows 8 Support and More

On November 15, 2012, we released Service Pack 1 of Altova MissionKit and the complete line of Altova XML, SQL, and UML tools. This service pack delivers the usual round of bug fixes as well as some important new updates to existing support:

• Windows 8 support. Altova’s desktop applications now run under Windows 8 in addition to Windows 7 and earlier platforms.
• Windows Server 2012 support. Altova tools now run on Windows 2012 Server in addition to earlier versions.
• Visual Studio 2012 integration. Altova tools that support integration with Visual Studio have been updated to support the latest version of Microsoft’s IDE.
• Internet Explorer 10 support. Altova desktop products with browser integration now all support Internet Explorer 10. In addition, the Authentic Browser plug-in supports IE 10 in desktop mode.
• XMLSpy 2013 Chinese language version. Version 2013 of XMLSpy is now available in Chinese as well as English, German, Japanese, and Spanish.

Version 2013 Service Pack 1 is a free update for all customers of Version 2013 products, as well as any customer with valid Support and Maintenance. Download and install SP1 now.

The Altova MissionKit 2013 Introduces Seamless Integration of XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision in Java Applications

The Altova MissionKit 2013, empowers developers to integrate XMLSpy, MapForce, or StyleVision functionality seamlessly in custom Java applications for Windows. This frequently-requested capability adds to existing support for integrating these MissionKit tools in Visual Basic or C# applications, giving developers flexibility to add some or all XMLSpy, MapForce, or StyleVision views and functionality to their own custom apps.

Version 2013 of XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision include a new API that allows each to run inside a window within a Java application developed using the Java Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) or Java Swing. This functionality allows MapForce 2013, for instance, to be embedded in larger applications where data mapping and transformation is only one requirement.

Altova provides sample applications with XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision illustrating use of the Java API. You can access the sample applications from the command line or from within Eclipse.

Trick or Treat with Altova at DevConnections!

 

It’s no trick - we will be in Las Vegas October 30 – November 1 at the Bellagio Hotel for the fall DevConnections event, in booth #408. If you are attending the event we would love for you to stop by our booth, where we will be showcasing MissionKit, Altova’s suite of XML, SQL and UML tools.

Altova MissionKit 2013 provides specialized functionality for Microsoft developers and IT pros, including seamless integration with Visual Studio®, C# and C++ code generation, powerful functionality for SQL Server® database management and reporting, integration with SharePoint® Server, functionality for working with Open XML (OOXML), diff/merge for Word documents, and much more.

While you are at our booth, don’t forget to enter our drawing for a chance to win a free Altova MapForce Basic Edition license. If you also mention that you saw this blog post – we might have a special treat for you too! 

Do You Believe in (XML) Magic?

One of the most exciting features in our recent Version 2013 release is Smart Fix XML validation in XMLSpy. Smart Fix is so magical it can revolutionize XML validation as we know it. While the XMLSpy validator has always been powerful, with new features added often, Smart Fix really delivers the “wow” factor: automatic error correction.

Let’s take a look at how it works.

Using Table Row and Column Conditions in StyleVision 2013

The ability to conditionally hide table rows or columns has been a popular feature request from StyleVision users. StyleVision 2013 adds the capability in the form of conditional expressions on table rows and columns. Conditional processing can be set on individual columns and rows of static and dynamic tables, as well as on column and row headers, to display or hide the column, row, or header depending on the truth of the condition. The conditions are specified using StyleVision’s XPath Expression editor. If a condition evaluates to true, the column, row, or header is displayed; otherwise it is not (i.e., is hidden).

Let’s take a look at some scenarios for which this new feature is exceptionally useful.

Watermarks in StyleVision 2013

Watermark support has been added in StyleVision 2013, in response to customer requests. A watermark is text or an image that is displayed on the background of each page of a document section. Watermarks are often used in draft and confidential documents in order to emphasize a document’s status or security constraints.

In StyleVision 2013, watermarks may be used for print-oriented output formats, including PDF, RTF, and Word (Open XML). In keeping with StyleVision’s overall design model, with a single layout design used for multiple output types, you only need to define watermarks once, and they are applied to all print-output views.

Here’s an example of a StyleVision design containing a watermark:

Let’s take a look at the steps involved in using watermarks in StyleVision 2013 by modifying the QuickStart example (quickstart.sps) included in the Tutorials folder (installed with StyleVision), in order to produce the design shown in the image above.

Visit us at Oracle OpenWorld next week!

Fall is here, which must mean we are off to San Francisco, CA for the 2012 Oracle OpenWorld show.  If you are planning on attending come by and see Altova at the Moscone center from Sept. 30^th – October 4^th in booth #3408 for a demo of Altova’s tools for Oracle Users and see the amazing new features in the newly released Altova MissionKit 2013!

While you are visiting our booth tell us about your latest projects and challenges, collaborate on best practices or let us show you some of the latest and greatest features available in MissionKit 2013, like Smart Fix XML Validation in XMLSpy, mapping SQL stored procedures in MapForce, watermark support in StyleVision, or our seamless integration options in Java applications.  Don’t forget to enter our drawing for a chance to win a free Altova MapForce Basic Edition license!

Stored Procedures in Database Mappings

In response to user requests, the new release of MapForce 2013 includes robust support for stored procedures in database mappings as:

• input components (for stored procedures that provide results)
• output components (for stored procedures that insert or update data in a database)
• or, stored procedures may be inserted as a function-like call (allowing users to provide input data, execute the stored procedure, and read/map the output data to other components)

The screenshot below shows the mapping of a stored procedure in SQL Server to create an XML file.

Altova MissionKit 2013 with Smart Fix

Altova Software Version 2013 was released today, and, as always, numerous features in this year’s autumn launch have been developed in response to customer requests. You asked for the ability to use SQL stored procedures in MapForce data mapping projects, to embed XSDs in WSDL documents in XMLSpy, to add watermarks in StyleVision, and to integrate MissionKit functionality flexibly in Java applications. All those features and more are there in Version 2013. We’ve also added some features that can only be described as magical.

Let’s take a look at the highlights…

Have you ever wanted a schema for Apache Ant?

Recently I was having some issues with the Ant files for a software project I was working on. I was editing one of them in XMLSpy but wasn’t getting entry help or code completion because I didn’t have a schema assigned to my script.

That seemed like a simple problem, so off I went looking for the schema.

I quickly found a Stack Overflow question looking for the same thing. The answer turns out to be, there is no Ant schema or DTD. The reasoning is straightforward. Above the challenge of making a flexible and comprehensive model of the Ant core, it would be able to include all the external tasks.

I immediately remembered that I’d been here before a couple years back, but this time I figured I’d use XMLSpy’s schema generation feature to try to do something about it…

FlowForce Server Beta 3 is Now Available

MapForce 2012 users who need to automate data transformations in a centralized environment are enthusiastic about FlowForce Server, the new server product from Altova that automates execution of MapForce data transformations. Now we are pleased to announce the release of FlowForce Server Beta 3, offered as a free public beta test to all licensed users of Altova MapForce 2012 Enterprise Edition and MapForce 2012 Professional Edition.

The beta test period for FlowForce Server Beta 3 is extended until March 31, 2013.

FlowForce Server Beta 3 adds support for remote job requests via an HTTP client and job parameters that can be passed to any step in a job. When used together with the request interface, job parameters empower the HTTP client to specify input values in the job request.

FlowForce Server Beta 3 also permits any job to be called as a step within another job, implements individual job queues that make it possible to control server resources used by jobs, and adds many more refinements and enhancements.

FlowForce Server Beta 3 is available in a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. The 64-bit version allows the MapForce Beta 3 module to process extremely large data files and provides compatibility with 64-bit database drivers.

Click here to read more about FlowForce Server Beta 3 at the Altova Web site, or visit the FlowForce Server Beta 3 download page to get started automating data transformations in your data center!

XML Summer Fun

Aloha! Summer is the time to hang loose, get some sun, and recharge your XML knowledge. Altova offers free, self-paced, Online Training in XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision. We also have technology specific training in XBRL, XSLT, and HL7.

Don’t be a poser when your bro’s talk up XSLT transformation. Our classes will let you brag about some cherry surfing through gnarly XPath code.

XML getting you bummed? Brush up on XMLSpy techniques to ride a fat wave to a juicy completed project. Let MapForce put your data in the best form for your project and make your output major with StyleVision.

Don’t get cranked by the tax code. Use our XBRL training to become the Big Kahuna and shoot the pipe to the Surf Shack of Standards Compliance.

Grab your board, and surf over to Altova Online Training to catch some sweet knowledge.
You’ll say “Mahalo, Altova!”

Web Service as a Look-Up Table to Refine GPS Data

Elevation data recorded by GPS devices is notoriously inaccurate, especially in hilly terrain like the Russian River Valley example from our earlier post.

The final elevation track plotted from the Russian River Valley GPX file is suspicious for several reasons. First, the graph shows we descended almost 50 feet below sea level. That’s hard to believe, since we were travelling along the bank of the river, only about 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

Secondly, we were headed mostly west, following the river downstream, but the track shows a predominantly uphill trend.

We can evaluate the recorded GPS elevation data by comparing it to information available from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS operates a Web service that accepts latitude and longitude coordinates, and returns elevation data measured by NASA and assessed for accuracy based on over 13,000 control points in the continental United States.

Using the elevation Web service in an Altova MapForce mapping will let us extract each point from the GPX file, send the coordinates to the USGS Web service, and build a new GPX file with corrected elevation data.

Data Mapping Patterns

Altova MapForce includes powerful mapping components that correspond to design patterns for data transformation requirements. Analyzing a data mapping assignment up front and following a few straightforward guidelines can help simplify creation of the mapping design and lead to an optimal solution.

The MapForce Examples project provides sample mapping files and data sets that illustrate many common data mapping patterns. Reviewing these examples and executing them with the MapForce Built-in Execution Engine is another good way to help select the best pattern for your own project.

Exact vs. Conditional Matching

First, determine whether your inputs and outputs have an exact one to one relationship or require analysis of a more complex condition such as from-to ranges or an if-else statement.

We will be at TechEd! Will you?

Altova will be exhibiting in sunny Orlando, FL from June 11 – 14 at Microsoft TechEd in booth #2338.  Come on down to the Orange County Convention Center and talk with our experts about the new features in the Altova MissionKit.


If you are attending TechEd, stop by our booth to see the latest features in the Altova MissionKit 2012r2, which include EPUB editing and validation in XMLSpy, sorting of data mapping results in MapForce, generation of code from UML sequence diagrams in UModel, RichEdit functionality in StyleVision and Authentic and much more! We hope to see you next week.

Learning About EPUB: Structure and Content

Sure, you’ve been reading a lot about e-books in the news lately. But let’s take a moment to step back from the controversy and take a look at the technology behind these digital publications. There are various formats used to create e-books, but one of the most popular is the standards-based EPUB format.



EPUB® (electronic publication) is an open standard from the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) for creating and distributing digital publications such as e-books. EPUB content is “reflowable,” which means it can be accessed on any of the numerous e-readers that support the standard (iPad®, Sony® Reader™, NOOK®, Kobo™ Touch, et al).

An EPUB document is comprised of OPS (Open Publication Structure), OPF (Open Packaging Format), OCF (Open Container Format), XHTML, CSS, SVG, image, and other file types in a single, interoperable file format for easy distribution and publication.

Let’s examine this structure further by creating our own EPUB e-book, then repurposing some existing HTML pages to flesh out the content.

New Case Study: Automating XBRL Data Collection and Processing

Case studies are a great way to see how other organizations use Altova® technologies to develop unique projects that meet their business goals. We’re often asked, however, what comes next. Did the project take off? Has it grown since the case study was published?

We’re happy to bring you a follow up to a case study we published last year about the not-for-profit Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA).
In the original case study, MACPA converted General Ledger and other financial data from siloed systems into XBRL – in house and on a budget – with the Altova MissionKit®. At that point, they were mapping the XBRL file to multiple external targets, including an Excel spreadsheet used to feed their Key Performance Indicators (KPI) system. (You can read the original XBRL case study here.)

Since that time, they’ve built on the foundation they created and developed a business intelligence dashboard driven by the XBRL files they generate in MapForce®. They used Altova FlowForce®, an application designed to automate the execution of MapForce data transformations and other tasks on servers, virtual machines, and workstations, to automate the XBRL data collection and processing. Now the most recent data is available across the entire organization for custom reporting.

You can read the follow-up to the original XBRL case study here.



Read more about how they did it.

Versiones en español de XMLSpy, MapForce y StyleVision

Nos complace anunciar que, a partir de la versión 2012 Release 2 SP1, las aplicaciones XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision y el conjunto de aplicaciones MissionKit for XML Developers están disponibles en español. También en español está ya el sitio web de Altova.

Estas versiones en español amplían nuestra oferta de versiones traducidas, que ya incluye productos en inglés, alemán, japonés y chino.

Para descargar la versión en español de XMLSpy, MapForce y StyleVision o el conjunto de aplicaciones MissionKit for XML Developers, sólo tiene que seleccionar la opción "Spanish/Español" del menú desplegable de selección de idiomas. Con su actual código clave de licencia puede desbloquear cualquier versión traducida del producto que adquirió. Si lo prefiere, también puede descargar una versión de prueba gratis de 30 días de duración.

Spanish Language Versions of XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision

We're excited to announce that, starting with Version 2012 Release 2 SP1, Altova XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and the MissionKit for XML Developers are now available in fully localized Spanish language versions! Much of the Altova Web site is now available in Spanish, as well.

Spanish is latest addition to our growing list of localized options including English, German, Japanese, and Chinese.

To download the Spanish version of XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, or the MissionKit for XML Developers, simply select Spanish from the language selector. Your existing license key code will unlock any language version of your purchased product(s). You can also download a free 30-day trial at any time.

Resist Data Integration Redundancy

The Internet makes massive amounts of data available for lots of interesting applications. But whenever you design a unique analysis and presentation of information you don’t privately control, you risk that the owner will offer the same view at some point in the future, instantly making your application redundant.

That’s exactly what happened to the Groupon API data-mining project we originally wrote about in August, 2011. Fortunately, the core of our project is a MapForce graphical data mapping. We can quickly and easily tweak the mapping and repurpose it to present an entirely different data set that provides new value.

XPath Enhances XML Reports

In our previous post on Creating Elegant Reports for GPS XML Data we used an XPath expression to select nodes from an XML document for an elevation line chart. You can also use XPath to compute values. Altova StyleVision includes strong support for XPath, and we can write XPath expressions to add interesting information to our GPS XML reports. For instance, we can process the elevation data stored by the GPS device in meters to plot a chart showing the elevation in feet above sea level instead.

Creating Elegant Reports for GPS XML Data

In our earlier post on XML for Global Positioning Systems, we mentioned that adventurers and athletes might want to use XML data from their devices to keep a record of their trips, or even training sessions leading up a marathon or other special event. Several colleagues responded by offering example files!

Looking through all this data, we realized that plotting elevation changes over time would show interesting results for many activities. We used XMLSpy to create this customized line graph directly from the XML data to show elevation vs. time for an afternoon of bicycling through California wine country. We even applied the vineyard photo as a background image right from the XMLSpy chart settings dialog.

Whenever you want to elegantly present data from multiple XML data files based on the same XML Schema, Altova StyleVision is the tool that lets you design a richly featured stylesheet for repeatable output in HTML, RTF, PDF, or Microsoft Word formats.

Here’s how we did It for our GPS XML data:

Transforming a Plain Layout in StyleVision

Altova Online Training’s newest course, XSLT Technology, leads the student though several transformations of XML data into new formats. Even with all the transformations performed in the class, there are some transformations that did not make it into the final edit.
In Chapter 4 of the XSLT Technology training, I walk students through the process of creating a flyer for the play “Hamlet” using StyleVision. The source content is in XML, and StyleVision autogenerates the XSL stylesheets required to render it into HTML, PDF, and Word, based on our design.
I asked the Altova Art Department to spruce up my design, and, while I did not end up using the nicer design in the training, I wanted to show how to turn my plain flyer into the Art Department’s vision.

Let’s explore the transformation.

FlowForce Server Beta 2 is Now Available

FlowForce Server, the new server product from Altova that automates execution of MapForce data transformations, has gained hundreds of enthusiastic followers since the release of FlowForce Server Beta 1 last December. Now we are pleased to announce the release of FlowForce Server Beta 2, offered as a free public beta test to all licensed users of Altova MapForce 2012 Enterprise Edition and MapForce 2012 Professional Edition.

The beta test period for FlowForce Server Beta 2 is extended until September 1, 2012.

FlowForce Server Beta 2 adds robust access control to segregate jobs and related data files, so departments can work independently without seeing or overwriting each other’s data. Access control functionality includes defined Users and Roles, Privileges, and Credentials, all managed by FlowForce Server Administrators.

FlowForce Server Beta 2 also includes Web interface enhancements to provide more status information about job schedules, active triggers, and more.

FlowForce Server Beta 2 is available in a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. The new 64-bit version allows the MapForce Beta 2 module to process very large data files and provides compatibility with 64-bit database drivers.

Click here to read more about FlowForce Server Beta 2 at the Altova Web site, or visit the FlowForce Server Beta 2 download page to get a copy of the installers for yourself!

Come Visit Altova this Spring at FOSE!

Stop and smell the cherry blossoms, then come visit Altova while we are in Washington D.C.! We will be at FOSE April 3-5 in booth #719 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center showcasing the tools in the Altova MissionKit.

If you are attending FOSE, stop by our booth to see the latest features in the Altova MissionKit 2012r2, which include EPUB editing and validation in XMLSpy, sorting of data mapping results in MapForce, generation of code from UML sequence diagrams in UModel, RichEdit functionality in StyleVision and Authentic and much more.

When you stop by our booth, don’t forget to enter our drawing to win a free Altova MapForce Basic Edition license.

Visit Altova at DevConnections!

Join us in Las Vegas as we kick off the 2012 tradeshow season! The Altova team will be in booth # 215 in Las Vegas on March 26-29 at the MGM Grand for the Spring Microsoft DevConnections event.

We would love to see you there, where we will be showcasing the entire suite of tools found in the Altova MissionKit. Altova MissionKit 2012r2 products provide specialized functionality for Microsoft developers and IT pros, including seamless integration with Visual Studio®, C# and C++ code generation, powerful functionality for SQL Server® database management and reporting, integration with SharePoint® Server, functionality for working with Open XML (OOXML), diff/merge for Word documents, and much more.

Feeling lucky? If you are planning on attending the show, don’t forget to stop by our booth and enter our drawing for a chance to win a free Altova MapForce Basic Edition license.

Building Web Pages – HTML Design with StyleVision

The rapid pace of today’s business environment means that information – along with the format in which it is required – changes often. Although some Web pages contain content that doesn’t often change (e.g., About Us and directions pages), the majority of today’s corporate Websites are continually updated with new data.
For this reason, many organizations choose to store Web content in XML. This allows organizations to develop content in a highly efficient manner because information in the XML file can be used for multiple purposes and in multiple output formats – the XML Schema associated with the XML file describes the content model.
StyleVision is a powerful stylesheet and report designer that can help you leverage XML. StyleVision will allow you to build Web pages with sophisticated formatting in a template-based, drag and drop design window. StyleVision auto-generates XSLT stylesheets so that you can integrate your design into a new or existing site – you can even generate ASPX Web applications right from the File menu.

In this post we’ll design a Web page that will show off some of StyleVision’s HTML formatting capabilities. Although StyleVision’s built in formatting capabilities allow you to create sophisticated designs via simple drag-and-drop, for this example we’ll use CSS3, images, and other standard design elements to create a Web page that doesn’t need to be reformatted when content changes.

The Global Positioning of XML

XML is everywhere. If you don’t believe it, get a USB cable and connect a GPS device to a computer, then browse for any file with the extension .gpx. We quickly found a 2 MB file named Current.gpx on a Garmin GPS. Opening it in XMLSpy reveals XML data and an XML Schema assignment at the top.

Scrolling through the body of the file displays numerous <trkpt> tags that record latitude and longitude along with <ele> and <time> tags reporting the elevation, date and time at that location.

Any place you may go in the world, XML is there to tell you where you are.

New! XSLT Technology Training

We’re excited to introduce our new XSLT Technology training as the latest Altova Online Training offering. As with all our trainings, XSLT Technology is released as a free, self-paced course, available online, so students can fit it into their busy schedules.

XSLT transforms XML data into other formats, and this course will transform a beginner XML student into an advanced user. Intermediate and advanced students will gain valuable techniques to add to their XML toolkits.

 

Release 2 of the Altova MissionKit 2012

It’s an exciting week here at Altova! We have several new offerings to tell you about, including Release 2 of the Version 2012 Altova MissionKit and entire product line, a new Altova Online Training course on XSLT Technology, and a new service called Altova Product Consulting.

Let’s start with what’s included in the latest product release. Version 2012 Release 2 delivers a host of the new features that have been most frequently requested by our customers, including support for EPUB 2.x, sorting of data mapping results, RichEdit functionality for Authentic eForms, code generation from UML sequence diagrams, and much more.

Model Driven Architecture with Altova UModel

For Version 2012, UModel introduces Model Driven Architecture (MDA), with platform-independent models and a Model Transformation feature that transforms all code relevant modeling elements to and from UML, C#, Visual Basic, Java, databases, and XML Schema.

Model Transformation

A Model Driven Architecture approach to software engineering with platform independent models provides two primary advantages:

• During the design phase, developers do not need to be concerned with the details and variations between software languages
  
• An existing UModel project can be transformed from one source code language to another. For instance, a UML model for a C# application can become a Java or Visual Basic project

Users can even apply model transformation to projects that were reverse engineered from existing source code. For instance, an existing Java application can be reverse-engineered by UModel then transformed to generate Visual Basic classes, and many other possibilities are available.

Data Exchange for the Mobile Workforce

Data Exchange for the Mobile Workforce

Organizations have been forced to adapt many of their internal business processes to accommodate an increasingly mobile workforce. Although there are technological solutions that address many of today’s communication needs, the plethora of different document formats in use – even within the same organization – means that some tasks remain vexing. For example, how does an organization remain flexible enough to facilitate the exchange of data among mobile workers yet retain the ability to bring that data into internal IT systems?

Altova offers an inexpensive solution with StyleVision®, a graphical stylesheet and report designer with electronic forms capability, and Authentic®, a WYSIWYG XML and database editor in which end users can view and edit electronic forms created in StyleVision. The Authentic Community Edition is available from the Altova Web site as a free download so that anyone can be brought into your workflow, whether they are internal or external to your organization.

In this post we’ll present a sample case showing you how to create an electronic form that mirrors an existing paper form (in our example it is a reimbursement form) and then we’ll follow it as it makes its way around a fictional organization.

Intuitive User Interface Features

Here at Altova we like to share user interface features across products to give the MissionKit a consistent look and feel, and to help users leverage experience gained using one tool to get up to speed more quickly with the others.

In version 2012 we introduced new visual alignment guides in both UModel and MapForce to make it easy to work very rapidly, yet still produce a neat, organized result that communicates effectively with other team members.

As users drag elements in the diagram window, alignment snap lines appear automatically to allow any component to align with any other component.

Get More Mileage from Your StyleVision Designs with Dynamic Selection of CSS Files

One of the great things about StyleVision is the flexibility that it affords. With StyleVision you can design visually sophisticated stylesheets and reports for output to multiple formats including HTML, PDF, and Authentic electronic forms. Now StyleVision makes it even easier to accommodate different formatting needs in a single design with dynamic selection of CSS files – a new feature introduced in StyleVision 2012.

Although you can still manage virtually all formatting tasks from the StyleVision design itself, dynamic selection of CSS files means that you can create a single template for use in multiple situations. To demonstrate, we’ve created an invoice for the fictional Nanonull Corporation for which the design changes based on the number of days that have elapsed between the invoice issue date and the due date. Although we could have used XPath to change the formatting of each element based on the number of days that have elapsed, in this case it is more efficient to create individual CSS files that apply to different scenarios.

XML Editor Supports HTML5 and CSS3

The Altova MissionKit Web tools received an important update with our recent Version 2012 release: support for HTML5 and CSS3. You’ll find support updated to include the most recent versions of these Web standards in both XMLSpy 2012 (and higher) for code editing and StyleVision 2012 for graphical stylesheet and report design.

Let’s focus on the HTML5 and CSS3 editors in XMLSpy here – StyleVision functionality will be covered in a future article.