Metadata display with xsl stylsheet

[timglaser]

Per search result, give a metadata link that goes to a stylized representation of the xml metadata. Do a transform of the xml into html using an xslt already developed for the metadata formats we are supporting.

Either do this as a client side transform: http://www.w3schools.com/xsl/xsl_client.asp. Or do it as a server side transform to avoid potential cross-browser transform issues. Server side transform in python: http://cvmlrobotics.blogspot.com/2012/09/python-use-xsl-to-transform-xml-xslt.html.

Also provide a way to access pure XML version of the file.

[emiliom]

I added this to the Google Docs bugs/issue spreadsheet, as a high priority. See the item named "metadata display with xsl stylesheet", including its comment column.

An easy (I can implement myself, barring unforeseen complexities) short-term "fix" would be to replace the current Metadata XML link URL with the equivalent GeoPortal metadata "Details" URL, which is already styled for human eyeballs. An example (using the dev server, but it also works on prod server):

• The WA "geoduck" record: http://wcga-vm01.sdsc.edu/discover/#?text=geoduck
• Current WCODP Metadata XML link (raw XML): http://wcga-vm01.sdsc.edu/geoportal/rest/document?id={BED99236-D51D-443A-AFD6-6164D94A896C}
• Equivalent GeoPortal "Details" link (styled XML): http://wcga-vm01.sdsc.edu/geoportal/catalog/search/resource/details.page?uuid={BED99236-D51D-443A-AFD6-6164D94A896C}

PROS:

• Metadata becomes more human-friendly and browseable
• Easy to implement (vs a long term solution where the ODP applies the style sheet directly). I've already looked up the javascript file where the change should be made

CONS:

• The raw XML becomes one step removed. It'll still be available from the CSW and other programmatic access, and from the GeoPortal Details page, at the bottom.
• The GeoPortal UI is shown, though it's fairly minimal. Still, it's a very different look and feel, and brings in links and navigation that could confuse users, b/c it looks like it has little to do with the Portal.

Thoughts?

[tchaddad]

Hmmm - I am pondering hard on this one. I tend to use the XML link a fair bit, but I know that is not how most people like to look at metadata.

The thing I fear about dumping to a different UI is that there is no "back" option for the user, and all the other links available lead to foreign territory.

I'm wondering if there is a quick and dirty application of the XSL we can do on the fly using javascript similar to what I was doing with the CSW records on OCA. Need to think on this a bit more...

[emiliom]

Tanya, based on your first reaction, it's probably best not to change anything right now. I agree with you, I find it very useful to look at the raw XML, but people like you and I can get to the raw XML in other ways (like I pointed out). Ultimately (post launch!) I think it'd be best to have links to both the raw XML and a styled metadata, with styling that we control fully; the GeoPortal UI styled metadata pages may add more confusion than is worth, as you mention. I don't think we have time to properly investigate and test a quick an dirty hack do our own XSL application on the fly, for the portal launch.

[tchaddad]

Just a comment to mention that I dug into this a little deeper we have a good start on the various XSLTs that we will need for this task based on re-purposing style sheets from ESRI that CW mentioned were OK to use (covers FGDC, ISO, and Dublin Core). I'm working on cleaning them up so they will function well for our records.

We'd need to know where on the server these should live when they are ready, and we would need to build the hooks in from the interface to trigger them. No hurry - lots of other stuff going on.

[emiliom]

Great!