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alexandrev-tibco
99 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
99 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "XSL online tester: run XSL and XSLT transforms in your browser"
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description: "Free XSL online tester and editor. Run XSL transformations, test XSLT stylesheets and validate XSL-FO output without installing anything."
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date: 2026-04-13T00:00:00Z
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tags: ["xsl", "xslt", "online", "tools"]
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---
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XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) is an umbrella term that covers three related specifications: XSLT for transformations, XPath for node selection, and XSL-FO for formatting objects. When developers search for an "XSL tester" or "XSL online editor", they are usually looking for a way to run XSLT stylesheets against XML input without a local install. [XSLT Playground](https://xsltplayground.com) does exactly that.
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## XSL vs XSLT — what is the difference?
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**XSL** is the full family of W3C specifications:
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- **XSLT** (XSL Transformations) — transforms XML documents into other formats
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- **XPath** — the path language used inside XSLT to navigate XML trees
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- **XSL-FO** (XSL Formatting Objects) — describes page layout for print and PDF output
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In practice, when people say "XSL" in an integration or development context, they almost always mean **XSLT**. The stylesheet file extension `.xsl` and `.xslt` are interchangeable — Saxon and most processors accept both.
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## Running XSL transforms online
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[XSLT Playground](https://xsltplayground.com) supports XSLT 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 via the Saxon processor. To run an XSL transform:
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1. Paste your XML source document in the input panel
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2. Paste your XSL stylesheet in the stylesheet panel
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3. Select the XSLT version (1.0, 2.0 or 3.0)
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4. Click **Run**
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The output appears immediately. If the stylesheet has errors, the error panel shows the exact line and message from Saxon.
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## Common XSL use cases
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**XML to HTML** — the most common use. An XSL stylesheet walks an XML document tree and emits HTML tags:
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```xml
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<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
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<xsl:output method="html"/>
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<xsl:template match="/">
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<html><body>
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<xsl:apply-templates select="//item"/>
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</body></html>
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</xsl:template>
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<xsl:template match="item">
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<p><xsl:value-of select="name"/></p>
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</xsl:template>
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</xsl:stylesheet>
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```
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**XML to XML** — reshaping or filtering a document structure:
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```xml
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<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
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<xsl:output method="xml" indent="yes"/>
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<xsl:template match="/">
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<output>
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<xsl:copy-of select="//product[price > 100]"/>
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</output>
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</xsl:template>
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</xsl:stylesheet>
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```
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**XML to plain text or CSV** — using `xsl:output method="text"`:
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```xml
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<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
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<xsl:output method="text"/>
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<xsl:template match="/">
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<xsl:for-each select="//row">
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<xsl:value-of select="string-join((col1, col2, col3), ',')"/>
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<xsl:text> </xsl:text>
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</xsl:for-each>
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</xsl:template>
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</xsl:stylesheet>
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```
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## XSL file extensions: .xsl vs .xslt
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Both `.xsl` and `.xslt` are valid. The `.xsl` extension is older and more common in enterprise systems (SAP, Oracle, IBM DataPower). The `.xslt` extension is more explicit. Saxon accepts either. XSLT Playground accepts any content regardless of what you call it.
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## Testing XSL stylesheets online
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The main advantage of an online XSL tester is speed of iteration. You can:
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- Paste a real XML payload from a production system and see what the stylesheet produces
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- Add parameters and test different code paths
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- Enable trace mode to see which templates fired and in what order
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- Export the entire test case (input + stylesheet + parameters) as a JSON workspace to share with a colleague
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All of this is available at [XSLT Playground](https://xsltplayground.com) without creating an account or installing anything.
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## XSL transform online vs local Saxon
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For most development and debugging tasks, the online tester is faster than running Saxon locally. Use local Saxon when:
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- You are processing confidential data that cannot leave your network
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- Your input files are very large (several MB or more)
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- You need to integrate the transform into a build pipeline
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For everything else — prototyping, debugging, sharing test cases — the online XSL tester is quicker.
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