DeltaXML XSLT/XPath VS Code Extension v1.1.1 Update
February 20, 2022
Submitted by Phil Fearon.
XSLT/XPath Features
Our latest update to this VS Code extension focuses on improving XSLT code-navigation and code-refactoring - especially valuable for larger multi-file XSLT projects.
Tracking Symbol references
The XSLT Editor tracks references to symbols in external stylesheet modules as you edit the current stylesheet. You don’t need to specify a ‘master file’. References to symbols in implicitly imported modules are resolved automatically, provided that you’ve already opened the ‘parent’ module in the current session.
Rename Symbol
With the Rename Symbol feature you can choose to update all references to the selected symbol in one go or use the Preview feature to preview and select which updates you want to adopt.
Find All References/Peek References
Review all references to a symbol of interest, either with a ‘peek’ from within the context of your current cursor, or by use of a References Pane that groups symbol references (and the symbol definition) by their location.
XPath Notebook
A new companion XPath Notebook extension is now available. You can use this either to experiment with small sets of XPath expressions or to develop a more comprehensive Notebook, complete with markdown notes that can be reused for XML data analysis.
VS Code Features
The VS Code platform that this extension builds upon also continues to bring improvements for the XSLT/XPath developer. Here are some recent highlights:
• Bracket Pair Guides - vertical guides for matching brackets
• New Side Panel - extends the Side Bar view
• Terminal Positioning Flexibility (xsl:message output is shown in the terminal)
• Workbench Improvements - extra flexibility with editor groups
• Git Usability Improvements
Documentation for XSLT/XPath in VS Code
The updated project documentation (which supplements VS Code’s own documentation) provides a useful reference for these new features as well as all the existing features.