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There are mutliple ways to convert EAD documents from an SGML/XML encoding into an HTML encoding. Methods that I have seen include perl scripts (Berkeley, RLG), Word macros (Minnesota Historical Society did this for a while), and XSL (Minn Historical Society currently). Others will no doubt chime in. There are also server-side transformations in PAT, OpenText and DynaWeb of course. One of the stated purposes of the Extensible Style Language (XSL) is to be able to do simple transformations from one encoding scheme to another. For example you could transform a file encoded in the MARC DTD into EAD. One of the most obvious transformations would be from EAD to HTML so as to be able to deliver a file to older browsers. For more information on XSL see the World Wide Web Consortium site at www.w3.org. The drawback with XSL is that the standard has not been finalized. The first version was issued as what the W3C calls a "Note" on 8/27/97. You might consider this as the "Alpha" verison of XSL. A number of products were developed that worked with this "version" of XSL including the XSL Styler, a free authoring tool from ArborText, and the MSXSL processing engine, a free "technology preview" from Microsoft that accomplished XML to HTML transformations. A java application that runs as a DOS command line application, msxsl.exe required Internet Explorer 4.0 (or at least the version of the java virtual engine associated with IE 4). Many of the books that you see on the marketplace today that discuss XSL, do so with respect to the syntax of the 8/27/97 version. Stylesheet written in this syntax are, of course, themselves XML documents. Their syntax is instantly recognizable as the stylesheet consists of a series of rules that are embedded in <rule>....</rule> elements. On August 8, 1998, the W3C issued the first Working Draft of XSL, "Working Draft" being the next stage in the W3C review process. Think of it perhaps as the first Beta release. The announced timetable was that there will be three Working Drafts before the final format of version 1.0 would go for balloting as a formal "Recommendation" in the summer of 1999. HTML and XML are W3C "Recommendations." The Working Draft made several major changes to the syntax, though not the underlying intent or structure, of XSL. The changes are easy to spot visually- the <rule> element has been replaced by the <xsl:template> element. The enitre syntax of the elements and pattern matching has changed, in part it appears, top conform to the xml:namespace conventions. Many parts of the specification were not finalized as of the 8/28/98 release and the document includes notes at locations in the text where future modifications might be made. The next relase was scheduled for November 1998 but obviously has not yet appeared. (The August release was scheduled for July so it may be forthcoming shortly). The only tool of which I am aware that handles transformations using the syntax of the 8/28/98 is the Koala xsl processo, available at http://www.inria.fr/koala/XML/xslProcessor/ As the notes at this site indicate, Koala does not support all aspects of XSL. The msxsl processor does not work with the 8/28/98 syntax. Microsoft has embedded a new version of its XSL processor within the 5.0 Beta version of its Internet Explorer browser. The Microsoft XML site describes its features and the syntax employed. It appears that Microsoft, as a member of the W3C, has already incorporated into this software changes to XSL that will appear in the forthcoming release. Someone with IE 5.0 can view an XML file in the browser using an XSL stylesheet without the creator having to do an XML to HTML transformation in advance. The HTML is actually hidden from the user. When you go to View Source, you see the XML code. If you are using the IIS http server to generate active server pages, the html output can be created on the server side and presumably sent to any browser. Unfortunately the old msxsl processor does not work if IE 5.0 is loaded on your machine. Back to the use part. The Minnesota Historical Society has been using the msxsl processor for some time to transform our EAD files, which we create as XML instances, into HTML encoded files for delivery from our Web site- principally through links from our MARC records. The style sheet is very specific to the format of our particular presentation of finding aids. With that caveat and with the understanding that the code employed is out of date, we would be willing to make it available through the EAD Roundtable Web site. We are currently in the process of converting the stylesheet to the most recent syntax but want to wait until it is formally released. We have reverse-engineered a version based on what Microsoft has released to date that does work in IE 5.0 but I doubt that it is a very elegant implementation. Yes, EAD direct to your browser with no plug-ins. Michael Michael Fox Head of Processing Minnesota Historical Society 345 Kellogg Blvd West St. Paul MN 55102-1906 phone: 651-296-1014 fax: 651-296-9961 [log in to unmask] **NOTE NEW AREA CODE EFFECTIVE JULY 12, 1998** Michael Fox Head of Processing Minnesota Historical Society 345 Kellogg Blvd West St. Paul MN 55102-1906 phone: 651-296-1014 fax: 651-296-9961 [log in to unmask] **NOTE NEW AREA CODE EFFECTIVE JULY 12, 1998**