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Migrating RMCobol Application from v11 to v12

  • December 2, 2015
  • 4 replies
  • 0 views
D

I have come across an issue while migrating an RM/Cobol application using XML Extensions from v11 to v12.  Please allow me to ask for advice, please.

As I develop XML applications, I follow these basic steps:

  1. I develop a basic cobol program including the data structure used for the XML

  2. I use the slicesy utility to create an XSD, rename the XSD to {whatever}SAVE.xsd, and delete XSL and XTL

  3. I used Stylus Studio to recreate a style sheet using the XSD created by the slicesy utility and a sample XML document in the format I'm having to deal with

I like using Stylus Studio to create style sheets because I don't like typing the XSLT by hand.  I make too many mistakes and I find it easier to map elements using Stylus Studio and adding simple XSLT statements (like xsl:if) if/when necessary.

It appears the XSD created by the slicesy utility does not include the "root" element using v12, and there is not a switch to pass into the slicesy utility to force the slicesy utility to create the "root" element. Douglas P with Micro Focus SupportLine confirmed that is true.

One alternative would be to create a "debug" document from the data-structure within the cobol program using an "XML EXPORT" command, and use Stylus Studio to map the elements using the "debug" document as one of the source/target documents (instead of the XSD).

I really don't want to re-map one of the style sheets as it is quite complicated.  I realize the application will work "as is", but any changes would require the style sheet to be corrected by hand.  Ultimately, I would like to have the "root" element within the style sheet so I can use stylus studio and not have to re-map a style sheet using a "debug" document.

Can anyone share any advice?


#XMLExtensions
#RMCOBOL

4 replies

Thomas Morrison
  • Thomas Morrison
  • Participating Frequently
  • December 2, 2015

I have come across an issue while migrating an RM/Cobol application using XML Extensions from v11 to v12.  Please allow me to ask for advice, please.

As I develop XML applications, I follow these basic steps:

  1. I develop a basic cobol program including the data structure used for the XML

  2. I use the slicesy utility to create an XSD, rename the XSD to {whatever}SAVE.xsd, and delete XSL and XTL

  3. I used Stylus Studio to recreate a style sheet using the XSD created by the slicesy utility and a sample XML document in the format I'm having to deal with

I like using Stylus Studio to create style sheets because I don't like typing the XSLT by hand.  I make too many mistakes and I find it easier to map elements using Stylus Studio and adding simple XSLT statements (like xsl:if) if/when necessary.

It appears the XSD created by the slicesy utility does not include the "root" element using v12, and there is not a switch to pass into the slicesy utility to force the slicesy utility to create the "root" element. Douglas P with Micro Focus SupportLine confirmed that is true.

One alternative would be to create a "debug" document from the data-structure within the cobol program using an "XML EXPORT" command, and use Stylus Studio to map the elements using the "debug" document as one of the source/target documents (instead of the XSD).

I really don't want to re-map one of the style sheets as it is quite complicated.  I realize the application will work "as is", but any changes would require the style sheet to be corrected by hand.  Ultimately, I would like to have the "root" element within the style sheet so I can use stylus studio and not have to re-map a style sheet using a "debug" document.

Can anyone share any advice?


#XMLExtensions
#RMCOBOL

For the export side, why not allow the XSLT to adapt to the presence of a root element in a way that doesn't interfere too much with your normal coding style.

I am presuming that your coding style is essentially one template that uses match="/" plus some helper templates.

The following matches the document root element, and if that root element is named root it uses xsl:for-each to shift the context to the first (only) child node.  Your normal template, the one that matches "/" now, becomes a called template. 

If you use absolute XPath references in your main template (that is, XPath references that begin "/root/..."), you must change all such XPath references to be relative to the main context node.  For example, consider the following COBOL data definition:
       01  my-record-item.
           02  a-group-item.
               03  a-data-item pic x(4).
If you have XPath references such as "/root/my-record-item/a-group-item/a-data-item", you must now realize that root may not exist, and that your context node will be my-record-item.  So, the modified XPath would be "a-group-item/a-data-item".

Here is the suggested mechanism:

<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="www.w3.org/.../Transform">

<xsl:template match="/">
    <xsl:choose>
    <xsl:when test="local-name(.) = 'root'">
        <xsl:for-each select="*[1]">
            <xsl:call-template name="myMainTemplate"/>
        </xsl:for-each>
    </xsl:when>
    <xsl:otherwise>
            <xsl:call-template name="myMainTemplate"/>
    </xsl:otherwise>
    </xsl:choose>
    
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template name="myMainTemplate">
<!-- your 'normal' stylesheet here -->
</xsl:template>


</xsl:stylesheet>

Tom Morrison, Consultant, South Carolina, USA
D

I have come across an issue while migrating an RM/Cobol application using XML Extensions from v11 to v12.  Please allow me to ask for advice, please.

As I develop XML applications, I follow these basic steps:

  1. I develop a basic cobol program including the data structure used for the XML

  2. I use the slicesy utility to create an XSD, rename the XSD to {whatever}SAVE.xsd, and delete XSL and XTL

  3. I used Stylus Studio to recreate a style sheet using the XSD created by the slicesy utility and a sample XML document in the format I'm having to deal with

I like using Stylus Studio to create style sheets because I don't like typing the XSLT by hand.  I make too many mistakes and I find it easier to map elements using Stylus Studio and adding simple XSLT statements (like xsl:if) if/when necessary.

It appears the XSD created by the slicesy utility does not include the "root" element using v12, and there is not a switch to pass into the slicesy utility to force the slicesy utility to create the "root" element. Douglas P with Micro Focus SupportLine confirmed that is true.

One alternative would be to create a "debug" document from the data-structure within the cobol program using an "XML EXPORT" command, and use Stylus Studio to map the elements using the "debug" document as one of the source/target documents (instead of the XSD).

I really don't want to re-map one of the style sheets as it is quite complicated.  I realize the application will work "as is", but any changes would require the style sheet to be corrected by hand.  Ultimately, I would like to have the "root" element within the style sheet so I can use stylus studio and not have to re-map a style sheet using a "debug" document.

Can anyone share any advice?


#XMLExtensions
#RMCOBOL

I use this call in my old programs.

MOVE 1 TO XML-Flags.

XML COMPATIBILITY MODE

      XML-Flags

See Page 65 of the XML documentation, from PDF.

The XML COMPATIBILITY MODE statement allows version 12 XML Extensions to be

compatible with existing data and applications by inserting <root> as the top-level entry in a

document during an export operation.  While versions of XML Extensions prior to version 12

required that <root> be the top-level element of a document, version 12 and later of XML

Extensions will tolerate either the presence or absence or the <root> element.  The <root>

element (compatibility mode on) in version 12 is generally necessary only when external

stylesheets refer to the <root> element and the user does not wish to modify the stylesheets to

eliminate those references.

Thomas Morrison
  • Thomas Morrison
  • Participating Frequently
  • April 18, 2016

I have come across an issue while migrating an RM/Cobol application using XML Extensions from v11 to v12.  Please allow me to ask for advice, please.

As I develop XML applications, I follow these basic steps:

  1. I develop a basic cobol program including the data structure used for the XML

  2. I use the slicesy utility to create an XSD, rename the XSD to {whatever}SAVE.xsd, and delete XSL and XTL

  3. I used Stylus Studio to recreate a style sheet using the XSD created by the slicesy utility and a sample XML document in the format I'm having to deal with

I like using Stylus Studio to create style sheets because I don't like typing the XSLT by hand.  I make too many mistakes and I find it easier to map elements using Stylus Studio and adding simple XSLT statements (like xsl:if) if/when necessary.

It appears the XSD created by the slicesy utility does not include the "root" element using v12, and there is not a switch to pass into the slicesy utility to force the slicesy utility to create the "root" element. Douglas P with Micro Focus SupportLine confirmed that is true.

One alternative would be to create a "debug" document from the data-structure within the cobol program using an "XML EXPORT" command, and use Stylus Studio to map the elements using the "debug" document as one of the source/target documents (instead of the XSD).

I really don't want to re-map one of the style sheets as it is quite complicated.  I realize the application will work "as is", but any changes would require the style sheet to be corrected by hand.  Ultimately, I would like to have the "root" element within the style sheet so I can use stylus studio and not have to re-map a style sheet using a "debug" document.

Can anyone share any advice?


#XMLExtensions
#RMCOBOL

Hi, John.

I have never been a big fan of XML COMPATIBILITY MODE.  My theory is that this is a user interface issue that belongs in the XSLT and not in the COBOL program.  Also, XML COMPATIBILITY MODE has a global effect, so could cause problems for an unrelated export as a undesired side effect.  I can make the change to the XSLT so that it operates correctly in either situation.  And, in fact, if you have a lot of XSLT to change, the changes can be made using XSLT in a batch command (been there, done that).

But, as  with many things, the choice to use compatibility mode is a tradeoff made in consideration of the installed base for the application (since all three of us on this thread are ISVs) and shop standards.

Tom Morrison, Consultant, South Carolina, USA
D

I have come across an issue while migrating an RM/Cobol application using XML Extensions from v11 to v12.  Please allow me to ask for advice, please.

As I develop XML applications, I follow these basic steps:

  1. I develop a basic cobol program including the data structure used for the XML

  2. I use the slicesy utility to create an XSD, rename the XSD to {whatever}SAVE.xsd, and delete XSL and XTL

  3. I used Stylus Studio to recreate a style sheet using the XSD created by the slicesy utility and a sample XML document in the format I'm having to deal with

I like using Stylus Studio to create style sheets because I don't like typing the XSLT by hand.  I make too many mistakes and I find it easier to map elements using Stylus Studio and adding simple XSLT statements (like xsl:if) if/when necessary.

It appears the XSD created by the slicesy utility does not include the "root" element using v12, and there is not a switch to pass into the slicesy utility to force the slicesy utility to create the "root" element. Douglas P with Micro Focus SupportLine confirmed that is true.

One alternative would be to create a "debug" document from the data-structure within the cobol program using an "XML EXPORT" command, and use Stylus Studio to map the elements using the "debug" document as one of the source/target documents (instead of the XSD).

I really don't want to re-map one of the style sheets as it is quite complicated.  I realize the application will work "as is", but any changes would require the style sheet to be corrected by hand.  Ultimately, I would like to have the "root" element within the style sheet so I can use stylus studio and not have to re-map a style sheet using a "debug" document.

Can anyone share any advice?


#XMLExtensions
#RMCOBOL

Hi Tom,

I did not realize that this option had a global effect.  Thanks for the info.  I have this in only a few programs for now so I will turn it off again after processing is completed.

At some point I will need to regenerate all my xml programs using slicexsy.  So far I have had schema changes in only two programs so I have not needed to recompile.

Thanks, John

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