Xslint

CLI application for checking the quality of XSL.

Installation

To install xslint you need to install npm first. Then run:

npm install -g @maxonfjvipon/[email protected]
xslint --version

Build

To build xslint from source, clone this repository:

git clone [email protected]:maxonfjvipon/xslint.git 
cd xslint

Next, run these commands to install xslint system-wide:

npm install
npm install -g .

Verify that xslint is installed correctly:

$ xslint --version
0.0.0

Usage

You can check all files in current directory:

xslint

To check specified files - provide them as arguments:

xslint path/to/your/file1.xsl path/to/your/file2.xsl

You can suppress some checks by using --suppress option:

xslint --suppress=template-match-are-you-confusing-variable-and-node

You can skip several checks at once if they contain a certain substring:

xslint --suppress=template-match

If you want to suppress many checks, use --suppress as many times as you need:

xslint --suppress=monolithic-design --suppress=short-names

Checks

Supported checks:

• template-match-starts-with-double-slash - it's not recommended to start 'match' attribute of 'xsl:template' element with '//'
• template-match-use-double-slash - it's not recommended to use 'match' attribute of 'xsl:template' element with '//'.
• template-match-setting-value-of-variable-incorrectly - assign value to a variable using the 'select' syntax if assigning a string value.
• template-match-empty-content-in-instructions - don't use empty content for instructions like 'xsl:for-each' 'xsl:if' 'xsl:when' etc.
• template-match-use-node-set-extension - don't use node-set extension function if using XSLT 2.0.
• template-match-unused-function - stylesheet functions are unused.
• template-match-unused-named-template - named templates in stylesheet are unused.
• template-match-unused-variable - variable is unused in the stylesheet.
• template-match-unused-function-template-parameter - function or template parameter is unused in the function/template body.
• template-match-too-many-small-templates - too many low granular templates in the stylesheet (10 or more).
• template-match-monolithic-design - using a single template/function in the stylesheet. You can modularize the code.
• template-match-output-method-xml - using the output method 'xml' when generating HTML code.
• template-match-not-using-schema-types - the stylesheet is not using any of the built-in Schema types (xs:string etc.), when working in XSLT 2.0 mode.
• template-match-function-template-complexity - the function or template's size/complexity is high. There is need for refactoring the code.
• template-match-null-output-from-stylesheet - the stylesheet is not generating any useful output. Please relook at the stylesheet logic.
• template-match-using-namespace-axis - using the deprecated namespace axis, when working in XSLT 2.0 mode. If you need information about the in-scope namespaces of an element should use the functions fn:in-scope-prefixes and fn:namespace-uri-for-prefix.
• template-match-can-use-abbreviated-axis-specifier - using the lengthy axis specifiers like child::, attribute:: or parent::node(). The abbreviation for parent::node() is .. . Instead of child::node use this node. The attribute axis attribute:: can be abbreviated by @.
• template-match-using-disable-output-escaping - have set the disable-output-escaping attribute to 'yes'. Please relook at the stylesheet logic.
• template-match-not-creating-element-correctly - creating an element node using the xsl:element instruction when could have been possible directly.
• template-match-are-you-confusing-variable-and-node - you might be confusing a variable reference with a node reference.
• template-match-incorrect-use-of-boolean-constants - incorrectly using the boolean constants as 'true' or 'false'. Use true() instead of 'true', and false() instead of 'false'.
• template-match-short-names - using a single character name for variable/function/template. Use meaningful names for these features.
• template-match-name-starts-with-numeric - the variable/function/template name starts with a numeric character.

How to Contribute

Fork repository, make changes, then send us a pull request. We will review your changes and apply them to the master branch shortly, provided they don't violate our quality standards. To avoid frustration, before sending us your pull request please make sure all your tests pass:

npm test

You will need npm and node installed