Tools you need for viewing the demonstration

Internet Explorer browser version 5, 5.5 or 6.0. You can download the version you want from Microsoft Internet Exprorer site.
MSXML3.0 parser (instructions for installing)

You might also want to install these other handy tools and documentations:

Microsoft Tools for validating XML and viewing XSLT output
Microsoft MSXML3.0 Parser SDK (software developers kit - documentation)

You need the MSXML3.0 (production version, oct. 2000) parser for viewing transformations that are being processed dynamically on browser. Since IE 5.5 still ships with MSXML 2.5 (or 2.6) parser, you also need to download and install MSXML3.0 parser. There is controversal information available about IE6: some references claim it already ships with MSXML3, others claim otherwise. If you use IE6, do the parser check descibed in this document below. If your check fails, install the MSXML3.0 parser separately. There is also MSXML4 parser (Microsoft XML Core Services) available but before installing it read the documentation "Whats new in MSXML4 release" from Microsoft. Note that if your company has already XSLT solutions they might not work properly after installing MSXML4 since MSXML4 requires each object call to have a object id/version label pointing to MSXML version you want to use. If you are not sure what to do install MSXML3 in side-by-side mode.

Previous installations are necessary so that you can see both the CSS-formatting and transformation output properly. Among other things, there is no support for XSLT-transformation stylesheet include and import functionality in MSXML2.5/2.6, and the MSXML2.5/2.6 still uses a Microsoft-specific version of XSLT called XSL Patterns. Therefore I strongly recommend that you took some time to download and install the appropriate version of browser and parser before starting to preview the demonstration.

MSXML3.0 parser installation guidelines

There are two alternative ways for installing the MSXML3.0 parser: in side-by-side mode and in replace mode. Replace mode means that if there are no references to the version (for instance, if there is no unique object identifier in the DOM-object declaring object version) the newest version parser functionality is used. Sometimes this can hinder the functionality of older scripts or stylesheets. Unless you use XSLT or DOM scripts in your production work and on office applications it is recommended to install the parser in Replace mode. You can get further information of modes, how they affect your document processing and of object identifiers from Microsoft guide documentation.

1. If you suspect that you already have MSXML3.0 installed, do the following:

Test 1: Click on the left hand menu pane on the "Test which browser you have".

If test program tels you that you already have MSXML3 or MSXML4 run test 2.
If program tels you that you have MSXML2, 2.6, 2.5 or that it cannot detect your parser version, make the parser installation as described below.

Test 2: On the left hand menu pane look up heading n:o 3 "DTD and content production in editor" and click on "Poem version2 transformed into HTML+styled with CSS".

If you see a nicely formatted poem document you already have MSXML3 or MSML4 parser and can go on studying the demo without installing a parser.
If you see no output at all on the right hand pane, or "jiggerish", do the parser installation.

2. Installation procedure:

2.1. Make new folder into your had disk drive. Name it as xmlinstall (for example C:\xmlinstall). This is where we are going to copy the istallation files. Make also another folder and name it as foobar (for example c:\foobar).

2.2. Load and copy following program components/installation programs into your xmlinstall- folder from Microsoft http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp?URL=/code/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/596/msdncompositedoc.xml .

a) Windows Installer-program (InstMsi.exe)
Look at 3. text paragraph on Microsoft www-page, you'll find a link to dowload from "Notes, Support and Feedback".
b) Replace mode tool - XmlInst.exe
You'll find a link to download from "Side-by-side Functionality" - paragraph.
c) MSXML3.0- installation program msxml3.exe
Choose"MSDN Online Downloads" from the start of the page.

Check: after downloading these components, you should have 2 folders (xmlinstall and foobar). In xmlinstall folder you should have these files: InstMsi.exe, msxml3.exe and XmlInst.exe.

2.3. Install Microsoft installer by double clicking on xmlinstall/InstMsi.exe -file.

2.4 Run XmlInst.exe -file by doubleclicking it with your mouse left button.
WinZip-program should pop up. If not, install WinZip or other zip-program. On the WinZip popup window you are asked in which folder the files should be unzipped (by default C:\Temp or C:\xmlinstall). Change the setting "Unzip to Folder" to C:\foobar and press "Unzip" button.
On Winzip pop-up you should see:"2 file(s) unzipped successfully" If not, repeat this procedure.
Go to C:/foobar. There should now be 2 new files: xmlinst.exe and xmlinst.exe Readme.txt.

2.5 Make sure that MSXML3 installation succeeds by deleting the references to old parser .dll's, do the following:

Open MS-DOS command line window (c:\cmd)

a) go to foobar folder, by

first typing in cd..[+ENTER) cd.. [+ENTER]so many times the DOS prompt is C:\> (or if your foobar is on D, D:\>, respectively). Then go to foobar folder by typing cd foobar [+ENTER]

b) When in C:\foobar> type xmlinst -u [+ENTER].

Move again into C:\> prompt by typing cd..[+ENTER] as many times as required.

c) Then move to C:\winnt\system32
by typing cd winnt [+ENTER] and so on until you are in system32 folder.

d) On C:\winnt\system32 type regsvr32 msxml.dll
You should see a pop up window saying "DllRegisterServer in msxml.dll succeeded". Respond OK.
Now we have re-registered MSXML2. Now we are ready for installing the MSXML3 parser. Close MS-DOS command line window (by -) but not the MS DOS command line program.

2.6. Do actual MSXMLl3.0 -parser installation

Go to C:/xmlinstall, and doubleclick on msxml3.exe
This starts up the Windows Installer- program. Fill in your information and accept the lisence agreement. Install by choosing next, install, and finish on buttons.

Now, open MS-DOS -command line window again. Go to C:\> -prompt (or on the root of the drive you made your new folders to).

a) Go to foobar folder by typing "cd foobar". On C:\foobar> type xmlinst [+ENTER].
This installs MSXML3. Now we register it by going back to drive root (cd..[+ENTER] etc. )
Then go to C:\winnt\system 32.

b)On C:\winnt\system32\> -prompt type regsvr32 msxml3.dll [+ENTER]. This registers MSXML3 parser.

By using your windows explorer you can check that on C:\winnt\system32- folder there are following parser files: msxml3.dll, msxml3a.dll ja msxml3r.dll.

Parser should now be installed properly. To check, make the parser test described above the installing procedure.

MSXML3.0- parser documentation: MSXML3.0 SDK

Load MSXML3.0 SDK Microsoft Downloads (Downloads ->Web Development-> XML-> MSXML SDK 3.0 Release from left hand menu)

Save xmsmlsdk.exe to C:\xmlinstall - folder.
Doubleclick (with your mouse's left button) on xmlsdk.exe- file and follow the installation program guidelines.

SDK is a Microsoft Help-application, a hypertext book with two-window navigation pane. SDK installs itself usually to ProgramFiles/Microsoft XML Parser SDK. You can start the SDK helper application by pointing on Microsoft XML Parser SDK/Docs/xmlsdk30.chm with your mouse, pressing down right button, and selecting "Open" from the pop-up menu that appears.

You can download the Microsoft XML Parser SDK from from here,choose Downloads->Web Development->XML. Further information is avalable from Microsoft XML Developer Site and Microsoft Downloads site.

Other handy tools for exploring XML and XSLT

When viewing the demonstration and if you do some testing yourself I would recommend you to download and install a small application called "Tools for validating XML and Viewing XSLT Output". With this tool you can start the MSXML parser for validating a XML document when viewing it on IE5/IE5.5 browser. You can also view the raw output of XSLT transformation with this tool when browsing with IE. Usually an Internet browser tries to render a document for viewing, and thus you cannot see, for example the XHTML/HTML tags of an output document resulting from XSLT trasformation. Therefore, it can sometimes be difficult to explore the output of a transformation. With this tool you can browse an output document as IE5/IE5.5 renders it, and with mouse's right side button select and view (on a new window) the output of XSLT transformation excactly as it is being outputted as a raw text from XSLT processor. You can download Ms Tool for viewing XML and XSLT output from Microsoft XML-Downloads- site.

Installing the MS Tool for viewing XML and XSLT output:

Load iexmlts.exe into C:\foobar.
Double click the iexmlts.exe- file. WinZip programme is launched. Change the unzip path to C:\xmlinstall.
Two .inf- files are being unpacked onto \xmlinstall.
Point at each .inf file in turn with your mouse, press and hold down the right button. From the popup window that appears on screen select "install".

Next time you open your IE5/5.5/6.0 browser you should have two new items (Validate XML and View XSLT output) on the popup menu that appears on screen when pressing and holding down your mouse's right button (when you are viewing a XML file on IE window). You can test the functionality for example by selecting one of XSLT transformations of a demonstration in section 8 by selecting a hyperlink from left-hand pane, and when resulting document appears selecting "view XSLT outpu" on the right window with your mouse's right button.

Back Back to Poem Publishers' Inc., Demonstration main page.

Anne Honkaranta, ankarjal@cc.jyu.fi Nov. 2001.