B2B connection

[hippyshake]

Howdy everyone! :

I am not new to Filemaker (i have started with version 6) but this new task i'm up to is making me headache.

In short:

we have to sent a XML request with a catalogue number in order to receive a XML file with informations about pricing, availability etc... This has to be done per product or per order (i'm not sure about that).

As i'm completely new to the XML/XSLT, please just let me know if this is the right way to do it:

i have to make two XSLT templates that Filemaker will use, one for our XML file and one for the XML with the informations.

Is there something i should concider or worry about? The XML looks simple and straighforward. The other company is using cXML. Is that something i should worry?

Many thanks in advance for the help!

[Fenton]

If you do a search here for XML you'll find several examples of XML Import, using an XSL stylesheet. It's kind of a big subject to explain all the ins and outs of importing into and exporting out of FileMaker using xml/xsl. But if you can post an example of the XML you get as a download, then we (someone) will likely be able to help with the XSL to Import it.

Whether you need more than one XSL stylesheet file depends on whether you need to do more than one import. Which is determined by the hierarchy of the data, and by your FileMaker structure (which should more or less match). But, if you have orders and items, then that's 2 tables already, hence 2 xsl files. Not a big deal really, as one is much like another, tho the details are different.

Please zip the xml file before posting, if it is long. You could also post a small example, for viewing. But it is better to have the raw file to work with.

[hippyshake]

Thank you very much for your help.

Here the example wich reflexts the situation where we inquiry for a product. The second XML is the result that we get.

Again, thank you very much. By means i am not new to FIlemaker or databases but XML/XSLT is completely new but i am keen to learn new things.

INQUIRY

	

        

            

                

                    

                        xxxxxxxx

                    

                

                

                    

                        312585292

                    

                

                

                    

                        xxxxxxxxxx

                        xxxxxxxxx

                    

                    SAPB2B Network V1.0

                

            

            

                

                    

                        

                            123

                        

                        

                            

Some Name here

validation T1503-100g

RESPOND

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>





  

    

      

        xxxxxxx

      

      

        

      

    

    

      

        xxxxxxx

      

    

    

      

        xxxxxxxxx

      

      

    

  

  

    

      

      

        

          166.01

        

        

          0

          

            Shipping Method Is Indicated by Line Item

          

        

        

          26.51

          

        

      

      

        

          118931-25G

        

        

          

            139.50

          

          

            TRANS-M-BROMZIMTSAEURE 98%

          

          PCE

          32160000

          118931

          MANUFACTURER

          32862-97-8

          139.50

          EUR

          

          

          2

          

          1 Voraussichtl. Liefertermin 02.09.2008

          1

          

        

        

          0

          

            TRANSPORT STANDARD

          

        

      

    

  

[Fenton]

1. I don't know how to submit such a request via FileMaker (yet). It mostly just supports a "get" URL.

2. My XML parser could not deal with this line:

''

So I commented it out.

3. The parsing itself is not too difficult. This is a partial XSL stylesheet to get some of the data. XSL node paths are not really different from relative file paths. The METADATA section at the top is to tell FileMaker what the fields are, and what order, the names you see in the Import XML dialog. The names do not have to be the same as the actual xml elements in the data; the order does.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>





	

		

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Orders.xsl.zip

[hippyshake]

Hello Fenton

Thank you very much for your help. and the xSLT file.

Just for the future reference, here is what we did:

somehow i stumbled upon the site of 360works and their great Scriptmaster Plug-In.

Among others, they have the function of Post XML Data. It is simple and straighforward thing. Posting from one field and receiving into another works like a charme. :thumbup: