generating ASPX with XSL

[Andy Fish]

Hi,

In my aspx web application, I am generating a list of items in a menu down
the left-hand side. Different items in the list may have different controls
in, and this is data-driven at runtime.

At the moment I am using a custom template control similar to a repeater but
with many different templates. However, It's a bit of a pain to work with
and maintain. What I would like to do is generate the list of menu items
using XSLT

Of course I could generate the page output with XSLT but then I would only
be able to generate pure HTML in it, not asp.net controls, so I wouldn't be
able to use postbacks.

What I'd really like is to have an XSLT equivilent of data binding whereby
the datadinder is replaced by an XSLT processor which generates a tree of
aspx controls which then get put into the page. then I can still manipulate
them programmatically.

I guess there is probably some solution which involves me writing an aspx
page as text and then compiling it to make a class, but I definitely can't
afford to have the overhead of compiling each time the page is loaded.

Anyone else thought of this or come up with a good solution to this problem?

TIA

Andy

[Cowboy (Gregory A. Beamer) - MVP]

You can custom code this using the .NET classes ("decompiled" with Reflector
or similar) or you can use Reflection.Emit() if you want to compile a
"control" on the fly. I would aim for the server class (compiled as a
library) personally, as it is more reusable and will perf better with lots of
choices than JITting on a page by page basis (assuming you cannot cache the
control, that is).

--
Gregory A. Beamer
MVP; MCP: +I, SE, SD, DBA

***************************
Think Outside the Box!
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"Andy Fish" wrote:

Hi,

In my aspx web application, I am generating a list of items in a menu down
the left-hand side. Different items in the list may have different controls
in, and this is data-driven at runtime.

At the moment I am using a custom template control similar to a repeater but
with many different templates. However, It's a bit of a pain to work with
and maintain. What I would like to do is generate the list of menu items
using XSLT

Of course I could generate the page output with XSLT but then I would only
be able to generate pure HTML in it, not asp.net controls, so I wouldn't be
able to use postbacks.

What I'd really like is to have an XSLT equivilent of data binding whereby
the datadinder is replaced by an XSLT processor which generates a tree of
aspx controls which then get put into the page. then I can still manipulate
them programmatically.

I guess there is probably some solution which involves me writing an aspx
page as text and then compiling it to make a class, but I definitely can't
afford to have the overhead of compiling each time the page is loaded.

Anyone else thought of this or come up with a good solution to this problem?

TIA

Andy