How to split XML file into many XML files using XSLT

Question

I would like to know how to write XSLT to split an XML file into multiple XML files according to these requirements:

• file1.xml - The lakes who type= Natyral

Answer 1

Use XSLT 2.0, like this stylesheet:

<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
    <xsl:template match="/">
        <xsl:for-each-group select="Lakes/Lake" group-by="Type">
            <xsl:result-document href="file{position()}.xml">
                <Lakes>
                    <xsl:copy-of select="current-group()"/>
                </Lakes>
            </xsl:result-document>
        </xsl:for-each-group>
    </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Note: xsl:result-document instruction.

Answer 2

With standard XSL it is not possible to have more than one output xml (i.e. resulting tree).
However, using Xalan redirect extension, you can.

Have a look at the example on the page in the link. I tested the following with Xalan Java 2.7.1

<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="1.0" xmlns:redirect="http://xml.apache.org/xalan/redirect" extension-element-prefixes="redirect">

    <xsl:output method="xml" indent="yes" />

    <xsl:template match="/">
        <xsl:apply-templates />
    </xsl:template>

    <xsl:template match="/Lakes/Lake[Type='Natyral']">
        <redirect:write file="/home/me/file1.xml">
            <NatyralLakes>
                <xsl:copy-of select="." />
            </NatyralLakes>
        </redirect:write>
    </xsl:template>

    <xsl:template match="/Lakes/Lake[Type='Artificial']">
        <redirect:write file="/home/me/file1.xml">
            <ArtificialLakes>
                <xsl:copy-of select="." />
            </ArtificialLakes>
        </redirect:write>
    </xsl:template>

    <xsl:template match="/Lakes/Lake[Type='Glacial']">
        <redirect:write file="/home/me/file3.xml">
            <GlacialLakes>
                <xsl:copy-of select="." />
            </GlacialLakes>
        </redirect:write>
    </xsl:template>


</xsl:stylesheet>